time management

Do You Know What’s for Dinner?

In my house, “Do you have a plan for dinner?” is the dreaded question.  If you have faced more than one evening drive home trying to remember what might be in the refrigerator and pantry at home to make a meal, you are not alone.  Some days, it’s just all too much and requires a stop at the store on the way home or ordering take-out. 

Person making menu plan

Believe it or not, planning meals or menus in advance really does not take a lot of extra time and can have HUGE benefits.  It makes sense that planning our menus encourages cooking at home.  Did you also know that menu planning is associated with consuming an overall healthier diet and less obesity?  Menu planning can help save money as we use what is on hand and plan to use what is in season and on sale.  It reduces stress by eliminating last minute decisions and rushing.  Lastly, meal planning saves time by allowing us to prepare recipes or ingredients ahead as needed.

Let me share some examples:

  • To have a clue of what is “on hand,” do an inventory of your freezer and pantry about twice a year. Post those inventories and edit as items are used.
  • On weekends or whenever you have time, do what you can to get food prepped for meals and snacks during the week.  Vegetables and fruits prepped and portioned.  Eggs hard cooked, cheese cubed, etc.
  • Use a magnetic weekly calendar (or just a notepad) to plan dinners.  Take into consideration what you have on hand, weekly schedules, and any good weekly grocery deals.  Knowing what is for dinner each night (at least the main dishes), allows you to plan and pull items from the freezer days in advance for adequate thawing.
Freezer inventory list

If you are at a loss for where to start, keep it simple.  Plan to include 3 food groups at each meal or 2 food groups at a snack (and make sure one of them is always a fruit or vegetable).  You can also visit this Planning Meals resource from CDC.  Our Extension colleagues from Texas A&M University have a great program called Dinner Tonight, providing recipes, cooking tips, and resources. If you love your slow cooker, our colleague Amanda Bohlen in Washington County shared 31 recipes during “Crock-tober-fest 2021”.

What makes planning meals easier for you?   Please share your tips in the comments!

Written by: Kate Shumaker, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Holmes County

Reviewed by: Laura Halladay, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Greene County

References:

Ducrot, P., Méjean, C., Aroumougame, V. et al. Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 14, 12 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0461-7

Meal Prep guide. (2020, October 2). The Nutrition Source. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/meal-prep/

Ohio State University Extension (n.d.). Crock-Tober Fest 2021. https://washington.osu.edu/program-areas/family-and-consumer-sciences/crock-tober-fest-2021

Planning meals and snacks. (2023, August 16). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/meals.html

Texas A&M University (n.d.). Dinner Tonight. https://dinnertonight.tamu.edu/

Simplify Your Schedule

As springtime activities get into full swing, are you busier than you’d like to be? Do you find it difficult to get everything done on your to do list? Even more importantly, does your calendar match your priorities in life? If not, maybe it is time to de-clutter your schedule and reestablish your priorities.

planner on table with vase of flowers and jar of sidewalk chalk

Many of us wear our busyness like a badge of honor when maybe instead it’s a burden that needs lightened. Organizational and time management skills can help you be more efficient. But even the best time management strategies aren’t enough to tackle a schedule that is just too full. We tend to over-estimate what we can accomplish in a day, and under-estimate the amount of time a certain task will take. Maybe we need to observe our patterns, acknowledge our limits, and clarify the values that add meaning to our lives. These principles apply to both work and personal life.

There is no easy checklist for finding balance, but here are some things to consider:

  • Set priorities. Sometimes that means making tough choices… letting some thing(s) go. Before committing to yet another project or volunteer opportunity or an activity for your child, ask yourself if it fits into your priorities.
father-figure blowing bubbles with 2 little girls on grass
  • Get on the same page. Make sure your family agrees on priorities. Before you add a big commitment to the calendar, check with your spouse or partner to avoid unnecessary time crunches.
  • Acknowledge your limits. As much as we try to do it all, we have limits. Be realistic with your calendar and your energy level on the number of commitments you have, and do the same for the other members of your family to avoid having overscheduled kids.
  • Say no. We probably kick ourselves more often for saying yes when we should have said no (than the other way around). No is such a little word, and yet it holds so much power to free up the schedule.
  • Keep your focus. Reestablishing priorities is a cyclical process as we go through life. Make sure those priorities show up on your daily to do list, as a way of being intentional about keeping your focus on what is most important.

For more information, check out these blog articles about how to create margin in your life and find balance.

Writer: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County, carter.413@osu.edu

Reviewer: Jenny Lobb, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County, lobb.3@osu.edu

References:
Carter, S. “Creating Margin in Your Life.” Live Smart Ohio blog, Ohio State University Extension, August 2017.

Carter, S. “Overscheduled Kids.” Live Smart Ohio blog, Ohio State University Extension, May 2017.

Price, R. et al. Time Management: 10 Strategies for Better Time Management (C 1042) University of Georgia Extension, April 2020.

Treber, M. “Balancing Act – Helping You Find Your Balance.” Live Smart Ohio blog, Ohio State University Extension, September 2015.