Meal Planning: What Really Happened

I like sharing meal plans on this blog. Not only does it force me to give some thought to our schedule for the week, but it gets me to actually prepare for it. The thing is... Meal planning is one of those things that doesn't always work the way you planned. Let's take this week, for instance.

This was my plan:
Monday: Wheat Penne With Peas and Homemade Pesto (yum!) and green salad
Tuesday: Paprika Chicken with Rice and Pattypan Squash
Wednesday: Royal Pies from Pleasant House Bakery and green salad
Thursday: Something with kale (cuz I have a big bag of it...)
Friday: Pizza for the guys... Mom is going out

And here is how it really went down:
Monday: Wheat Penne With Peas and Homemade Pesto and green salad (PLAN!)
Tuesday: Taco Night!
Wednesday: Greek Peasant Salad and Baguettes
Thursday: Mac and cheese (with peas and tuna)
Friday: Matt's parents are coming in, so we're all going out for dinner

See? I stuck to our plan ONE NIGHT. And now I have a bag of kale, squash, and mixed greens that will most likely go bad. It's wasteful and frustrating, but I did the best I could to get by. I made things that sounded good and made my life easier. It's hard to guess what you'll be hungry for in four days... So, there's give and take with meal planning, like everything else.

I hear from people that they don't make meal plans because they're just too hard to stick to, which isn't wrong. Maybe sticking to meal plans isn't the point. The point is creating one, ensuring your family enjoys healthy meals together, and trying not to waste too many fresh items by the end of the week.