Re: Meal Planning
O ma lawd…mac and cheese! 
Re: Meal Planning
I like to plan my meals on weekly basis and buy fresh ration accordingly. My kids love black lentils with boiled rice so it’s on our menu every Tuesday. Saturday night is some rice dish. One Sunday is a baked Meal day n the next is for some speciality like haleem. I try incorporating everything in my menu I.e. Meat/ poultry, veggies, lentils etc. we go out to eat once a month but sometimes we go to celebrate any achievements of the kids too.
It might be extreme for some, but my kids get chocolates on Tuesday and crisps on Fridays. We really try to cut down on junk but do spoil them sometimes. We don’t buy soda in our groceries however kids do enjoy it once in a while when we are eating out. I grew up with a mum who would always serve ONLY home made stuff to her guests, ranging from nimko to cakes and ice creams to beverages, so I prefer cooking/ baking for my family, myself.
I also maintain a well stocked pantry using an inventory which is basically a list of all ingredients I can buy once a month (dry ration). I keep this list in a plastic sleeve and keep updating it with dry erase marker so when I go monthly shopping, I just take a look at that list and instantly know whatever I need to buy for upcoming month. I’m not working atm but was busy with my degree a few months back so planning ahead really helped me save time and effort.
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I also have an “inventory” list I keep of pantry and fridge items…when something runs out or is close to running out, I tick it off on the list so that I know to put it on the grocery list.
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this is pretty much how my menus go too!
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Looking at tgis thread, I feel like I am one of the “sughar” ones too.. so what my food doesnt always turn out good (especially desserts or baking) but at least I do some meal planning!
I want to to do the inventory list too but I haven’t found anything that I can stick on my fridge or somewhere else in the kitchen and keep track of it without my child wanting to play with it such as pen and sticky notes!
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Gia, I put my list there using fridge magnets and I have this little basket at the top of my fridge in which I keep my dry erase markers, sticky notes and other stuff like that. Besides I out this list on the side of fridge and not on front so no one usually messes with that.
Ps…stop doubting your sughaRpun. 
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I’ve laminated my list and I stick it to the side of the fridge with a magnet. I use dry erase marker that is also stuck to the side of the fridge to tick off the items I need. Once I’ve made my list I just erase it off and start over
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Lamination is a good idea, but for the time being I’ll keep my list in plastic sleeve as I tend to add some items every few months after trying new things from different cuisines.
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OMG I do the same especially before the dawats! List is broken into sub categories on which day to buy (meat/salads mostly on fridays) from what to buy and for what dishes and which time what will go in the oven/grill/stove top.
My husband calls it me ‘working the case’ 
All of you sughar ladies mentioning your ‘lists’ kindly share them.
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i take offense to your statement 
…men can be equally ‘sughaR’, you know! 
just kidding!
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I don’t plan meals like you have stated. Mostly, I look at the left overs, pantry, fridge/freezer and come up with something.
I don’t plan meals but I am loving the spreadsheets and there is some serious lamination going on here making my did go boom boom lol. I don’t plan daily meals but dawat meals are planned and grocery list is made and despite that someone is running to get something at the last minute.
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Not at all your are extreme. Its very synonymous to my mom’s policy. We were not allowed to eat more than one chocolate and that too when she would permit. Eating ice cream bowl of 2 scoops from 3 litre family packs once or max twice a week was a luxurious feast for us. Abu used to get us pastry, donut or some other item on wed/thursday night (as thurs fri was weekend in Jeddah) and we used to think how lucky we are. I have seldom seen moms doing this nowadays, Insha’Allah I intend to when i would be mother
But fuuuuuuuuuuuu girl you are so organized, i mean i tend to be and always make list but its always new does not maintain it. I tend to be organized keeping the meat n veggoes in freezer. I make parts and label like Biryani, Karahi, nihari on meat etc
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That’s the thing…I like knowing what I’ve got and what I need to get. The planning is what keeps me sane.
I actually section my meat, designate days for cooking and take outs and also balance the meals.
So if we’re having something indulgent for dinner, lunch or breakfast…the rest of the day HAS to be healthy food. No exceptions.
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I started doing it a few months back and honestly it makes my life SO MUCH easier to have it planned out. Instead of having to go out every.single.day, or wait on him to tell me waht to make (I would ask him kevery single day waht he wanted). Now…I do groceries once a week and we take turns deciding the menu…so one week, will be his choice of dishes, the next week mine.
So nowadays, my schedule is a little different now. Sunday I’ll make something big, that’s a little time consuming… like lasagna or karhi or whatever… Monday is leftovers.
Tuesday will be something
Wednesday is soup night, with sides of salad or fries or whatever.
Thursday and Friday, again something..special? and leftovers.
Saturday we eat out.
Of course sometimes, there’s variations, we’ll decide to eat out an extra day or whatever… but it’s still much easier for me than the “old” system!
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I’m a working mum too, so need to plan. I usually have a conversation with my husband just before the weekly shop on the weekend to decide what we eat, look at what supplies we already have then plan shopping and menu accordingly. I then cook curries etc on the weekend and Monday, rest of the week is simpler food, or use my slow cooker. Friday is always a take away.
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Seriously dude do you not get sick of inserting yourself into every single thread that has absolutely NOTHING to do with you?
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^ I wonder the same but then I let him be…uska bhi dil hai 
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I pretty much did exactly what Sara516 wrote…I used to make what my husband wanted (usually ‘special’ food), or by what I felt like based on convenience in gorcery…but now I’m sticking to a weekly menu. I feel like I shop better this way, stay away from junk and it’s easy to manage. It was really stressful for me before; coming home and I’m planning on making salan and husband says “I want chicken fettuccine” - it just throws you off, and then you have to go out and buy extra ingredients blah blah. It was really annoying. Weekly menu, with 2 days in between of leftovers, is what’s working best for me as of right now.