I’ve been missing you while I MENU PLAN. I think I’d rather clean bathrooms than MENU PLAN. In rough order of preference, here’s what I enjoy in life:
Freedom
Mocha
Creativity
Being useful
Time with people
Blogging
Baking
…insert here approximately 1,000 values…
…insert here approximately 1,000 ideals…
…insert here approximately 1,000 items…
Owning a slow cooker (Crockpot)
Cleaning bathrooms
MENU PLANNING
Notice that MENU PLANNING is at the bottom of the list? Clever you. Notice that freedom is at the top? That’s why MENU PLANNING is at the bottom. Polar opposites must be separated. It’s a rule of the universe (but don’t quote me on this to a physicist). In my ideal world, the garden, refrigerator, and pantry are all fully stocked, babe is napping, it’s 3pm (give or take), and I’m throwing something together for dinner. What’s for dinner? I have no idea. And that’s just fine with me. It will turn out delicious. After a nice family dinner, someone else does the dishes. Perfect! Notice: there is no MENU PLANNING in my ideal world.
Why, then, you ask, have you been doing what you so passionately dislike? Good question. I’ve been struggling to find an answer my entire adult life, and particularly the last 24 hours, since I began MENU PLANNING.
I submit to you that it’s my German side. Dad was primarily German. Mom is primarily Irish. The Irish in me loves (among other things) freedom, fun, and red hair. And angst. Ever noticed how many Irish poets and writers are filled with angst? And the humor? Dark and ironic, (with another side being light and sweet (I.e.: “when Irish eyes are smiling”, etc). We’ll discuss this another time.)
Now, the German side. I love order. Planning ahead is important to me, and I’ve been told I’m slightly neurotic when it comes to caring about miniscule detail. These qualities don’t always play nicely with freedom. Hence, the angst. They conflict and collide, and angst is the natural outcome. Therefor, I submit to you that I MENU PLAN because I’m Irish. Wait, I thought it was because I’m German. Confusion abounds! Welcome to my world.
Hey, at least I’m inconsistent.
Love to you, going now to execute the meal PLAN, feeling edgy,
Miss Mary Clare
P.S. Do you MENU PLAN? Why? And if you do, are you still in one piece? Or, do you feel, as I do, that you are living two lives? Help!
Miss Mary Clare 
Enjoyable read! Thank you. I do not menu plan. My technique is to have a stocked freezer, fridge and pantry and decide what to have the night before or morning of. That works for me, might not for others.
Hi Tim! Thanks for your feedback! Where I fail most often is in the fresh foods department. I can (sometimes) follow your model fairly successfully. Until we’re out of bananas. And they’re cheapest at Trader Joe’s, which is also where we shop the least, and life could be so much better if we only shopped every two weeks, and I realize that this first world problem is barely a problem, but do you see the dilemma?
Yep. No easy way to get fresh foods- you have to buy it, grow it or make it a couple times a week. My homemade bread only lasts a few days before going stale. The fresh food problem for me really isn’t the problem. The problem is balancing getting fresh food with all of the other to-do list items in life.