Monday, February 8, 2010

"What's for dinner?"

When you cook everyday, there'd be days you think you've run out of dishes to cook. You'd think you've cooked them all! Or you have cooked a certain dish so many times.

I have that same dilemma. I have so many cookbooks and there are millions of recipes online. Sometimes, you just want to open a can or buy barbecue. I do succumb to either one when I'm really lazy.

As I've said in a previous post on saving time, I like making lists. One kind of list I like making is my grocery list. I have what I call a running grocery list. I complete this list over a week before I am to buy groceries. But before I do my grocery list or while making it, I make a menu. (Yes, like how they do it in restaurants, you know, the menu cycle.) I list down the dishes I plan to cook for a week usually. Then I list the ingredients I need for these dishes. This menu making activity has benefitted me substantially. One, I don't have ingredients in my pantry or refrigerator that might not be used anytime soon. Two, it saves you money because you don't need to buy "everything". You buy just what you need for the next two weeks. Of course, I keep a few ingredients for "just-in-case" situations. Understandably though you will have ingredients that you will not consume all at once like spices and sauces. This has been great to avoid spoilage especially with fruits and vegetables.

So the next time you go to the grocery, try making a menu even if you're already in the supermarket. But of course, better to write it down!

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