Menu Planning, turned on its ear

Lots of people subscribe to the "you must menu plan!" mantra. I don't. Quite frankly, I never know what challenges the kiddos will present to me on any given day, not to mention Paul's fluctuating schedule.


So I menu plan differently. On my fridge there is a white board calendar. It is what I use to keep track of appointments, Paul's schedule, and a running list of dinner ideas using stuff from the pantry and freezer. All of the recipes that make it onto the white board have been knocked down into prep steps that take 5 minutes or less, with a 10-15 minute chunk during the "actual" cooking. I can even bake bread and pizzas this way!