Do you have a meal plan?

I do and I don’t–I have menu ideas but not always a meal plan. A plan seems to rigid for my Zen Mommy flow but I do make sure I have loads of yummy ingredients in the house, then I see how my day is going! Because some days are easier than others and my dinners reflect that. (Not to mention, during Fall and Spring, I often have 3 or 4 soccer practices in one evening so . . . I have snack, 1st dinner and 2nd dinner with a final kitchen clean up at 9pm).

A few nights ago I had a great dinner planned.  Homemade Chicken Nuggets, roasted potatoes and a green salad, sounds great doesn’t it!  Until I realized that I FORGOT to turn on the potatoes.  Cooking Tip #1: Turning the oven on is key to roasting potatoes!

So now I had chicken and green salad.  Now I could have steamed some rice or microwaved the potatoes to cook them faster and finished them off in the oven.  Both options seemed like too much at that moment.  (and to be honest I was on the cranky side that I forgot to turn the oven on.)

The Banana Saves Dinner!

Then I saw it sitting on my counter.  A banana.  Then I remembered that I bought pears and mangos on an impulse at the store.  When I went to get them out of the fridge . . . I saw the pomegranate seeds!  Eureka!  I had a salad.  It just needed a few nuts!

But Will a Pineapple Save Dinner?

The banana salad was such a big hit–they asked for it again.  But I used walnuts and pineapple instead of mango and pistachios.  I may add some coconut and macadamia nuts–the possibilities are endless.

Have you ever “saved” dinner at the last minute?  I would love to hear your story in the comments.

Eat with L.O.V.E.

Vegan Mom note:  yes my kids eat chicken nuggets.  I wrote about how I make the best choice for my family in this article.  And this is another great post on how to make YOUR own best choice.