Hello, reader. How are you doing? I love you–thank you for stopping by. I’m writing about meal planning today. Here’s some lovely red beans I made the other day.
Somebody asked about it on social media, so meal planning is on my mind. It’s one of my favorite survival strategies. I use meal planning as self care, community care. So when I do radical mental health or just talk to people about wellness, meal planning comes up.
When something very stressful is happening in my life, like I have a doctor’s appointment, I do some meal planning. I make sure I have ideas of what to eat, so I don’t default to living on snacks, or expensive Thai takeout.
I live in community, and some dinners are shared. But breakfasts and lunches, we’re on our own. A quirk about me is I need protein with every meal. Another quirk is I have tons of foods I don’t eat because my body has a bad reaction, in one way or another. The ulcer that almost killed me almost five years ago is always a concern.
The food I eat is important to my health and mood. If I have delicious foods, rest, movement, checking in with friends, and some therapy or peer therapy, that’s a great foundation for being ok through hard times.
my method
This is my method. In my journal I list breakfast, lunch, dinner for a few days. Then I put some simple, tasty ideas there that seem feasible, considering the season, current nutritional needs, and what resources we already have, like what veg is in the fridge already, or what’s growing in the garden.
I share this journal page with Ming and get his collaboration. We see if any ingredients need to be purchased and make a list. Ming buys items on the list.
Then the way it actually works out, some days might get switched. I might forget about the meal plan, or a friend invites us to do something, and a meal goes out the window. Yes, things might not go as planned.
But I return to the meal plan when I feel flustered, to remember what I thought of in a comforting, self-caring way. The meal plan helps me feel stable–I reclaim order.
Some of my friends are into astrology. I’m into it less so. But I’m a Virgo, and I hear we are organized. It’s true I find order comforting.
Being responsible is a pleasure. I like a lot of order so I’m free to embrace the risk and chaos that life is full of.
pozole
Speaking of foods, I made this art about pozole that I thought you might like.
pozole was forbidden in my family
November 2023
sharpie, ballpoint pen, watercolor, reclaimed product packaging cardstock
Kalapuya land
Laura-Marie Strawberry Nopales
love you
I hope you have tons of delicious foods to nourish your body and savor as delicious gifts from the bounty of Parent Earth. Meal planning or not, you deserve pleasure and fuel!
