Episode 37: Planning to Fail-What to do When You Didn’t (Meal) Plan
What You’ll Learn
A Word on Failure (00:40)
When you didn’t consider your schedule (03:39)
When you planned too many elaborate meals (07:53)
When you lack inspiration (12:33)
When you’re overwhelmed by your family’s allergies (or preferences) (14:30)
Recap (18:50)
Invitation (19:15)
You are going to fail! It’s a necessary part of learning. In today’s episode, the first of a five part series, we talk about how you can fail while planning AND we give ideas for how to overcome those “failures”! When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and DM her the word “bonus” to get the Mini Meal Planning Kit!
A Word on Failure (00:40)
Welcome to Part 1 of the 5 part series on failing! Momma, you are going to fail-but please don’t let that stop you from trying. You can improve motivation in the long run if you look for the obstacles that are in the way of your success (Emily Balcetis).
Brittany is hardwired to look at ALL the ways something can fail—and then imagine the ways it can be overcome—the down side of this is that sometimes thinking about the obstacles can keep her from trying at all. As for me, I rarely consider obstacles (to a fault). The magic really happens when these two end of the spectrum come together!
See the failure, perceive the failure, prepare for the failure, and LEARN from failure when it happens. Many people have said that you learn more from failure than success.
“Do not misread failure, without failure there would be no success, you need one to achieve the other. These repeated false starts are a normal part of the process on the way to ultimately winning.” -Ed Mylett
We know SO many mommas who have tried and failed at meal planning because we hear it ALL the time. Keep trying!
In this series, we’ll be talking about ALL the ways you can fail. . .more specifically, we’ll cover:
Planning
Shopping
Making the meals
Being derailed
Mindset
Today is ALL about planning. . .how we can fail, and more importantly, how we can overcome and learn from that failure! We’ll give you a short-term AND long-term fix for each scenario.
When You Didn’t Consider Your Schedule (04:22)
Not working with your schedule is going to have one of the largest impacts on your meal planning. The Long-term fix here is to look at your schedule before you choose your meals for the week! If you’re new to the podcast-THIS is the STUFF!
What if it’s Wednesday, I’m sinking, and I need help! PIVOT! Make the rest of the week work for and with you. If there are any days left in the week, it’s recoverable! All-or-nothing thinking is the enemy here! Put the pizza back momma!
The mid-week fix here is to resist that all-or-nothing thinking and look at what you have going on for the remainder of the week. What meals did you have planned? Which ones can you realistically make on the remaining days? If you can’t salvage the week with what you have, maybe you need to use a back-up meal or get food from out.
Don’t make this a habit! As you meal plan next week, make sure to look at your schedule first!
When You Planned Too Many Elaborate Meals (07:53)
If you’re tempted to plan too big, the long-term fix is to understand your capacity and season, adjust the expectations you have for yourself, and let go of the belief that you need to make elaborate meals ALL the time! Maybe you’ve been looking at social feeds (like The Deliberate Day), keep in mind that the humans who are putting out that content may have YEARS of experience under their belts.
Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle (Jon Acuff said something like this once).
If you’re following along with the suggestions from The Deliberate Day each Wednesday, you’ll notice how the recipes use similar ingredients that can actually simplify your plan (and save you money).
Let’s say it’s the middle of the week, you’ve realized that you over-planned, what do you do? See what you can do to simplify the meals you have left! Can you reduce ingredients? Maybe breakfast can just be eggs, instead of eggs, toast, and sausage? Or that parfait recipe from Pinterest could turn into yogurt, a sprinkle of granola, and a banana on the side!
How about the time investment? Could you change HOW you’re preparing the meals?
We suggest batching time consuming items. For example, instead of hand-rolling a million meatballs and frying them in a pan, use an ice cream scoop, put them on a big sheet pan, and cook them in the oven! Maybe you have tortillas in your meal plan. . .instead of frying them up individually in the pan, put a bit of butter on each side and warm them up in the oven under the broiler! Years ago I learned to put waffles or toast on a sheet pan in the oven. This works for burgers too!
Instead of chopping ingredients for sauces, put anything you can in the blender! While you’re at it, use a food processor to pulse ingredients instead of chopping them!
Using the oven instead of the stove will almost ALWAYS save you some time!
Finally, pre-prep as much as possible, anything that can be made ahead of time SHOULD be made ahead of time!
When You Lack Inspiration (12:33)
The long-term fix when you’re lacking inspiration is. . .to GET inspired! It’s out there! Go look for it! Pinterest, YouTube, a family favorites list, and even cooking shows are great places to find inspiration! I highly recommend the Taco Chronicles show on Netflix!
Now, let’s say it’s Wednesday, and you still haven’t planned, but you know you need to. First, look at what you have on hand-begin with protein and vegetables. Go to Pinterest and search for recipes using those ingredients!
There’s also a lady who puts new recipes out each Wednesday to inspire her followers. . .it’s Brittany! If it’s not Wednesday, look at The Deliberate Day IG page highlights and there are SO many recipes (organized very nicely) and ALL fo them have either been tested or will soon be tested by Brittany’s family of 9!
When You’re Overwhelmed by Your Family’s Allergies (or Preferences) (14:30)
The long-term fix here is to change your mindset. There are 7.2 million food items in the world! Your life isn’t over if you or your children can’t have a few (or even a lot) of them!
The key here is to focus more on what you CAN have than what you can’t have. Using “I don’t” instead of “I can’t” makes ALL the difference! There’s even science to back this idea up! A few simple words can turn you from a victim to a victor. . .try it out!
Another long-term fix is to make meals that serve everyone and give choice when and where you can! So many moms feel like they need to make separate meals for those with allergies. Why not give options instead? Instead of making baked potatoes in the oven with everything on them, why not have a baked potato bar where everyone can choose what they want? Fondue, nachos, DIY pizzas, bowls, salads, pancake bars. . .oh my! Seeing all the things they CAN have can be a wonderful thing for kids (and adults) with allergies!
What if it’s Wednesday and I’m stuck in the corner of my kitchen in the fetal position because I just can’t take it anymore?!
We suggest injecting a little joy! Find a reset. . .spend a little money on an ingredient or food that everyone can enjoy. Ice cream, gluten free rolls, etc.
Visit a local allergen-friendly restaurant! Perhaps there is a place where everyone gets a little choice in what they eat (allergen friendly-of course)!
Recap (18:50)
Plan with your schedule in mind.
Plan with your capacity in mind.
Get inspired.
Change your food-allergy mindset.
Invitation (19:15)
Have you filled out your meal plan this week? DM Brittany @thedeliberateday on Instagram with the word “bonus” and she will make sure you get a link for your beautiful Mini Meal Planning Kit!
Finally, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and give us a rating if you haven’t yet!
