Okay, so I’ve been trying to get my act together with meal planning, especially for my elderly neighbor, Mrs. Davis. She’s been relying on Meals on Wheels, and I wanted to see if I could help out by creating a monthly menu for her. Let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a journey!
Getting Started
First, I brainstormed. I mean, I just sat down with a pen and paper and jotted down every single meal I could think of that Mrs. Davis might enjoy. I focused on things that were relatively easy to make, store, and reheat, because, you know, convenience is key.
Thinking about nutrition.
I remembered reading somewhere that older folks need good protein and lots of veggies, so I tried to keep that in mind. I didn’t want to make anything too spicy or anything that would be hard for her to chew.
The process…
- Checked online for some sample Meals on Wheels menus, just to get an idea of what they usually serve.
- Organized my list into categories: breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. This helped me see if I had a good balance of different food groups.
- Started plugging meals into a simple calendar template I made. I figured a month-long view would be the easiest to work with.
- Kept it simple: roast chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, beef stew with carrots and peas, tuna salad sandwiches, that sort of thing.
- Also penciled in ideas for snacks.
Challenges I faced
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. I realized pretty quickly that I needed to account for variety. Nobody wants to eat the same thing every week! So I had to get creative and mix things up.
The final product
After a few days of tweaking and rearranging, I finally had a full monthly menu! It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good starting point. I printed it out and showed it to Mrs. Davis, and she seemed pretty happy with it.
I still have to cook and deliver meals, but I am glad that I can create a monthly menu now.
