Frequently Asked Questions About the Weekly Meal Plans
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Q: How many people are the recipes and meal plans designed to serve?
A: The meal plans and most of the recipes you’ll find here are created for a family of 4. I did this to make it easy to scale up or down – cut everything in half if you’re cooking for two, or increase amounts if your family is larger.
Q: Why do the weekly meal plans include recipes for 5 nights rather than 7?
A: I feel that cooking a full meal 7 nights a week is a bit unrealistic, even for those of us who cook a lot. In order for a meal plan to be practical, I think there has to be room for leftover night, get-yourself-a-bowl-of-cereal night, and nights when we’re not at home. Many of the recipes in each weekly meal plan are likely to leave you with leftovers. This is on purpose, as many of us value leftovers as lunch the next day or for nights we don’t want to cook. If you want to make enough for quite a bit of leftovers, just make a bit more.
Q: We are a two parent working family. Are the meal plans accommodating for families who are not home during the day?
A: Absolutely. Most weekly meal plans include one prep day – a day when a few hours in the kitchen will make getting dinner on the table much easier for the rest of the week. For me, prep day is usually Sunday. For you, it might be another. Otherwise, most recipes are created with the idea that you’re not spending all day in the kitchen. When a dish requires a longer cooking time, the recipe generally calls for it to cook in a slow cooker.
Q: One of the members of my family has special dietary needs. Are the recipes in the meal plans accommodating of special needs diets?
A: The recipes you’ll find here are not written to any specific dietary needs, but are based on cooking whole foods. In other words, aside from things like canned tomatoes, they use fresh ingredients. I believe this makes it easier for all of us to eat better, and for those with special dietary needs to adjust recipes as needed. As the number of recipes here grows, I’ll be able to add alternatives into meal plans for some dietary restrictions. For now, adjust the recipes as best you can, and feel free to reach out to me anytime for assistance.
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