"All you hungry people..."

Inspired by both a podcast episode and a book I recently read, I've started incorporating more routine into our meal planning. Instead of seeing that as giving in (i.e., not having the freedom to come up with whatever I want, and exploring new recipes), which I've felt in the past, I've had a mindset shift in seeing it as a way to love my family and love myself better.

Instead of waiting for life to feel less chaotic, I'm proactively injecting a rhythm to inspire margin and calm, something we can all count on. Fewer choices so that we can spend our energy on other things. Less decision fatigue.

I'm still tweaking the system but I wanted to share what has been working for us so far.

Lunches and dinner have a more varied routine, which I may share later, but breakfasts are pretty much set, which is what I really need, at a time of day during which I am not functioning at my peak, and when David is already at work so it's just me and the kids.

We use a mnemonic device for the weekdays, which helps the kids remember what we're eating, and gives them a sense of the pace of the week.

Monday Mush - we alternate between this oatmeal and "grits" (Bob's Red Mill 10-grain cereal that we usually stir shredded cheddar into). Theo loves to tell me he's "hungry for grits."
Tuesday Tacos - breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa
Wednesday Waffles - frozen waffles and breakfast sausage
Thursday Toast - sourdough toast with soft-boiled eggs (British-Malaysian style with soy sauce and white pepper) which Theo calls "soup eggs"
Friday Fried Eggs - fried eggs (either over-easy or scrambled) and polish sausage, toast is optional
Saturday - pancakes and bacon (David makes everything)
Sunday - bagels with smoked salmon and all the fixins' (red onion! cucumber! tomato!)

What I love about this is:

• I'm excited about every day because we're never eating the same thing twice in a row, and I get to look forward to the next time we have it.
• Similarly, there's something to anticipate every new day; we're not just living for the weekends.
• I always know what we need to add to our grocery list since we're have staple breakfasts.
• We can incorporate cheats like frozen waffles without guilt because it's just once a week.
• I can prepare the night before where needed.
• The kids eat well because they know that what's in front of them is the option for the day. And if they don't like it, they know they'll get something they like better on a different day. But honestly I think they love everything because I've chosen seven things we all love.
• There are intentional days where we're not stuffing ourselves with gluten, but then there are days we get to enjoy bread.
• I get to have smoked salmon every week! Talk about living your vacation life!

We've been doing this for a month and I'd say it's working well for us. My guess is that when we get tired of one thing, we can swap out that day with something else, and we won't have to toss out the whole plan. The template is there to serve us, not the other way around.

Another ritual we practice during breakfast is to listen to a hymns station on Pandora. It seems to provide us with a soothing way to start the day.

If any of this helps encourage you to incorporate more rhythm and peace into your life, I'd love to hear your thoughts!