The Trials Of Meal Planning

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Is it just me, or is menu planning much harder than everyone makes it out to be? Just sit down and plan a week of meals - or better, a month! Yes, it saves time, money, and hassle....

Except that for me, it kinda is a hassle. Is that sacrilegious? Maybe it's because I work full time and have a small business on the side and drive a lot to visit my disabled boyfriend who can't drive himself, but meal planning seems to be the holy grail I can't really reach.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE to 'recipe'. (Yes, I made a noun into a verb. Thank you.)  :-) I love reading recipes, collecting recipes, buying cookbooks, organizing recipes, and dreaming that one day I might cook a recipe. Meanwhile, after work I drag out the Hamburger Helper and microwave a bag of steamed veggies and Rick and I eat while watching re-runs of Pawn Stars.

I actually love to cook, too, although you wouldn't know it from my current habits.
I made banana bread from scratch just last week and it was the most satisfying thing I did that day. I dream of a day when I have the life of a 50's housewife, and can cook all day and serve my loving husband and prance around the house in a super-cute apron. Except that's not very likely to ever by me daily life, based on my current trajectory.

Once upon a time, when I was single and hadn't started a business yet, I had one glorious summer of cooking and homemaking, including making homemade jam and canning it. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that homemaking and cooking need to be one aspect of my life, not the whole of it.

So, I scratch my head and wonder, how do I do this? How do I live a life where I can plan meals and cook, while still running the rest of my life successfully? And am I the only one who thinks this is hard?

I hope not! Do you struggle with planning? How do you handle it? Please let me know in the comments - help is appreciated!!

Anna