Data-driven Meal Planning

I've sorta been on vacation from being a dad for the past ten days (Sadie and the kids are in Green River visiting grandma), so needless to say I haven't had many dad moments to write about. Seems like a good time to write about how our meal planning has been going.

I wrote about Data-driven Meal Planning on Sadie's blog back in October. I'm happy to say it's been a success! The chart is still working for us, although it's not perfect. We sit down at the beginning of the week and see which meal plan we're on. Then we map it out to specific days that week depending on what else is going on during the week. The concept is still good, but we're finding the kids don't like many of the meals, so we're having to adjust a little.

I have found that taking a more active role in meal planning has been a huge help for Sadie. I average 1-2 nights of cooking during the week, so it isn't much, but I know Sadie has really appreciated the little I can do. Even if I can just plan the meal and she cooks it, it's a huge help. I've learned that being a good father involves taking on much of the home responsibilities and serving my wife as best I can. As we share the burden of home chores, it allows Sadie to focus more on her divine role as a nurturer in our home. On the other hand, when I don't share in the responsibilites, home life isn't as smooth.