From Meal Plan to Meal Planning

Written by Gretchen Evans & Sarah Dupuis, Photos by Flora Patteson, Design by Jacqueline Barnes, Media by Marisa Salamone and via unsplash

Fall: the season where leaves are falling, everyone’s putting their faith in Jimbo Fisher to lead the Fightin’ Texas Aggies, and you suddenly feel the urge to bake anything with pumpkin spice. If only you knew how to bake, cook, or do anything kitchen-savvy for that matter.

Figuring out how every appliance and tool works is only half the battle in the kitchen. You may fondly reminisce on a season of life where your meal plan fulfilled your appetite, and chicken sandwiches came at the simple swipe of your student ID. Then, you realized those meals were totaling up to a whopping $11 per swipe, and the food quality was just not worth it! Now, the predicament still stands: conquering the basics on your own. Learning to cook for oneself doesn’t only pertain to those transitioning from on-campus living, as this can be a common struggle for many students. 

The best way to ensure you stick with cooking regularly is to start weekly meal planning. This can stop you from giving in to your Fuego and Torchy’s temptations throughout the week. The process is typically done on Sundays, or whatever day you plan to grocery shop and prepare for a week’s worth of meals. If you’re cooking for one, brainstorm meals that you can see yourself eating on consecutive school days. For those just getting a start on their cooking game, be sure to plan meals that are both delicious enough to eat multiple times throughout the week, yet easy to whip up. For example, filet mignon sounds amazing, but that dish is not so beginner-friendly. Take a minute and browse on Pinterest for simple recipes to boost your cooking inspo. 

Once you have your meals in mind, scour your fridge or pantry for ingredients that your recipes call for. If you are missing an ingredient, Google is your best friend. Check to see if you have a similar ingredient or if the recipe absolutely needs it. Often times, you can substitute ingredients or easily make do without them. This definitely helps if you are trying to be bougie on a budget. 

Now that your grocery list is complete, you can go shopping. If H-E-B is your go-to grocery store, watch out because it gets packed easily. Setting aside time for grocery shopping is necessary, so Curbside your groceries if you’re low on time. 

If a direction seems confusing when you’re doing your post-shopping cooking, YouTube comes in handy with its countless “How To” cooking videos. Still trying to figure out how to work a meat thermometer? A Rachel Ray YouTuber-equivalent is at your service with the click of a button.

After a few weeks of getting into the groove of cooking and utilizing all the online resources, you’ll start to get a feel of what you like. Who knows, maybe you will have mastered cooking and baking just in time to attempt your own pumpkin bread.

Batter up, future Bobby Flay.