Eating is not only necessary for survival; it’s truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. Beyond basic nutrition, eating is social, comforting, entertaining and more. I absolutely love to cook for fun and pleasure. What I don’t love so much is cooking when life gets out-of-control busy or for an uneventful weeknight supper. I confess! I’ve joined millions of others in the drive-thru line for a less than satisfying dining experience. Luckily, I’ve learned to keep this to a minimum because after years of cooking I usually practice the secret to cooking and eating well…. cooking with a plan. Cooking with a plan not only let’s you miss the mundane and bypass the drive-thru, it brings better nutrition, major time and cost savings, while greatly reducing the stress of keeping you and your family fed. What’s cooking with a plan? It starts with a well organized kitchen, weekly menu planning, cooking with more than one meal in mind and maintaining an ongoing grocery list.

The Organized Kitchen
Creating an organized kitchen is the critical first step tosaving time, money and stress. An organized kitchen has a place for everything with everything in its place. Assign a “home” to each item in your kitchen. Keep it where you use it. Cutting boards near knives, glasses near the fridge, cookware near the stove. Maximizing and organizing storage is key to a kitchen that’s both fun and efficient to cook in.

Open your cupboard. Do you have to rifle through to see what you’ve got? Duck to avoid falling objects? Are there luxurious inches of space languishing above the tuna and tomato sauce? That’s valuable real estate and should be maximized. Try tiered inserts, pull out shelves, or lazy Susan’s to fully utilize the space. Store taller items in back to make finding things much easier. Keep staples, similar items and multiples together to easily see what’s on hand. Clear, stackable canisters for pasta, rice, flour, sugar, or any other easy- to –spill, hard –to- clean- up item are great organizers. I like to store cookie cutters, pastry tips and other small, odd-shaped items in canisters, too.

Try to keep knickknacks to a minimum and the turkey platter stashed til next November. If you use it everyday, or even every week, keep it in the kitchen. Otherwise, to keep your kitchen at optimal efficiency, store rarely used things elsewhere.

A clean fridge is a happy fridge. In addition to wiping it out regularly, organize your fridge just as you do your cupboards with like things together and taller items in back. Do a quick inventory each time you head off to grocery shop and get rid of questionable items. Don’t risk your health over weeks old carry-out that smells like it might be okay- dump it!

Now that your kitchen is beautifully organized, it’s time to decide just what and when you will cook in it. Cooking with a plan means sitting down once a week to map out what you’re going to eat for the next seven days. Choose a variety of foods with lots of color and textural interest. Imagine eating a plate full of beige mush- no thanks! Colorful vegetables and garnishes look great and that color signals good nutrition. Think red, green, orange, and yellow while including crunchy, chewy and smooth textures for interest. Also think about how to use something you’re cooking for more than one meal.

As you plan your menus, set aside some time for basic cooking and prep that will make the meals you’ve planned a snap to put together. Chopping four onions isn’t much harder than chopping one, making a double batch of pasta sauce or grilling extra meat cuts prep time for future meals. My favorite thing to cook in quantity is chicken. Whether roasted or grilled  I always have plenty of cooked chicken in the freezer ready for a quick meal. With that in mind here’s how you might approach a week of casual menus:

Sunday: Grilled chicken with veggie kabobs, orzo and a big green salad. (Here’s the plan: grill extra chicken and vegetables, chop several onions and garlic and store them in sealed containers in the fridge. Cook extra orzo.)

Monday: Cobb Salad and a loaf of crusty bread. (The plan: use the already cooked chicken, cook extra bacon and reserve 4 slices of bread, well-wrapped in foil.)

Tuesday: “Better” BLT’s, Orzo with Grilled Vegetables. (The plan: bacon from yesterday, ditto the bread. Simply assemble the sandwiches. You could  grill them or eat them cold. Sauté the orzo and vegetables from Sunday in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Dinner is served!)

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas (The plan: this recipe goes together easily, made simple with store-bought enchilada sauce and the pre-cooked chicken!)

Thursday: Chicken Caesar Salad (The plan: A no-brainer – enough said!)

Friday: Out to dinner (No plan – you deserve it!)

Saturday: BBQ Chicken Pizza and salad. (The plan: Have friends over for a movie and dinner. Toss it together and hit “play”- you’re done!)

Of course, you can only cook with a plan if you have the ingredients to cook with. Don’t underestimate the power of an organized list.  Keep it on the fridge to keep stocked with the basics and check off what you need as you notice you need it. It will keep you from running out of key ingredients (or toilet paper!)

Real timesavers to keep on your list:
Rotisserie chicken
Pre-made pizza crusts
Shredded cheeses
Bags of salad and shredded cabbageDon’t forget to swing by the salad bar, too, for easy to use chopped fruit, vegetables and more.

As you unload the groceries, do a little advance prep right away. Use a salad spinner to wash and dry lettuces and herbs then wrap them in paper towels and stash in zippered plastic bags. They’ll stay fresh and be ready when you need them. Put meat that won’t be cooked in a day or two in zippered bags then right into the freezer. You might try storing some in your favorite marinade before freezing, that way as they defrost in the fridge, they’ll marinate, too!

Cooking with a plan does require a bit of planning and effort put will truly pay off in time, and savings allowing you to dine somewhere much more exceptional than the drive-thru, not to mention the serenity that comes from being well-fed, well-organized and at peace in your kitchen.

Here are some of the recipes listed in the sample week. 

Cobb Salad
Serves 2-3
3 cups assorted greens, chopped
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 ½ cups cooked chicken, chopped
4 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely crumbled Roquefort cheese
In a large salad bowl toss together the lettuces. Arrange the avocado, chicken, bacon, tomato, and egg over the greens; garnish with chives.
In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until the dressing is thick and blended. Stir in the Roquefort. Whisk again and pour over the salad. Serve.

“Better BLT’s”
Makes 2 sandwiches
¼ cup mayonnaise
Several dashed Green Tabasco Sauce
4 thick slices good bread
8 slices crisply cooked bacon
4 slices tomato
½ avocado, thinly sliced
Romaine lettuce leaves
Mix the mayonnaise with  green Tabasco. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on two slices of bread. Place bacon, tomato, avocado, and lettuce on top and top with remaining slices. Cut each sandwich in half; serve.