Deciding what to eat throughout the day can be very time consuming if you don’t plan ahead.  It can also get expensive if you end up going out to eat more than cooking at home.  Cooking is not one of my favorite things, but I have grown a slight fondness for it lately.  This is because my meal planning process has allowed me to save time with a simple strategy that I will share with you.  I call it Meal Remixing.

Meal Remixing is when you have staple meals, but make them slightly different by changing the ingredients or preparation. When remixing meals, it’s important to know your crowd favorites.  For example, my family loves noodle and rice dishes, so I make these types of meals using different ingredients two or three times a month.

Here’s how I remix noodle and rice dishes:

• Change the carb

  • Use different noodles (soba noodles, ramen noodles, rice noodles, etc.)

  • Use different rice and prep options (brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, steamed rice, etc.)

• Change the protein- Shrimp, chicken, beef, fish, tofu, etc.

• Change the veggies- Plenty of options!

• Change the sauce- Teriyaki, peanut sauce, curry sauce, etc.

Another staple in my home is pasta.  Pasta is one of those things that people tend to learn how to make at an early age.  I remember helping my Mom make spaghetti when I was very young, then making it in Home Economics in middle school.  It also helps that it’s a simple meal to make.

Here’s how I remix pasta:

• Change the noodles- Spaghetti, penne, bowtie, elbow, linguini, lasagne, etc.

• Change the sauce- Tomato, alfredo, pesto

• Change the protein- Salmon, chicken, shrimp, beef

• Change the preparation- Stovetop, oven baked, InstantPot, etc.

• Extras- Change the type of cheese garnish used, and add veggies

The last staple meal in my household is Tacos/Burritos.  You can do so many things to make a taco different, so it’s hard to get bored with them.

Here’s how I remix tacos:

• Change the shells- Hard, soft, corn, nachos

• Change the protein- Beef, chicken, fish, beans

• Change the preparation- Stovetop, baked (enchilada), burrito bowl

• Extras- Change the type of cheese used, add different veggies, use different taco sauces, etc.

As you can see, thinking about different ways to remix a staple meal in your household will instantly create variety, so your family should not get bored eating “the same thing”.  Also, if you know your staple meals, meal planning for the week should be a smooth process.  I hope this gives you some ideas on how to remix your meals.

Do you meal plan using a strategy similar to my Meal Remixing or any other strategy?  I would love to hear about it.  Let me know in the comments!