Prepare to Punt

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by acaben

We all have those days where something--or everything--goes wrong, and our meal plans don't turn out. Maybe you forget to defrost the entire chicken you planned on roasting for supper, your family ate up several of the ingredients you needed for your recipe and you've already used up your grocery budget, you get unexpected guests, or maybe, just maybe, the "delicious" dinner you prepared actually tastes terrible. Or maybe those things just happen to us.

Anyway, sometimes your day doesn't go as planned and you have to "punt" for supper. In the good ol' days, this might have meant getting a pizza delivered or pulling out a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese, but those days are gone. Right? I keep reading (and I've written it myself) how essential it is to plan out every meal, because if you find yourself hungry and tired with nothing planned for supper, you're probably going to choose what's quickest and easiest, and this might even involve those infamous golden arches.

This is absolutely true, but it's also true that no matter how well you plan, sometimes those well laid plans are going to fall apart, and then what do you do?

We actually have to plan to fail. Plan for those nights when you have to punt. This doesn't have to be elaborate or complicated. You don't have to keep a stack of made-from-scratch lasagne's in your freezer (although, wouldn't that be nice?), you just have to have something. Unfortunately, I've learned this lesson the hard way. I would carefully plan out every meal, and then, when we got stuck in traffic, ran out of ingredients, or something else happened, and I had no "punt" plan, things were not very much fun around here. We would find ourselves completely cooking up an entirely new meal, which we got to eat about the time we wanted to be dropping off to sleep. And then, there were still dishes...a mountain of them, from all the cooking...

So, what does having a "punt" plan look like? It will be different for everyone, but it should absolutely be simple and easy, something you can pull out or whip up quickly in those moments when you're behind, tired, etc. You know what works for your family. This meal does not have to contain all of the elements of perfect nutrition--it's a "getting by" kind of meal, but that doesn't mean it has to be unhealthy. Here are some possibilities for your "punt" meals. Choose just a couple of them or something else you know will work for you, and keep the ingredients stocked, just in case.

1. Breakfast for supper. Whip up a smoothie, toast some Ezekiel bread, or cook up some protein-packed pancakes.

2. Grilled cheese. Ezekiel bread is delicious grilled.

3. Sandwiches.

4. Fruit and cheese.

5. Burritos. I like to keep extra tortillas and refried beans in the freezer, just in case. Defrost them, then stuff the tortillas with beans and cheese and fry in olive oil until crispy.

6. Stir fry. Keep some already cooked chicken or beef in your freezer. Defrost it, then toss it in a skillet with your favorite veggies and spices.

7. Hot dogs. Make sure to look at the ingredients and choose hot dogs without added nitrites, nitrates, or sugar, like Applegate.

What are some of your favorite "punt" meals? I'd love to know! Include them in the comments below.