I worked out a system early on.

In my graduate school days, I was poor, overworked, and hungry all the time. On my day off, I would hit the grocery store early, cook up a storm, fill a lot of tupperware, and then often have my three beloved classmates to dinner over which we would download about the week that had passed and strategize about the week ahead, how we would take care of each other, kick ass, and take names.

My system has evolved over time. My skillset has grown, my lifestyle has changed (and changed, and changed again), and the tools available are more fantastic than they were when I was 21 years old.

But the fundamentals have remained the same: I pack food on the day off and spend the week enjoying it. I streamline the shopping, the cooking, and the packing. I’ve figured out what kind of variety will keep me from tearing my hair out, and I’ve also figured out how to minimize waste by using leftover ingredients in new ways before they turn into trash.

Meal planning is not for everyone. But I adore it, and mine is a system that works for me. And make no mistake: there are exceptions to every rule. Sometimes, there is no day off. Sometimes, the grocery store is out of something I planned my week around. Sometimes, my oven turns out to be broken after I planned a baked pasta and also calzones. But, as with all plans, the framework gives me the freedom to improvise and adapt.

And most importantly, planning allows me to enjoy my meals many times over:

• reading recipes gets me excited about the meals,
• plotting nutritional breakdowns allows me to feel confident that I’m going to have a healthy week with a sharp mind and a strong body,
• planning my groceries (and seeing the bill!) allows me to feel financially responsible,
• organizing my time in the kitchen allows me to look forward to all of the free time (for vacuuming and laundry!) I’ll have after enjoying my kitchen time,
• cooking the meals means I get to engage my passion for cooking, no matter how long the work week has been/will be,
• looking at my beautifully stacked fridge at the beginning of a week makes me feel cared for,
• and then, eating the food is delicious; I'm an excellent cook.

Over time, a number of people have asked me to share my tricks. I have demurred for quite some time. First I was on the road, having touring adventures. Then, I was in a bad marriage (if I’m being honest, which I intend to be), and I wasn’t empowered to use my voice (or feel good about myself). Then, I was running shows for the most part, and the meal prep was super easy because “show mode” is somewhat less of a time commitment than “rehearsal mode” or “10-out-of-12 mode” (“10-out-of-12’s” are the part of the technical rehearsal period before previews begin when the cast is on stage from noon ‘til midnight every day; stage management and crew often arrive at 8am and leave at 1am on those days, making those periods 90+ hour work weeks). I have done rehearsal processes in the last couple of years, but they have been low key, short processes after which I have returned to running shows again. The structure of my days during those time periods didn’t feel like good, solid examples of how my organizational system really applies.

But now, I am back in rehearsal mode, to be followed by tech mode, to be followed by show mode. It’s a show that I know will take up a lot of my time (a labor of love!), so I will be strict about my meal planning and enjoy all of its benefits.

And I’ll document all of this planning and finally share these “tricks.”

It’s not rocket science, but I’ve figured out what works for me. It’s not for everyone, but it puts me in the best place.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.