Meal Planning Thoughts and My Crazy Whims -- UPDATE #2

I think I should make this a series.  it could be quite comical!!  While many of you are very successful at meal planning, I am just not.  I am a complete failure in this area.  Even when I have a great plan I manage to completely get off track.  This week has been the PERFECT example.  And I don't use that word lightly.... PERFECT.... I could not have gotten further off the meal plan (or life plan for that matter) if I WAS TRYING TO.  LOL!  So, I am going to copy and paste in the meal PLAN that I made for this past week.  I am going to type in another color the REALITY of the situation.  You will see... it is quite insane... and comical really.  Here goes:

• Monday -- Chicken Fried Steak, Scrambled Eggs, Mashed Potatoes, Brocolli, and White gravy (*we have lots of eggs to use up and scrambled eggs are yumm-O alongside Chicken Fried Steak... and if you have never tried that then, YOU SHOULD)
• Mondays REALITY --  I took out my Cube Steak to thaw, but apparently not early enough because when dinner time came it was frozen still.  {sigh}  So, here I go trying to pull another QUICK dinner off.  Cody had bought some Zummo Sausage that he loves, so that now made it to the menu.  I started my veggies on the stove... steamed brocolli, green beans, and corn and then fired up the grill.  I put regular sausage with BBQ sauce on the grill and the unsauced Zummos on.  See... nothing at all like the plan.  And guess what folks?  Now, I have partially thawed Cube Steak that is going to have to be cooked this week.  So, the plan will be to change the Tuesday menu... ahhhh... but watch what happens.
• Tuesday -- Homemade Pizza Party & Salad (Sierra has been requesting this and I keep forgetting. She got a little set from her MiMi for her birthday last month that has little aprons, hats, etc. for four kids to decorate and use. She will be happy, happy, happy!)
• Tuesdays REALITY -- Well, now we NEED to use that Cube Steak don't we?  Sierra little pizza night is out the window for now and it is a good thing she has not seen this menu plan.  Oh, but guess what?  I checked my email and see that I had forgotten about an event.  We could go tour a small dairy farm operation tonight.  TONIGHT!  So, I realize that if we are going to do the dairy farm we better do it or risk losing the chance.  We need to leave the house at 2:30 and plan to be gone until bedtime.  Ohhh... that soooo kills the meal plan.  Ha!  And not only that we need a quickly planned picnic of peanut butter sandwiches and snacks.  Not to awesome, but it had to be that way.  We did come home and have some quick burgers via fast food before heading off to bed.   
• Wednesday -- QUICK MEAL -- Pork Chops, Green Beans, Carrots, Mac-n-Cheese (and rolls if I remember)
• Wednesdays REALITY -- Well, that Cube Steak has GOT to be cooked.  And it is totally not a Wednesday night "quick meal", but we are going to change some things and do it anyway.  So, I decide not to spend time peeling potatoes and this is what we had: Chicken fried steak, white gravy, scrambled eggs, and green beans.  But this was a big pack off meat and there is more off it to cook, so that is going to change tomorrows plan as well.  ;)
• Thursday -- Fried Fish, Rice dish, Some veggie, corn hush puppies (We have access to a lot of fish... free... so I need to really cook it once a week. I forget... which stems from so many pregnancies and the concern for mercury in fish.)
• Thursdays REALITY -- I HAD TO use that meat... Otherwise, I would have thrown it away after today.  It was still fresh.... no funky smell whatsoever (I have a serious phobia of meat over 3 days).  So, I sliced it up into strips and cut those small to make Beef Tips.  So, we had beef tips with rice, brocolli, and crescent rolls.  I think Cody had a burger because he forgot to tell me he would be gone.  This happens, at least, once a week.  I tell him to write it on the calendar, but he just forgets.  So, he missed out on a great dinner that the kids devoured.  Poor daddy!
• And the rest of this week... below (Friday-Sunday).  I can just tell you... it is not going to happen like this.  I will either fix these meals OR one of the meals that was originally scheduled for a previous day.  {sigh} ... and life goes on. 
• Friday -- Co-op Day -- Taco Salad and Chile con Queso with chips (As I look at this I notice that this is wrong anyway.  Co-op is next week.  But we also now have someone stopping by for help with a sewing project and some other company coming for the evening.  Yep, this meal will change.  laughing..... )
• Saturday -- Last Days of Christ - Might want to go out to eat nearby (Now this one might actually happen, especially since I plan to spend the day gardening.  laughing some more!!!)
• Sunday -- Baked Chicken with potatoes/carrots/onions and seasoned juices with brown rice, homemade bread/rolls (maybe...... we'll see!  crazy me laughing some more...)

Is that not the cRaZiEsT thing ever?!!!!  I don't think it is possible to deviate further from a plan, but such is my life.  We are "whimish" type people.  I want to be able to be flexible, but sometimes it leaves me crying.  This week I was fine... no tears over it, but other times this would have had me at my breaking point.  I still PLAN to keep making a meal PLAN, but I can tell you that I would not have changed this week.  Well, if that meat would have thawed out on day one that would have been great.  It is likely that I would have MOSTLY followed the plan, but I had to use that meat after thawing it.  And that Tuesday night dairy farm event was awesome.... great friends, great fellowship, great time meeting the most hospitable people I have EVER met, great learning opportunity, and great day venture.  I would trade a million yummy meal plans for peanut butter sandwiches for opportunities and evenings like that one!!!