How do you figure out how to meal plan? - Page 3

[CalebsMama05]

great ideas!

[serenetabbie]

Courtenay is awesome, eh? She can come to my house with a pot of turkey chili anytime.

I skimmed the thread, but did not notice the way I plan my meals. I look at all the sales flyers for the week I am shopping (twice a month, small feezer and limited budget) and only get loss leaders (the items on the front and back pages). Sometimes the stores have "in store specials" and I will pick up something different, but not often. This time, pork roast was on sale as well as boneless chicken breasts... so we will be having a lot of that :P If I do not know how to cook a loss leader, i look through my shelves of cookbooks until I find something I would like to try and have most of the ingredients for on hand ... or that are inexpensive/also on sale.

As for planning things everyone will eat, when I figure out what is on sale I fill in those days on my two week block. There are always empty spaces, so I ask everyone what they want for dinner those nights. It works out well, b/c if we have something one person does not like one night, they know that "thier" night is coming next. Like someone else said, I try to make one thing everyone will eat (like rice or salad) even if everything else is horrible

Someone asked about pork roast. This particular cut is sold as "roast" or "loin". If you buy the loin in a huge pack, it is less $ (as low as $1.50 around here, but it still costs around $20 for the whole thing), and you can just cut it down or have the butcher do it. One large loin usually makes 5 "first" meals plus left overs for us (4 people). It is as easy to cook as any roast. We mainly make it two ways; in the oven or crock pot. Oven; first you salt & pepper, then brown the roast on all sides in a little olive oil in a cast iron pan. Cover tightly with tin foil, and stick the whole thing in the oven at 350 until the internal temp is 16o (150 - 155 in the oven, then take it out to rest, covered, for 10 minutes). How long it will take to reach this point depends on how large the roast is, but it is about 20 minutes per pound. We serve it with pan gravy (plain or mushroom). The EASY way to make it is from the Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Cookbook, pg 84, Garlic Pork Roast. just brown the roast, stick it in the crockpot on a bed of onions, add some garlic, S & P, and pour a cup of chicken broth over it all. Easy peasy, and yummy too. I pull (shred with two forks) the rest and make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches for the "second" meal out of the leftovers

[courtenay_e]

Hey, Serenetabbie! OT, but I am saving some hollyhock seeds for you!

Okay, Ladies, I'm gonna try to post the turkey chili recipe again. Really, it's worth the wait. In fact...maybe I'll change out my wednesday dinner and make chili instead...

Here goes:

Mimi's Chili (with turkey)

This makes a big pot, and freezes well. We will make it for large gatherings, and also just make it for us and freeze half for a "rainy day."

*Coupla tablespoons pure olive oil
*Large white onion, chopped into about one inch chunks
*6-8 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced (or more, if the cloves are small and/or you just really like garlic...I do!)
*salt and pepper to taste for onions, garlic, and meat
*1-3 pounds of ground turkey, depending on how meaty you like it and/or how many people you're feeding
*1 LARGE (40oz)can Brooks brand Chili HOT beans. DON'T drain the sauce out!
*1 Fifteen ounce can of dark red kidney beans, drained of liquid (I just buy store brand)
*1.5 small bottles (dunno, not single serving, but not the 64 oz...usually on the top shelf!) of SPICY V8 juice (yes, V8. trust me, it's good).
*1-2 yellow and/or orange bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch chunks (depending on how much you like peppers...I love em, but my dh won't eat em, so I just use one pepper, or I'd be eating a LOT of peppers!)
*more salt and pepper to taste, if needed
*1/8 tsp chili powder (more if you like it spicier, but this give it just enough kick for us, without burning off our taste buds...remember that you're using the spicy hot beans and the spicy v8, too)

Saute the onions and garlic in oil, with salt and pepper. When the onions are starting to look golden around the edges, add the turkey, and brown that.

When the turkey is browned, DO NOT drain the juices...it's where all the onion and garlic flavor is hiding! Dump in chili hot beans, sauce and all. Add kidney beans (without fluid from can). Add V8, bell pepper, chili powder. Stir. Bring to boil, then turn down to simmer. We never cook less than an hour, and usually strive for a minimum of four. Six to eight is the best, but we don't always have that time...the longer it cooks the better the flavors meld. I keep the lid on for the initial hour (if I only have an hour total cook time, then I cook with it on for a half hour), and then keep it part on, part off until it reaches the consistency I like best.

Usually we just serve it with corn-bread and sharp cheddar cheese, but dh also likes it with mashed potatoes...that's a new trend, started by somebody who doesn't like "soup" though...so take that with a grain of salt!

Hope you like it...we do!

[Grafted]

I am amazed..so many great tips. Keep em coming. I went to the cindy's porch link .. very nice; thanks!

[momto l&a]

I must add this tidbit.

If you use canned soups for recipes you make your own and save a boat load of money.

http://extension.missouri.edu/harris..._sauce_mix.htm

One of favorite meals is brown rice with hamburger and canned soup though now days we use the above.

[umsami]

Great link momto l&a

I'm actually making a recipe for dinner tonight that is hamburger, rice, cream of mushroom soup, fresh mushrooms and a bit of cheese. I think I'll try this as a sub for the cream of mushroom soup.

[AngelBee]

: I desperately need help

[AmyY]

As the OP I must request that when the mods address the above post (and I'm sure it will happen soon), that you not delete the entire thread. Thanks!

Bourri, welcome to MDC! Hope you find lots of info and support here! Please address business issues in the WAHM forum, rather than here. You can check out the UA (User Agreement) for details.

Back to topic, I'm a bit nervous as I'm preparing chili for 30 for next week Thursday. I think I've got my strategy down but this takes meal planning into a different realm for me and I wouldn't say I've got a great handle yet on meal planning for my small family! But fortunately I only have to do the feeding of the 30 once. Whew.

[yllek]

Wow, this is an awesome thread! Meal planning has got to be the single biggest problem in my domestic life (laundry is close runner-up).

This strategy isn't really meal planning, per se, but does anyone else try to have a repertoire of really good meals that use pantry staples and then keeping those ingredients stocked? I keep thinking I want to develop more of these types of recipes or learn to can my soups or do freezer cooking.... It would be great to have these emergency meals around when life does not go according to plan. (And with a toddler, that happens more often than not).

[wifty]

I just found meal planning help!!! I am so excited cuz its always been a problem for me.

There is a book called Saving Dinner and it lists 8 months of recipes. The neat thing is that it is divided into weeks and at the beginning of the week, it tells you what you need to buy for the whole week!

You can also go to the flylady site and it has a link to a week of recipes that give you first all the ingrediants you need. I am trying the low-carb one and its awesome!

I feel like an advertiser! LOL But honestly, I was hopeless and the book and the sample week online has really helped so that I am only a little bit hopeless. :-)

with smiles

[Stone Fence]

Bumping

this thread needs to be seen more!

[Bex80]

: Mad props to Gillian for telling me about this thread. I didn't even realize there was a forum on meal planning! I'm so glad to be here, looking forward to reading the whole thread once the bambinos are in bed tonight.

[wifty]

I have now been doing the savingdinner.com menu planning for a while now and LOVE it!!

I used to not end up cooking cuz I couldn't figure out what to make, but the site gives you ingrediants and recipes for 6 nights and can be tailor-made depending on the size of the family.

I love it! I feel silly being so excited about a product, but its been wonderful! Worth the $3 a month or so and more!

with smiles from someone who isn't afraid of the kitchen after 36 years,

[sunshinestarr]

[damselfly41]

I just want to say thanks for this thread. I used some of courtenay_e's suggestions to plan my week. monday will be crock pot day...lentil sloppy joes. Tuesday, leftovers. Wednesday International day.... I'm gonna make Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue (gosh I love Guiness!) Obviously, Thursday will be with family this week, and Friday will be Pizza with Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes, and Mozzarella. All new recipes, all seem fairly easy, and I am so excited to have a fresh take on supper time!! Thank you!!!

[shelleyd]

Want to share your recipe for Irish cheddar and stout fondue? I love fondue and dh loves guiness.

I've been doing the courtenay_e plan now since July and I love it. We eat good healthy new things all the time, spend less on groceries, and I'm less stressed. Now my sister may be starting too.


Shelley

[CorbinsMama]

Originally Posted by shelleyd

Want to share your recipe for Irish cheddar and stout fondue? I love fondue and dh loves guiness.

: : : Sounds yum!!!

[damselfly41]

Here's a link to the recipe....

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/re...s/views/234120

I have never had fondue before, but I thought this might be a good way for the kids to eat their veggies! I'm gonna make it tomorrow (if the Guiness will last that long, lol!). I love Guiness. I even "splurged" a little on good dijon mustard.

[serenetabbie]

I've been doing the courtenay_e plan

Wow Courtenay_e, a whole plan named for you!

Re the seeds; you are so sweet to think of me Although, I just noticed you posted that and now it is Nov!

[noorjahan]

Wow!! Thanks for this thread and all those wonderful ideas!

I did my first ever plan for next week and boy was I sweating my @$$ off!!!! Just planning seemed like a tough job we don't even have kids yet, just myself and husband!!:

But after reading this thread , now I think I know how I would plan my menu in the future-

Monday-International day

Tuesday-My native cuisine (Bangladeshi) day-main ingredient will be Meat

Wednesday- Left overs

Thursday- Fish day (Bangladeshi style)

Friday- Vegetarian day

Saturday- Shrimp -any style(yeap, we LOVE shrimp so much it deserves a day of it's own )

Sunday- Breakfast day (I LOVE that idea )

Thanks a bunch!!!!