Meal Planning

[bec]

Ok, so I need to discipline myself to do better meal planning if I want to be successful in the eating out challenge and the pantry challenge! So, let's hear it. What's on your menu for the week?

Here's what I've come up with!

Saturday: Leftover stew
Sunday: Leftover pork chops (the weekends are for me to have a break! This is when we would usually eat out, so leftovers will make things easy for me)
Monday: Spaghetti and salad
Tuesday: Turkey meatloaf and sweet potato fries
Wednesday: Leftover Meatloaf
Thursday: Spaghetti and turkey meatballs (I got a great deal on turkey meat the other day and have a bunch in the freezer, and I have a large amount of sauce made from the other day)
Friday: Pot Pies (we have some frozen)

The only things I'll need to buy from the store this week will be milk (we're always running out), and some fresh produce for salads. I like to serve a salad at every meal.

Also, I'm going to try to make a loaf of bread each day in the bread maker so we have fresh bread that I don't have to buy! If all goes well, I'll be able to spend around $15 this week at the grocery!

[tarheelbaby]

That's great! Yesterday, I printed a blank calendar off the internet and sat down to meal plan for the rest of Jan. I did include one day to eat out (Wednesday is my birthday!), but other than that, we're set until Feb. 1. I shouldn't have to make any trips to the grocery store for the next 11 days, and I feel really good about that.

[1growingsprout]

ok here is what is going on
saturday
b- cereal and juice
L- DS and me wendys ( i took him for a dental appt then haircut) the rest had hotdogs w. dh and potato salad
D- pizza and salad with homemade sugar cookies w. MM's

Sunday
B- eggs and toast
L- soup and sandwiches
D pork chops rice and veggies

Monday
B- Cheese omlette and milk
L- mac n cheese and sandwiches
D- pork chop left overs

Tuesday
B- Bagels and juice
L- Spagetto's and veggies
D- Chicken burgers and tater tots and veggies

WEdnesday
B- French toast
L- chicken nuggets veggies and rice
D- something BBQ w. salad

snacks: popcorn fruit cookies.... (way too much of that still in the pantry)

[crunchy_mama]

sat- veggie lo mein and salad
sun roasted chicken, glazed carrots, salad
mon- mexican chicken and rice
tues- ham and white beans, corn bread, some kind of greens
wed- leftovers
thurs- salmon, sesame green beans, rice pilaf
fri- cheese pizza and salad

we eat a lot of salads!

Lunches are leftovers.

Breakfasts consist of ; almost always eggs in some form, maybe sausage (grass-fed farm fresh- we bought half a hog), oats, smoothies= keifer, fruit, greens, flaxseed, and occasionally waffles or pancakes

[bec]

For breakfasts, we usually do cereal and milk, with a warm, cooked breakfast on the weekends (eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, or something like that). Lunches are usually a sandwhich or leftovers. We have lots in the pantry, so no need to shop in the coming week for that!

[velochic]

I really love to cook, but I have days that I just don't want to do anything in the kitchen. Many years ago, my father bought a large upright freezer for me, which has been a huge blessing. I double-up on recipes and freeze half, which always gives us something to pull out of the freezer if I don't feel like cooking. Still, we go through periods when we eat out too much. This month I've been very good... we came home from a trip abroad and I missed cooking. We eat a lot of ethnic food.

This week:

Sunday: Chili & green salads (the chili will be eaten during the week for lunch)

Monday: Köfte & rice

Tuesday: Mozzarella & Spinach stuffed ravioli with pesto sauce, green salad

Wednesday: Kaşar börek, homemade baked chicken nuggets, peas

Thursday: Chicken stir-fry, fried rice (leftover from Monday) or an Ethiopian dish we love called Dorowat and rice... depending on the mood.

Friday: Tas kebap (like a beef stew, but with lamb)

Saturday: Leftovers

[bec]

These are great! It is also giving me ideas for future weeks. I like a lot of variety in my cooking, and have been feeling in a rut, lately (another reason we've been eating out).

[SpiralChrissy]

Wow! You all are awesome! I can't imagine only spending $15 at the grocery. I've already spent $50 this week! You're inspiring me to try...
Chrissy

[melissel]

Originally Posted by tarheelbaby

That's great! Yesterday, I printed a blank calendar off the internet and sat down to meal plan for the rest of Jan. I did include one day to eat out (Wednesday is my birthday!), but other than that, we're set until Feb. 1. I shouldn't have to make any trips to the grocery store for the next 11 days, and I feel really good about that.

I REALLY need to do this, thanks for the reminder...

Oh, and happy birthday!!! :

[bec]

Originally Posted by SpiralChrissy

Wow! You all are awesome! I can't imagine only spending $15 at the grocery. I've already spent $50 this week! You're inspiring me to try...
Chrissy

Well, don't get too inspired by me. I spent over $100 last week, so we should have plenty of food!

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I've been trying to cultivate this habbit to. My inlaws are comming on Tuesday and staying for a week so I realy want to be on top of it. I want to enjoy them and not worry about what I am going to feed them.

Tonight we are going to have a roast chicken with salad, steamed broccoli and baked potato.

Mon. I have a busy day getting the house ready for MIL so we are going to have eggs, toast, roasted potatos and fruit.

Tues. Chicken veggi soup from Sundays chicken with salad & buns.

Wed. spagettiand meatballs with salad.

Thurs. tacos

Fri. Porkcops with mshroom gravy, rice, salad, and some sort of veggi.

Sat. pizza

Sun. Roast beef.

[bec]

I have to say that having something written down is helping me! I am switching things around a bit to use up the leftover noodles from last night, so meatloaf will be pushed to Wednesday and Thursday, and the meatballs will probably be Swedish mearballs, because I may be looking at a family revolt if I make one mor tomato based thing. But I am much more organized, just having a plan written out!

[wife&mommy]

I HAVE to meal plan or I spend WAY too much at the store. But it has actually become fun for me.

[tarheelbaby]

Originally Posted by melissel

I REALLY need to do this, thanks for the reminder...

Oh, and happy birthday!!! :

Thank you!

[velochic]

Here's a link to a nice blank calendar for meal planning.

http://www.thedaycarelady.com/images/calendar.gif

[kathirynne]

Inventory first

I have found that the thing that helps me most when it comes to meal planning is to inventory what is already in my cupboards, freezer, pantry, et cetera, and then plan my menues around recipes that I can make with what I have and what is on sale at the grocery this week. www.cindysporch.net has the inventory lists that I use.

My goal for next month is to spend less than $100 to feed a family of 5 (including 2 teenaged boys!), so I will be joining you in the "meal planning club".

[tarheelbaby]

Originally Posted by kathirynne

I have found that the thing that helps me most when it comes to meal planning is to inventory what is already in my cupboards, freezer, pantry, et cetera, and then plan my menues around recipes that I can make with what I have and what is on sale at the grocery this week. www.cindysporch.net has the inventory lists that I use.

My goal for next month is to spend less than $100 to feed a family of 5 (including 2 teenaged boys!), so I will be joining you in the "meal planning club".

I like to do this, too, especially with my freezer. It helps to know what I'm starting with. I have a pretty low-tech approach: I keep a handwritten list on my freezer with a clip magnet, and adjust it as we use something. We're meat-eaters, so if I know what meats I have in my freezer then I can start to plan around that. I also put up peas and corn in the summer and sweet potatoes in the fall, so these are easy side dishes; all I have to do is pull them out of the freezer to thaw and cook.

[lil'mama]

Heres our menu for the week:
For Breakfasts we do cold cereal, oatmeal, toast or bagels everyday, sometimes scrambled eggs

Lunch is usually a sandwich or leftovers

Here are our dinner plans:

Sunday:
Chickpeas with Chorizo over rice--this was not a big hit...
fruit

Monday:
homemade Pizza
corn
fruit

Tuesday:
Pork Roast in the crock pot
roasted carrots and potatoes
quinoa
sauteed zucchini with parmesan

Wednesday:
Chili
salad
garlic breadsticks

Thursday:
Spaghetti
quinoa salad
sliced tomatoes

Friday (Dh works late so I'll do a brunch for us, the boys and I will have leftovers for dinner):
Pancakes
Scrambled eggs
maybe fruit

Saturday:
Roasted Turkey breast
Rice
Veggies from the pantry and leftever produce if any
maybe a dessert

Sunday:
Hamburger Helper : yes from a mix
Salad (if any left)
fruit
maybe some homemade bread

I spent 10.85 at Aldi today and I have a handful of ones to make it til the 31st--