Meal Planning

[Aubrey]

Somehow, I make my plans, & then I fall off the boat. Sometimes the babies are ridiculously screamy, dh steps in to help, & he uses 2 days' worth of chicken in one meal. Sometimes, I've planned but haven't gone to the store. Usually, I'm missing one or two things. every. time. I. go. to. cook.

 

I KNOW we shouldn't have to go to the store every day! Lately, w/ sick kids, though...it's been close to every day.

 

So, I think I'm not being realistic in my planning. I think the amt of food that 6 people eat is so mind-boggling to me that I half it when I go to the store. Like, I don't mind buying enough bananas for 2 days, but more than that? That's a lot of bananas!

 

Meat's what's really got me. I tend to buy gr beef & chicken when they're on sale & not otherwise. The same w/ roast, & that's about it for our meat. But I feel guilty to plan meals around meat, so I don't check the fridge for it. But then, come dinner time, that's the only way I know to cook, so if there's not gr beef or chicken....then, jeepers, there's no food.

 

I don't know if I'm asking for help or thinking out loud, but the natives get restless around 5:00, & I've got to start doing better for them, or they're going to go cannibalistic on me. The look in their eyes last night was undeniable. ;)

[CalicoKat]

Somehow, I make my plans, & then I fall off the boat. Sometimes the babies are ridiculously screamy, dh steps in to help, & he uses 2 days' worth of chicken in one meal. Sometimes, I've planned but haven't gone to the store. Usually, I'm missing one or two things. every. time. I. go. to. cook.

 

I KNOW we shouldn't have to go to the store every day! Lately, w/ sick kids, though...it's been close to every day.

 

So, I think I'm not being realistic in my planning. I think the amt of food that 6 people eat is so mind-boggling to me that I half it when I go to the store. Like, I don't mind buying enough bananas for 2 days, but more than that? That's a lot of bananas!

 

Meat's what's really got me. I tend to buy gr beef & chicken when they're on sale & not otherwise. The same w/ roast, & that's about it for our meat. But I feel guilty to plan meals around meat, so I don't check the fridge for it. But then, come dinner time, that's the only way I know to cook, so if there's not gr beef or chicken....then, jeepers, there's no food.

 

I don't know if I'm asking for help or thinking out loud, but the natives get restless around 5:00, & I've got to start doing better for them, or they're going to go cannibalistic on me. The look in their eyes last night was undeniable. ;)

I put meal plans on autopilot for the summer by deciding to use the Menus for Moms meal plans. There's a free subscription and there's a cheapo upgrade (give nutritional information + shopping list). Whew! It's been a relief. The meals aren't super weird ingrediants or huge portions. I buy the groceries for the week and then follow the plan. :D

 

There are other sites out there too.

 

Something's gotta give to make a busy mom's more tolerable. For me this was meal planning. http://www.menus4moms.com/ The Basic Weekly Menu Plan is the free subscription.

Edited July 16, 2009 by CalicoKat
added web link.

[momofkhm]

I think the amt of food that 6 people eat is so mind-boggling to me that I half it when I go to the store. Like, I don't mind buying enough bananas for 2 days, but more than that? That's a lot of bananas!

 

Maybe it is how much meat you buy. I know we eat more meat than we need to, but it's what dh and I are used to so it's what we eat. For 5 of us, and mine are older than yours, I've started buying 2 pounds of ground beef and chicken per meal. That's the boneless breast chicken cause anything else and dh complains. Now I do buy it not on sale so every week I go in and buy 6 - 2 lb packages of meat. I do buy roasts, but not often. Then we have one night of leftovers as well. Unless dh takes leftovers for lunch and then none for dinner.

 

Fruit you have to watch how fast it goes bad. Maybe 7 days of bananas would go bad before 5 days elapse? And yes, if each of your kids eats one banana every day, that's a lot of bananas for a week.

 

Try going twice a week, buy enough for 4 days. See if that's any better.

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

It's hard. Once you adjust to how much they eat, they'll all start eating more!

[BalanceSeeker]

Sometimes I don't feel like what I've planned, and I prefer to cook what I feel like :001_smile:

 

I just buy the same stuff and mix and match them all week. I tend to make things like chicken salad/garlic bread, chili or soup in the crock pot, fried brown rice and veggies with some sort of meat, pasta with various things added, stir fry, homemade pizza. I vary the flavors by adjusting spices, toppings & sauces so it doesn't get redundant. I have everything on hand so I decide what I'm making that morning. I use everything up at the end of the week in a stir fry or pasta. I'm happier not planning exact meals and just buy x amount of fresh, dry, frozen foods since I can eyeball what we go through each week.

 

I shop mid-week, too, to get fresher fruit/veggies/bread. I have been keeping costs pretty low by doing it this way.

[creekmom]

It helps me to keep a list of all the meals we eat. We live about 25 minutes away from the grocery, so I can't go every day! I try to arrange my list according to type of food (chicken meals, fish, meats, pastas etc.). It's a lot easier to plan my meals if I have a long list in front of me! I also try to simplify - Wednesday night is breakfast-egg night (easy and cheap protein) Thursday night is usually pizza. I try to do a fish once a week and a chicken/pasta once a week too. I also put a star beside any meals that are "stretcher" meals, meaning I can stretch them out over 2 days and try to incorporate them at least once a week. In the winter, soup night once a week; in the summer, a grill night once a week. Hope this helps!

[proverbs356lady]

Sometimes, I've planned but haven't gone to the store. Usually, I'm missing one or two things. every. time. I. go. to. cook.

 

;)

I've struggled with this as well. The family joke is that few of our dinners contain all the ingredients from a recipe. My family often tries to guess what I've substituted in the meal.

 

What I do now is make my weekly menu and go shopping on Monday. When I make the shopping list I check the frig and pantry to make sure I have every ingredient needed. If not, it's added to the list with no exceptions. If I don't have the money for it all I change my menu. If I find an incredible sale at the store I go ahead and make the purchase. When I get home the menu, with any additions from sales, gets put on the refrigerator. Every am I look at the menu list and choose what to make that day. Since I've been doing this we order take-out less and we have more real dinners.

 

If buying for a whole week is too overwhelming you could try to make a menu and shop for 4 days at a time. Maybe you could aim to only hit the grocery store twice a week. Or even three times a week might be helpful. I hope you can figure out a stree-free plan that works for you. I've had to work on this myself.

[Aubrey]

I've struggled with this as well. The family joke is that few of our dinners contain all the ingredients from a recipe. My family often tries to guess what I've substituted in the meal.

 

 

No, I mean like, we're having baked chicken, but we're out of chicken, so I'm at a complete loss. It's not always the meat, but it's generally something non-substitutable. Or maybe I'm just not that creative? LOL I do turn plans into other plans, to make things work, & I can sometimes sub, but...not always.

 

This week's been a LOT worse because the kids are sick, so I can't get out. I was sick last week, & the week before was VBS with family stuff the weekend before & after. So this may be a dramatization of a smaller problem due to extenuating circumstances. But sometimes I feel like life is one great big extenuating circumstance, lol.

[Emmy]

I think grocery shopping got easier for me when I sat down and made a *real* list of what we needed in a week. Yes it feels bizarre to buy 5 loads of bread, 4 packages of bagels, a case of graham crackers, a TON of fruit...etc but then it's HERE and we aren't going every other day to the store. I have a breakfast rotation for the kids that's something like -

 

bagels

oatmeal

eggs and toast

dry cereal and fruit

muffins

 

Weekends are usually a big cooked breakfast (saturday) and eat at church (sunday).

 

Lunches for kids are:

 

sunbutter / jelly and fruit

mac and cheese and fruit

turkey hot dogs and fruit

sunbutter / jelly and fruit

spaghettios (don't judge me please....;))

 

Weekends are usually leftovers or sandwich out (saturday) and big meal at noon (sunday).

 

Just going through those I can add up how many pieces of fruit, how many oatmeal packs, # of hot dogs, how much bread and bagels, how much juice etc. The numbers usually are HUGE but it is what it is - I have 4 kids and they eat a lot.

 

For dinner I typically am freezer cooking or floundering. Right now I'm floundering. Similar to the poster above I have to cook 2 pounds of meat for our family of 6. If freezer cooking doesn't work, why not try a meal rotation where you plan things out in 2 week increments and then you have a master grocery list ready to go? (says the person that is floundering...) ;)

[Tami]

It helps me to have a Desk Day every week. On Desk Day, I sit down and do my menu planning, homeschool planning, household misc, send out birthday cards, do planning for any classes/co-ops I am in, etc.

 

It helps me to have pre-done menus on hand that include shopping lists. I love the Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way, and have used it for years. For around $10, all the planning and list-making for a year is done for you. Martha Stewart's Every Day Food http://www.marthastewart.com/grocery-bag?lnc=1e07cafb74ece010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=leftnav_food_menus and Clean Eating magazine also have some menu plans with shopping lists.

 

On Desk Day (Wed), I decide if I want to put together my own menu plan and shopping list, or if I want to go with a pre-done plan to save time. It really helps to have a choice, depending on my energy level and how busy I am.

 

I also have Shopping/Errand Day (Friday), and dh knows I go shopping on that day. After I wipe out the frig and put groceries away, I hang up my menu plan for the week on the inside of a cupboard. I breathe a sigh of relief! Dinner is taken care of for the entire week, and I no longer have to think about it. My dh or dd can look at the menu and prepare a meal if they want to. All the ingredients are in my kitchen and the recipes are together. Menu planning is a means of bringing peace to my life!

 

My advice is to have some pre-done menus on hand. Use them or not, depending on the week.

Edited July 16, 2009 by Tami

[proverbs356lady]

Aubrey, wouldn't it be nice if someone would magically appear everyday and put dinner on our table at 6pm. All we'd have to do is sit down and enjoy the meal. Ahh, now that's my dream! ;)

[hillfarm]

We have tried to cut back on the amount of meat we eat also. Usually we use about 1 pound for 4 or 5 servings, and some of the soups and things I make can stretch that 1 pound to six or 8 servings. I usually fill the rest of the meal out with grains, vegetables, or legumes. If my family leaves a meal still a bit hungry, then they will be back within a couple of hours begging for sugary, expensive snacks, so I know I have to feed them full of "regular" foods or pay the consequences!

 

I used to be better about following menus than I am now. I would like to get back to it. We live out, so going to the store daily is not an option for us, lots of dirt roads that become dangerous in bad weather in addition to the distance. So I usually try to have at least 6 months of the basic ingredients on hand. Although we are not LDS, I am shooting for upping the supply to a whole year:D, due to the financial benefits of buying in serious bulk.

 

Where I got off track was I got carried away with the convenience of basically having my own grocery store in my storage room. So I would just wait to see what I felt like having at the last minute. That is not working so well for me, even though I have the supplies for it. I want to get back to knowing, 'Oh, on Thursday we will be having taco salad" or whatever.

[Danestress]

My guess is that you go to make a roast chicken and realize there is no chicken because you are exhausted, you have four kids, one of them isn't even a year old yet, and you still have "baby brain." That's got to be part of it.

 

For me, I like to have a few meal ideas that are mostly "from the pantry." We've always eaten several vegetarian meals a week and I recently stopped using meat for meals (the kids still keep turkey on hand for the occasional sandwich) so my meals might not be similar to yours in content, but the idea is the same.

 

Anytime I go to the grocery, I mentally think through these meals. These are meals I can make in less than an hour out of ingredients that "keep" for weeks either in the pantry or the freezer. So one example is a Chick Pea penne dish that uses penne, chick peas, frozen spinach, tomatoes (canned will do), garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Anytime I go to the grocery, I mentally ask if I have these ingredients. I don't even have them on the list, but any night I can't figure out what to make or planned something and don't have a crucial ingredient, I can always make Chick Pea Penne (and every member of my family loves it).

 

Pasta with marinara is another example. I try to always have pasta, sauce and cheese on hand, and typically I have salad stuff in the fridge. Salad stuff is on my permanent mental list of things to always pick up at the grocery if I need it.

 

For us, another example is tostados. I try to always have corn tostatos, refried beans, cheddar cheese, salsa, and lettuce or sprouts on hand.

 

Finally, I try to have baking potatoes or corn bread mix on hand and I keep Trader Joes vegetarian chili in the pantry. That will make an emergency meal and also means that if a kid wants a hot lunch, they can have vegetarian chili (and we all like TJ's canned chili).

 

I sometimes plan meals and make a grocery list and sometimes wing it, and obviously my week goes better if I had a plan. But I think have a repertoire of "standards" that use ingredients that are on hand is a good idea.

[Tabrett]

I know how you feel. My dh has started going to the grocery store with me, because if he doesn't, I won't buy very much food! The amount of money that I spend at the grocery store is hard for me to swallow. I would rather spend $50 here and there than spend $400 in one shot. I'm very uncomfortable with spending large amount of money at one time! I'm like this is every shopping situation! Dh gets paid once a month. Even paying the bills almost causes me to hyperventilate!

 

I can't stand that my little ones waste food. They will eat half a banana or half their food and say they are hungry 2 hours later. They are very young and I know they are probably eating as much as they can at a sitting, but it still causes me to waste food.

 

I have started buying canned chicken (I know :glare:). But at least I can make home made soup and only use one can and I always have meat on hand. I also buy frozen pre-made hamburger patties; the Walmart name brand. I do this so I always have ground beef. The patties are quick to defrost and they portion out nicely. I use half the ground beef that a recipe call for (my family never knows). I like to buy the taco kits. I will use a half pound of ground beef (instead of a pound) and mix it with a can of refried beans and the taco seasoning mix. The beans help the meat or "filling" go as far as a pound of hamburger would go. I do things like this in all my cooking. It is the only way I can emotionally handle how much food I am using and how much it is costing my family of six!

 

I very rarely buy food that can spoil. Most of my fresh food is dairy. I buy mostly canned goods, frozen- fruit, veggies and meat and meal kits. If I don't it, will spoil. Can you tell meal planning is not my thing? I have a onion that that has a 5 inch sprout in my fridge. Maybe I should plant it?

 

I have looked at pre-made meal plan on line. but I have never found one that would work for my family. I just looked at the Menus 4 Mom sample and my family wouldn't eat the food listed: chops, brussel sprouts, asparagus and ham. It is a very seldom that we eat any type of pork and the veggies listed would not fly at my house.

 

I can cook anything if a have a recipie, but you would think I can't cook, because mentally, I can't handle buy and preparing food.

[SeekingSimplicity]

We're in the country, so there are no quick trips to the grocery store here. If you forget chicken, then you're eating vegetrian tonight, LOL. Either that or we're getting that aluminum wrapped pack of mystery meat out of the freezer and solving the mystery.

 

We have a little problem with meal planning here too. I can plan something like frito pie. Then DH comes along late at night, finds the bag of fritos that were hidden and eats the entire bag. I go and cook chili the next day, get ready to serve the meal and realize there's no fritos. DH says, well I didn't know! Or I forget to buy something even tho it was on my shopping list (I have 3 small kids with small bladders that function at different intervals, I get distracted a lot). Or no one is in the mood to eat what I had planned, or a million other things that could go wrong.

 

Anyhow, I sort of mentally have a master list of groceries-- things I can make serveral different meals out of, even if I don't have all the ingredients for one. That allows for creativity when emergencies come up. Meals here are very simple: a protein, a startch(or sometimes we skip this and add extra veggies), and 2 servings of veggies/fruit. When things start to seem complicated sticking to that formula helps a lot.

[Brooketopia]

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but I have posted my method of planning meals for the week over at my blog.

 

I've also noticed that I seem to be in some sort of denial when it comes to how much food you actually need to feed a growing family...I just realized a few months ago that I was still shopping with just two adults in minds, instead of two adults and three ravenous young 'uns. I had to re-think the grocery budget as well...le sigh.

[Ferdie]

I put meal plans on autopilot for the summer by deciding to use the Menus for Moms meal plans. There's a free subscription and there's a cheapo upgrade (give nutritional information + shopping list). Whew! It's been a relief. The meals aren't super weird ingrediants or huge portions. I buy the groceries for the week and then follow the plan. :D

 

There are other sites out there too.

 

Something's gotta give to make a busy mom's more tolerable. For me this was meal planning. http://www.menus4moms.com/ The Basic Weekly Menu Plan is the free subscription.

 

:iagree: Sometimes you just need a break from meal planning.

[Tabrett]

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but I have posted my method of planning meals for the week over at my blog.

 

I've also noticed that I seem to be in some sort of denial when it comes to how much food you actually need to feed a growing family...I just realized a few months ago that I was still shopping with just two adults in minds, instead of two adults and three ravenous young 'uns. I had to re-think the grocery budget as well...le sigh.

Your method is really awsome!

[Orthodox6]

I do not plan meals (although I think planning is an excellent choice). "Life Happens" too often is the theme-of-the-day, so a rigid meal structure wouldn't work well for our family.

 

When I shop (weekly), I loosely plan meals as I shop. If worthwhile specials are available, I'll think of a meal using those items.

 

I keep our pantry well-stocked, and shop for basics (dairy, non-dairy, meat, non-meat, fruits, vegetables). As cooking turned out, over the many years, to be an easy and enjoyable activity for me, I make up most of my recipes on the fly. I always have enjoyed reading cookbooks, and have a large library of them. Pick up so much from reading recipes !

 

So, for dinners, I just look at what is on hand, and quickly envision a meal.

 

Lunches for at-home dc are harder. But I still prepare meals often, just at a simpler level. Yesterday's very easy lunch, for example, came almost all from the pantry supplies:

 

1 25-oz. can of garbanzos, rinsed

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with basil and garlic

2 cups dry measure, elbow macaroni

1/2 cup diced onion

Dijon-style Nayonnaise

 

Boil the macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Buzz the tomatoes in the food processor with 5 or 6 "pulses" (just enough to make a thick, lumpy sauce).

Mix together the macaroni, garbanzos, onion, and tomatoes.

Stir in preferred amount of the Nayonnaise.

 

Enjoy !

 

Side/dessert was a fresh orange.

[Aubrey]

My guess is that you go to make a roast chicken and realize there is no chicken because you are exhausted, you have four kids, one of them isn't even a year old yet, and you still have "baby brain." That's got to be part of it.

 

My favorite answer so far! LOL And that little guy eats more than dh--he stole an apple out of the fruit bowl the other day & ate the. whole. thing.

 

I think it's also the gluten/dairy free thing. All the stuff I knew, all the quickie meals are out. Now, dh insists that I not worry about him, but dude's got to eat. So I go thr this whole, we've got the ingredients for pot pie, but dh can't eat it, so I'll fix X for him, or I don't want to bother w/ a meal he can't eat, even if I don't have to cook for him, too, & round & round until he's out the door for a frozen pizza & still has to scrounge. Bah!

 

I told him the other day I can't take it any more. We're all going to have to be gfcf or I'll never cook again. Which means that the meal plans & cookbook I'd finally organized are out the door, but maybe it's a good start. Maybe I've figured out the problem, & it'll be better soon, esp since we'll all be eating healthier along w/ Mr. Skin & Bones Likes to Make his Wife Look Fat By Losing 40lb Himself. Not that I'm bitter. :lol:

[H.S. Burrow]

Somehow, I make my plans, & then I fall off the boat. Sometimes the babies are ridiculously screamy, dh steps in to help, & he uses 2 days' worth of chicken in one meal. Sometimes, I've planned but haven't gone to the store. Usually, I'm missing one or two things. every. time. I. go. to. cook.

 

I KNOW we shouldn't have to go to the store every day! Lately, w/ sick kids, though...it's been close to every day.

 

So, I think I'm not being realistic in my planning. I think the amt of food that 6 people eat is so mind-boggling to me that I half it when I go to the store. Like, I don't mind buying enough bananas for 2 days, but more than that? That's a lot of bananas!

 

Meat's what's really got me. I tend to buy gr beef & chicken when they're on sale & not otherwise. The same w/ roast, & that's about it for our meat. But I feel guilty to plan meals around meat, so I don't check the fridge for it. But then, come dinner time, that's the only way I know to cook, so if there's not gr beef or chicken....then, jeepers, there's no food.

 

I don't know if I'm asking for help or thinking out loud, but the natives get restless around 5:00, & I've got to start doing better for them, or they're going to go cannibalistic on me. The look in their eyes last night was undeniable. ;)

 

 

Saving Dinner. :) It really, REALLY helped me when I was in your same spot.

[Aubrey]

I put meal plans on autopilot for the summer by deciding to use the Menus for Moms meal plans. There's a free subscription and there's a cheapo upgrade (give nutritional information + shopping list). Whew! It's been a relief. The meals aren't super weird ingrediants or huge portions. I buy the groceries for the week and then follow the plan. :D

 

There are other sites out there too.

 

Something's gotta give to make a busy mom's more tolerable. For me this was meal planning. http://www.menus4moms.com/ The Basic Weekly Menu Plan is the free subscription.

 

Ok, I looked at this, & my only question is...where are the veggies? Not that I'm criticising--this is how *our* meals usually look, but...I don't think they *should.* That's part of what I want to fix, kwim?

 

But I also sneak more veggies into sauces, etc. than I usually count, so I'm not being completely fair--I only count it if you can SEE it, lol, so a scoop of steamed something on the side counts for 1, but the same scoop cooked into spaghetti gets 0. Anyway, however you count it, we don't do enough. (Well...I don't count garnishing stuff, either, like onions, celery, peppers, tomatoes--do y'all count that stuff? And I don't count it if it's canned or frozen. Don't ask me why. Unless, of course, it's fixed separately & served on the side. Then it can count, 1 for frozen, .35 for canned. :001_huh::lol:)

[Katiebug_1976]

I'm right there with ya! I used to like grocery shopping! I guess it was like my time to get out of the house and see how much I could buy and how little I could spend. But now I'm afraid my pregnancy hormones are getting in the way, becuase I can't seem to get a menu made before we go hungry. My mind just wont cooperate with me lately. So I end up just going to the store and buying whatever until my grocery money runs out. Then I just hope we make it through the week, 'cause there's no more money until next week. Obviously this is not the best strategy, but all the pre made online menu's have been too expensive for us once you make them large enought for a family of 7. Oh well, we're not starving yet, but I do feel guilty about sending my kids to the kitchen for a sandwich or leftovers all the time.

[melissel]

My method is similar to Orthodox6's. I stock my pantry, fridge and freezer with the basics that I know we all like:

 

Chicken legs

Boneless chicken (even when frozen, it can be thawed in water in a half hour)

Jarred sauce

Flour

Chedder and occasionally American cheese for the emergency grilled cheese dinner

Eggs

Pancake ingredients

Frozen veggies (almost as healthy as fresh--sometimes healthier because they're picked and frozen quickly)

Ground beef (for burgers. meatloaf, etc.--can also be thawed quickly if you forgot to take it out)

Potatoes for mashing or baking

Brown/wild rice

Etc.

 

For a long time I kept trying to make fun meals--shepherd's pie, pot pie, different sides, etc)--and no one would eat them. I finally accepted that simple works all around. We're not a GFCF family, but I'm willing to bet that you could adapt your shopping accordingly. And yes, I agree that you ALL need to be eating one meal, at least until things slow down and you can spare a little time for cooking something special for the kids. It's better for all of you anyway!

[TammyinTN]

I also keep a very well stocked pantry and have 2 freezers full of food at all times. I buy stuff when it's on sale and stock up. Loads of lean ground beef, chicken breast, turkey breast, bacon, sausage, ham and turkey. Tons of frozen veggies/fruit and mixes for anything like muffins or cornbread. I buy cases of veggies when on sale. I even buy bread mixes so I can toss them in the bread machine instead of going to the store for bread . I buy cases of milk in 1 liter containers. As long as I have options/basics then we can function.

[OnTheBrink]

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but I have posted my method of planning meals for the week over at my blog.

 

I've also noticed that I seem to be in some sort of denial when it comes to how much food you actually need to feed a growing family...I just realized a few months ago that I was still shopping with just two adults in minds, instead of two adults and three ravenous young 'uns. I had to re-think the grocery budget as well...le sigh.

 

That's an awesome meal planning method!

[CalicoKat]

Ok, I looked at this, & my only question is...where are the veggies? Not that I'm criticising--this is how *our* meals usually look, but...I don't think they *should.* That's part of what I want to fix, kwim?

 

But I also sneak more veggies into sauces, etc. than I usually count, so I'm not being completely fair--I only count it if you can SEE it, lol, so a scoop of steamed something on the side counts for 1, but the same scoop cooked into spaghetti gets 0. Anyway, however you count it, we don't do enough. (Well...I don't count garnishing stuff, either, like onions, celery, peppers, tomatoes--do y'all count that stuff? And I don't count it if it's canned or frozen. Don't ask me why. Unless, of course, it's fixed separately & served on the side. Then it can count, 1 for frozen, .35 for canned. :001_huh::lol:)

Actually I was pleased that there's a veggie side included in the menu for each meal. Just the main dish is listed on the weekly menu but each day there's the main dish, veggie and fruit sides. Tonight per the menu I served cheeseburger pie, broccoli salad and frozen grapes. I like that there is a variety of ways to serve veggies other than the usually steamed.

[FO4UR]

I make menu's, even shopping lists, but I have never in my life kept to one.

 

I go to the store about 2x per week and envision the next 3-4 days' food and buy what we need. If I don't walk up and down every isle, I will forget something (hopefully not the TP:001_huh::lol:). It's not a good method...

[Shelly in the Country]

I don't really menu plan more than a few days ahead of time, and even then it's sort of a rough sketch. I find that if I plan in great detail we end up with uneaten leftovers. I can't predict exactly how much we'll all eat at a given meal. Many times I will reuse part of the leftovers to create a different meal. I guess you could call them disguised leftovers?

 

So since I don't menu plan, I make sure I have lots of staples on hand all the time. We always have several types of pasta, white, brown and wild rice, and potatoes. That takes care of starches. I keep frozen and canned vegetables on hand all the time for sides. I bake all our bread so flour is always on hand. I keep the freezer stocked with meat. I buy ground beef, pork roasts, chuck roasts, salmon, boneless skinless chicken breasts, whole chickens, chicken leg quarters, ground turkey, bacon and bulk sausage when it's on sale. Every Sunday I pick 3-4 meats and put them in the fridge to thaw. I usually serve a hot lunch and dinner on weekdays. Quicker thawing things get cooked first, like the chicken breasts. Whole chickens get served on Thursdays a lot. If I need to thaw more meat for some reason, I usually take it out on Tuesday night. Salmon gets taken out a lot on Tuesdays since it will thaw overnight. If I know the day will be crazy I use the crockpot, otherwise I KNOW dinner will not get done. I used to be pretty scatter-brained about meals. I am told I am a good cook.....but I am terribly disorganized. I find this system works for me. The stocking of the pantry does take some getting used to. Our grocery bill sees lots of weird spikes depending on sales and such.

 

Another tip...I keep a binder filled with nothing but "emergency" recipes. You know sometimes you cook a new recipe and think to yourself, "Wow that was easy AND good!"? If I think that, it goes in that binder. I have quite a collection now.

[Dobela]

I have almost given up trying to keep fresh fruits and veggies at home. My life has been so unpredictable the last 2 years with a new child that I hardly knew where to begin most days. What helped me was making basic plans and keeping basic things in the freezer.

 

I buy chicken, pork,and beef in bulk when it is on sale. Lots and lots of it. I then decide what a meal looks like. Because meat is so expensive I plan one serving per person.Period. One breast portion, one pork chop, etc. per person. If it is cheaper cuts of meat like chicken leg quarters I will plan one per person. Then into each baggie I put one meal. For chicken I cover with assorted sauces and label each bag - mesquite, sesame ginger, italian, bbq, etc. Then I freeze.

 

In the freezer I also keep lots of bread I bought on sale at the bread store. I tend to buy lots of english muffins because they can be used for sandwiches, garlic bread, crutons, and more.

 

I also buy lots and lots of bagged frozen veggies when they are on sale. I buy as big of a variety as I can. It is usually $1 or less a pound for things like broccoli, stir fry mixes, and corn. I also keep a large stock of canned goods as well, mostly beans, tomatoes, and veggies I don't like frozen like carrots. I also keep lots of canned fruits for when we run out of fresh (which is often).

 

Each morning I pick out the meat for the day. Almost always I cook it in the crockpot, especially the chicken in marinades. Depending on the marinade I cook the rest of the meal from the freezer - say sesame chicken so then I will cook a bag or 2 of stir fry veggies and rice at dinner time. If I pan cook something, I still only have to grab a bag of frozen veggies, some bread/rice, and go from there. Most frozen veggies won't take more than 20 minutes to cook. For dessert I serve canned fruit in some form or use frozen fruit some way or another. I have found that if I rotate the seasonings of the meal, I tend to rotate the veggies and sides as well. I also cook extra veggies and fruits at the meals. That is what the family can fill up on at meals instead of expensive meats.

 

I rarely do things like hamburger helper any more. They take more ground beef than other foods do. For spaghetti, sometimes I will just use a 1/2 pound for flavoring and lots of tomatoes and sause with spices. If I do take time to make a lasagna or something similar, I make 2 at once and freeze the extra for later.