How do you plan your menus?

[thowell]

Do you have a cycle of the same dinners or do you come up with new menus every week? Any ideas?

[Tammy]

and say, "Hmmm...what do I feel like eating today?" Yep....I am no help. I try new things as I come upon them.....

 

I watch cooking shows on TV for inspiration....and new recipes, LOL!

 

.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Like Tammy, we just figure as we go. The only planning we do is to pick up recipe specific items at the store. Even then, we rarely have a specific day in mind for those meals.

[whitestavern]

I only purchase meat (beef, poultry, pork, fish, etc) when it is on sale. Each week I make a list of what meats I have in my fridge. Then I find recipes for them (okay, I'm anal...I organize all the recipes I clip by category!). I always add in a veggie meal or two, as well as a pasta meal. Once I'm done I make a shopping list based on what I'll need. I usually make a meal plan 2x a month.

[patchfire]

I have a list on my computer of all the meals we eat even semi-regularly for dinner. I also have a list of all the cuts of meat in the freezer, divided with ideas for which month to each which ones. (We purchased 1/4 of a cow in early June, hence the large amount of meat!)

 

Then I sit down and look at each day. Are we going to be out of the house until 5 or so on Monday? Then let's use the crockpot that day. Friends coming over on Friday? Something easy that would leave leftovers if it were just our family.

 

I do dinner menus a month at a time, to coincide with going to Costco. I do full day menus every two weeks, to coincide with pay day and going to other grocery stores.

[ConnieB]

Well, I used to plan by opening the freezer, anything that fell out and hit me was an automatic winner....if nothing fell out, then it was whatever came out easiest without toppling everything else out. Ok, slight exaggeration, but basically, there was no planning until that panic moment when I realized I should be starting cooking soon!

 

Now....we're so organized about it that it is almost scary to those I describe it to, you can see them backing away slowly and calculating the best moment to turn and bolt. If you're easily scared, stop reading now. If you can take our A personality method and glean something reasonable from it, keep reading, lol. And hey, I even managed to turn our method into an educational project....combining math, home ec, science and critcal thinking/debate all in one!

 

Advertisements from the grocery come in the mailbox on Wednesdays. So, Wednesday evening's school assignment is the menu for next week (Sun through Sat) and grocery lists. The kids and I go through the sale ads and decide what is a good price (the kids have price booklets to track prices on things like meat, fresh vegetables and the few canned goods that we use.....that's part of the math work). Once we have a list of the sale stuff we talk to Dad about it, and then the whole family gathers round our white board (inside the pantry closet) to set up the menu for the following week. Everyone gets to make suggestions, preference is given to the use of something already in the freezer (bought on sale previously, lol) or something that is currently on sale. Other main dishes are considered if they'll still fit the budget without being on sale. The kids have also gotten really good about seeing the trend....such as our favorite Chicken Sausages go on sale about every 7 weeks....so guess what's for dinner every 7 weeks, lol. The choices must also fit into our budget so we typically have a longish list of suggestions and then the kids have to look around the house for what we already have that will make these suggestions and see which will fit. We have "daddy rules" about limits on how many weeks in a row we have things like hot dogs or spaghetti, lol, and basically try to not repeat recipes for a few weeks. We love to try new recipes so we usually have a cookbook or three out from the library to experiment. Good ones get written up and put in our own cookbook binder. We also take into consideration whether we'll be home to cook from scratch or need a crockpot meal we can start in the morning, or take one of our frozen meals out to thaw knowing we'll only need to pop it in the oven when we get home later. (We don't do once a month cooking, but instead we'll make doubles of many meals and freeze one for later....like tonight's meatloaf we made two weeks ago, ate one that night and now when we get home we'll have no prep time for dinner....1 hour of cooking and we're at the table).

 

Once the menu is set then we make up our shopping lists based on checking through the cabinets for "go-withs" and other ingredients we'll need for next week. Having the menus that go with this shopping trip not start until Sunday means that we have 3+ days to get our shopping done as I only want to go once a week to the grocery stores (typically Thurs or Friday as I hate shopping on Saturdays due to crowds). We hit the farmers markets twice a week for fresh veggies, and we buy a half cow twice a year so we often have meat in the freezer already (hence the rules that first priority on menu goes to frozen stuff, lol). We also have a favorite store to get seafood (living in a landlocked state makes it tough to find truly fresh, I miss California.....but we try to have seafood at least once a week, if not more often depending on budget).

 

The critical thinking/debate comes into play in the grand negotiating that goes on for coveted menu items versus the budget. Science plays in as nutritional goals must be met for every meal. And this often involves a lot of crticial thinking......they quickly came to love those cookbooks that "sneak" vegetables into meals, because typically you can barely taste the added veggies and for some of the veggies I require be eaten each week/month they'd rather hide it in the spaghetti sauce then see it in a pile on their plate, lol.

 

They're not allowed to argue or snipe....but a well spoken debate is encouraged to campaign for their menu choice. Mom has the ultimate say however in both the menu and the budget....I've been known to nix mac and cheese as a main course just because they want Salmon or Lobster another night, lol. Moderation in all things.

 

Ok...so who actually is still reading and not looking for the nearest exit? Seriously, if my method is too rigid, (and if it's not, seek help immediately), at least consider a white board with space for two weeks of menus....not only does it help to have it planned out in advance for ease of shopping and no panic at 4pm about what's for dinner, it also stops the annoying question of "What's for Dinner" (there was a thread on this last week, lol). My response is "check the board".

 

So...today is Friday and we didn't shop yesterday, so we're going this morning....but I know what we're having today, tomorrow and all next week through next Saturday. Ahhhhhh, no decision making about food for another week.

Edited October 9, 2009 by ConnieB

[thowell]

I have a binder I use for my menus and shopping lists. What I am wondering is my mom mentioned to me that she has a friend who has the same menu rotation. In other words they have Meatloaf every other Monday, spaghetti every other Tuesday. She has a two week cycle of menus and they always have the same things. This would be much easier as far as planning but I am wondering if my family would wage war against me. Does anyone else use this method?

[Lakeside]

Well, I used to plan by opening the freezer, anything that fell out and hit me was an automatic winner....if nothing fell out, then it was whatever came out easiest without toppling everything else out. Ok, slight exaggeration, but basically, there was no planning until that panic moment when I realized I should be starting cooking soon!

 

Now....we're so organized about it that it is almost scary to those I describe it to, you can see them backing away slowly and calculating the best moment to turn and bolt. If you're easily scared, stop reading now. If you can take our A personality method and glean something reasonable from it, keep reading, lol. And hey, I even managed to turn our method into an educational project....combining math, home ec, science and critcal thinking/debate all in one!

 

Advertisements from the grocery come in the mailbox on Wednesdays. So, Wednesday evening's school assignment is the menu for next week (Sun through Sat) and grocery lists. The kids and I go through the sale ads and decide what is a good price (the kids have price booklets to track prices on things like meat, fresh vegetables and the few canned goods that we use.....that's part of the math work). Once we have a list of the sale stuff we talk to Dad about it, and then the whole family gathers round our white board (inside the pantry closet) to set up the menu for the following week. Everyone gets to make suggestions, preference is given to the use of something already in the freezer (bought on sale previously, lol) or something that is currently on sale. Other main dishes are considered if they'll still fit the budget without being on sale. The kids have also gotten really good about seeing the trend....such as our favorite Chicken Sausages go on sale about every 7 weeks....so guess what's for dinner every 7 weeks, lol. The choices must also fit into our budget so we typically have a longish list of suggestions and then the kids have to look around the house for what we already have that will make these suggestions and see which will fit. We have "daddy rules" about limits on how many weeks in a row we have things like hot dogs or spaghetti, lol, and basically try to not repeat recipes for a few weeks. We love to try new recipes so we usually have a cookbook or three out from the library to experiment. Good ones get written up and put in our own cookbook binder. We also take into consideration whether we'll be home to cook from scratch or need a crockpot meal we can start in the morning, or take one of our frozen meals out to thaw knowing we'll only need to pop it in the oven when we get home later. (We don't do once a month cooking, but instead we'll make doubles of many meals and freeze one for later....like tonight's meatloaf we made two weeks ago, ate one that night and now when we get home we'll have no prep time for dinner....1 hour of cooking and we're at the table).

 

Once the menu is set then we make up our shopping lists based on checking through the cabinets for "go-withs" and other ingredients we'll need for next week. Having the menus that go with this shopping trip not start until Sunday means that we have 3+ days to get our shopping done as I only want to go once a week to the grocery stores (typically Thurs or Friday as I hate shopping on Saturdays due to crowds). We hit the farmers markets twice a week for fresh veggies, and we buy a half cow twice a year so we often have meat in the freezer already (hence the rules that first priority on menu goes to frozen stuff, lol). We also have a favorite store to get seafood (living in a landlocked state makes it tough to find truly fresh, I miss California.....but we try to have seafood at least once a week, if not more often depending on budget).

 

The critical thinking/debate comes into play in the grand negotiating that goes on for coveted menu items versus the budget. Science plays in as nutritional goals must be met for every meal. And this often involves a lot of crticial thinking......they quickly came to love those cookbooks that "sneak" vegetables into meals, because typically you can barely taste the added veggies and for some of the veggies I require be eaten each week/month they'd rather hide it in the spaghetti sauce then see it in a pile on their plate, lol.

 

They're not allowed to argue or snipe....but a well spoken debate is encouraged to campaign for their menu choice. Mom has the ultimate say however in both the menu and the budget....I've been known to nix mac and cheese as a main course just because they want Salmon or Lobster another night, lol. Moderation in all things.

 

Ok...so who actually is still reading and not looking for the nearest exit? Seriously, if my method is too rigid, (and if it's not, seek help immediately), at least consider a white board with space for two weeks of menus....not only does it help to have it planned out in advance for ease of shopping and no panic at 4pm about what's for dinner, it also stops the annoying question of "What's for Dinner" (there was a thread on this last week, lol). My response is "check the board".

 

So...today is Friday and we didn't shop yesterday, so we're going this morning....but I know what we're having today, tomorrow and all next week through next Saturday. Ahhhhhh, no decision making about food for another week.

 

I'm not running! Would you be willing to share some of your recipes or a few samples of your weekly menu? I'm also curious about the veggies that you require to be eaten each week or month.

 

We belong to a CSA, so from June through about now many of our meals are based on what vegetables we get from the farm. We've tried to store some things for the winter and our freezer is now pretty full. Unfortunately it is completely disorganized and one of these nights I think I'm going to have to pull everything out to do an inventory. After that, I hope to have somewhat of a long range plan for meals, based on what we have in the freezer. We'll see how that goes!

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Well, I used to plan by opening the freezer, anything that fell out and hit me was an automatic winner....if nothing fell out, then it was whatever came out easiest without toppling everything else out. Ok, slight exaggeration, but basically, there was no planning until that panic moment when I realized I should be starting cooking soon!

 

Now....we're so organized about it that it is almost scary to those I describe it to, you can see them backing away slowly and calculating the best moment to turn and bolt. If you're easily scared, stop reading now. If you can take our A personality method and glean something reasonable from it, keep reading, lol. And hey, I even managed to turn our method into an educational project....combining math, home ec, science and critcal thinking/debate all in one!

 

Advertisements from the grocery come in the mailbox on Wednesdays. So, Wednesday evening's school assignment is the menu for next week (Sun through Sat) and grocery lists. The kids and I go through the sale ads and decide what is a good price (the kids have price booklets to track prices on things like meat, fresh vegetables and the few canned goods that we use.....that's part of the math work). Once we have a list of the sale stuff we talk to Dad about it, and then the whole family gathers round our white board (inside the pantry closet) to set up the menu for the following week. Everyone gets to make suggestions, preference is given to the use of something already in the freezer (bought on sale previously, lol) or something that is currently on sale. Other main dishes are considered if they'll still fit the budget without being on sale. The kids have also gotten really good about seeing the trend....such as our favorite Chicken Sausages go on sale about every 7 weeks....so guess what's for dinner every 7 weeks, lol. The choices must also fit into our budget so we typically have a longish list of suggestions and then the kids have to look around the house for what we already have that will make these suggestions and see which will fit. We have "daddy rules" about limits on how many weeks in a row we have things like hot dogs or spaghetti, lol, and basically try to not repeat recipes for a few weeks. We love to try new recipes so we usually have a cookbook or three out from the library to experiment. Good ones get written up and put in our own cookbook binder. We also take into consideration whether we'll be home to cook from scratch or need a crockpot meal we can start in the morning, or take one of our frozen meals out to thaw knowing we'll only need to pop it in the oven when we get home later. (We don't do once a month cooking, but instead we'll make doubles of many meals and freeze one for later....like tonight's meatloaf we made two weeks ago, ate one that night and now when we get home we'll have no prep time for dinner....1 hour of cooking and we're at the table).

 

Once the menu is set then we make up our shopping lists based on checking through the cabinets for "go-withs" and other ingredients we'll need for next week. Having the menus that go with this shopping trip not start until Sunday means that we have 3+ days to get our shopping done as I only want to go once a week to the grocery stores (typically Thurs or Friday as I hate shopping on Saturdays due to crowds). We hit the farmers markets twice a week for fresh veggies, and we buy a half cow twice a year so we often have meat in the freezer already (hence the rules that first priority on menu goes to frozen stuff, lol). We also have a favorite store to get seafood (living in a landlocked state makes it tough to find truly fresh, I miss California.....but we try to have seafood at least once a week, if not more often depending on budget).

 

The critical thinking/debate comes into play in the grand negotiating that goes on for coveted menu items versus the budget. Science plays in as nutritional goals must be met for every meal. And this often involves a lot of crticial thinking......they quickly came to love those cookbooks that "sneak" vegetables into meals, because typically you can barely taste the added veggies and for some of the veggies I require be eaten each week/month they'd rather hide it in the spaghetti sauce then see it in a pile on their plate, lol.

 

They're not allowed to argue or snipe....but a well spoken debate is encouraged to campaign for their menu choice. Mom has the ultimate say however in both the menu and the budget....I've been known to nix mac and cheese as a main course just because they want Salmon or Lobster another night, lol. Moderation in all things.

 

Ok...so who actually is still reading and not looking for the nearest exit? Seriously, if my method is too rigid, (and if it's not, seek help immediately), at least consider a white board with space for two weeks of menus....not only does it help to have it planned out in advance for ease of shopping and no panic at 4pm about what's for dinner, it also stops the annoying question of "What's for Dinner" (there was a thread on this last week, lol). My response is "check the board".

 

So...today is Friday and we didn't shop yesterday, so we're going this morning....but I know what we're having today, tomorrow and all next week through next Saturday. Ahhhhhh, no decision making about food for another week.

 

Well, all I can say about that is . . . :svengo:

[Dawn in OH]

Do you have a cycle of the same dinners or do you come up with new menus every week? Any ideas?

 

We have a cycle of meals that I don't make on particular day, and every now and then I throw in something new, or something that is eaten less often.

 

The main reason for this is having children ages 2-8, we still run into some picky issues. Although I am not always sensitive to their pickieness (that is not a word), because if I were we would be living on pizza, tacos, burgers and hot dogs.

 

The cycle makes life somewhat easier at times too, because I can just make sure I always have the required ingredients on hand. I keep a well stocked pantry.

 

I don't always plan the specific menu for the week in advance. A lot of times the meal is determined by: what meat is available in the freezer, the weather, the kind of day we had, were we out of the house or home most of the day, what time dinner needs to be served by, and I personally feel and any cravings I may incur.

 

I tried having a strict set of dinner plans for a while, but they were constantly ruined by the days activities, or me not feeling well, or a time shortage. So now I just have general common meals and play the week kind of by ear.

Edited October 9, 2009 by Dawn in OH
silly mistake

[WistfulRidge]

I try to plan meals at least one month in advance, but more if possible. If I don't then I end up not budgeting enough time to make dinner/not have quite the right ingredients for anything that sounds good and end up dallying until I just give up and order pizza. There are a few things that we have every month: Spaghetti (2x), Meatloaf (2x) Pot Roast (1 beef, 1 pork), Chicken Sausage Rice Casserole, Rotisserie (sp?) style Chicken, and Leftovers/Fend for Yourself (4x). Outside of that I fill in favorite recipes, new recipes I want to try etc... In the end I aim for 10 dinners with beef, 10-12 with chicken, and 7-10 with pork. We have to have meat with every meal because off my DH's metabolism. If he doesn't get that shot of protein/fat then he'll be passing out within a couple of hours and beans/lentils etc by themselves just don't quite cut it. If something comes up that would interfere with what we're having for dinner I just switch it around with something from that week that would work better that night. I "major" grocery shop every 6 weeks for meat and pantry basics that I'm running low on and shop "light" once a week for milk, fruit, and veggies. It makes it super easy for me, as well as helps me keep my spending down because I know EXACTLY what I'll need.

[tricia]

I cycle our meals. Every 2 weeks. So choose 14 dinners and repeat them every 2 weeks.

[The Governess]

We belong to a vegetable co-op so I try to plan my meals based on the produce that will be in our box that week. It keeps me out of the "we're eating this again?" rut. :D

[my2kidsmom]

I have a list of main dishes that I cook written on a sheet of notebook paper and I keep in on the side of the 'fridge. I guess right now, I have somewhere around 30ish on there. I typically shop the sales for whatever meat is on sale that week and go from there. Once I know the main dish, then I plan the side dish. Those are usually steamed veggies and/or salad and sometimes a starch. We rarely, if ever, do a bread.

 

From time to time, I seek out something new and different to try that is both tasty and fairly easy to make. The family gets to vote if it's a keeper or not. I am blessed with adventuresome eaters.

[MariannNOVA]

we get deliveries of beef and chicken from a farm on a weekly basis and it goes in the freezer and I figure out what to do with themeither in the morning or the night before.

[Audrey]

Do you have a cycle of the same dinners or do you come up with new menus every week? Any ideas?

 

 

I plan a week at a time. I scribble out what I'd like to have the day before I go shopping. If I can't find something I need, I either adapt or re-do that menu. I keep a notebook. One page per week. If something is particularly well-liked, I put a coloured sticker on it. (I just like any excuse to use coloured stickers.) When I'm stumped for ideas, I can flip back through the notebook and get ideas. When I try something new I note what cookbook/page it is from, or the website, so I can find it again later, IF it is any good.

 

That said, around here it is common practice amongst the locals to follow what is called "the good wife's schedule." :001_rolleyes: There is even a little sing-songy thingy :001_rolleyes: to help you remember.

Roast on Sunday, chicken on Monday,

meatloaf on Tuesday, pork chops on Wednesday,

leftovers on Thursday, fish on Friday.

Saturday if you've done it right, he'll take you out for dinner that night.

 

I'm not making that up. I find it ridiculous, but then I'm not aspiring to be "the good wife" either. :001_rolleyes:

[JFSinIL]

Depends on what I have in the freezer and/or find on sale at the store. I might add, I sometimes know a day or two in advance what I want to make (such as a roast beef and then burritos from leftovers, or chicken then soup) - other times it is that morning or afternoon (ah, pork chops thaw fast or time for pasta!)

Edited October 10, 2009 by JFSinIL

[Mrs Mungo]

I came up with a list of around 20 breakfasts, 20 lunches, 20 snacks and 45 dinners. I broke the dinners down into categories like super-fast meals, crockpot meals, freezer friendly, etc. Right now, during soccer season, I choose 2 super-fast dinners, 1 crockpot dinner, 1 freezer friendly dinner (so I just have to throw it in the oven and make a salad or something) and the rest regular meals. I plan my menus with breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner for 6 days. I do save my menus so if I'm short on time/energy/motivation I can use an old one.

[Mrs Mungo]

I have recently started experimenting with cooking and/or prepping all my meals for the week on Sunday. I have a very busy schedule so I don't have much time. So far it is working out wonderfully. I wish I had tried it sooner!

 

I don't do all my meals but I do make a huge batch of breakfast burritos for the freezer and make at least one dinner to go in the freezer on Saturday or Sunday. It saves a lot of time during the week.

[Ferdie]

e-mealz.com

[Audrey]

I came up with a list of around 20 breakfasts, 20 lunches, 20 snacks and 45 dinners. I broke the dinners down into categories like super-fast meals, crockpot meals, freezer friendly, etc. Right now, during soccer season, I choose 2 super-fast dinners, 1 crockpot dinner, 1 freezer friendly dinner (so I just have to throw it in the oven and make a salad or something) and the rest regular meals. I plan my menus with breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner for 6 days. I do save my menus so if I'm short on time/energy/motivation I can use an old one.

 

 

Hmm... interesting idea you've given me. Maybe I could catalogue my "favourites" under categories like that.

[Mrs Mungo]

Hmm... interesting idea you've given me. Maybe I could catalogue my "favourites" under categories like that.

 

I did mine in excel. I love excel. ;)

[Spy Car]

Huh.

 

I'd say we almost never plan meals. Holidays, dinner parties being possible exceptions.

 

Instead we purchase fresh healthful foods in season, have a well stocked panty, and create meals that speak to our mood of the moment.

 

I happen to believe this is the best way to eat.

 

Bill

[Radish4ever]

When I need inspiration, I check out www.recipezaar.com and browse the cookbooks... I search for whatever I think I'm looking for... "cheap" or "chicken" or "OAMC" (once a month cooking) or something like that.

[Mom0012]

I make the same basic things, but I plan them around what is on sale at the grocery store for the week and what I have in the freezer. Every once in a while, I venture out and try a new recipe.

 

Lisa

[ncmomo3]

e-mealz.com

 

:iagree: e-mealz saved my sanity.

[Karen in CO]

Every other week, I sit at the table and call each of my kids and ask them for one meal suggestion, then call hubby and ask what he wants to cook, then call my brother and ask him whats for dinner, then add in a pot roast, a pasta, a fish, and a bean dish. Then I take that and stretch it out over at least two weeks, repeating as required and TADAH! Its a meal plan.

 

Easy, peasy. The weeks that both of the kids want pasta, we have lots of pasta, but other than that we are cool. If I find that hubby is not cooking what he is assigned to cook on the nights I'm at work then I'll pull out a cookbook and add in new stuff because that means he is bored with the food.

[Karen in CO]

Huh.

 

I'd say we almost never plan meals. Holidays, dinner parties being possible exceptions.

 

Instead we purchase fresh healthful foods in season, have a well stocked panty, and create meals that speak to our mood of the moment.

 

I happen to believe this is the best way to eat.

 

Bill

That would never work for me. I have to have a plan. I even have a planned day to make plans. :D. I plan seasonal meals, get veggies from a co-op, local meats and have backyard hens. But I also have 3 kids and 3 adults or 4 adults and 2 kids or 2 adults and 2 kids depending on how you count and who's in town. Hubby and I both work with a tag-teaming schedule. Without a plan, we'd have salad or cereal every night or spend a fortune on food.

[Spy Car]

That would never work for me. I have to have a plan. I even have a planned day to make plans. :D. I plan seasonal meals, get veggies from a co-op, local meats and have backyard hens. But I also have 3 kids and 3 adults or 4 adults and 2 kids or 2 adults and 2 kids depending on how you count and who's in town. Hubby and I both work with a tag-teaming schedule. Without a plan, we'd have salad or cereal every night or spend a fortune on food.

 

Funny how different couples are. We'd go crazy planning.

 

I've never seen one, but I understand there are shows on cable where they give you some ingredients, and a pantry, and you have at it. It's like that at our house every night.

 

And in my estimation we eat very (very) well.

 

Bill (who also has backyard hens)

[Perry]

I make a weekly menu every Saturday and do my grocery shopping later that day. I don't have a specific rotation, but I do plan depending on what's in season and available. Saturday through Monday or Tuesday we have meals heavy on veggies that only last a few days. After Tuesday we'll have fewer fresh veggies, and more pasta dishes or meats. I also plan ahead depending on our schedule. Dh is on call different days depending on the week, and when he is on call I make very simple meals, because he may or may not be home. My kids have evening activities several days a week, so those are crockpot nights. I also try to plan wisely, so for example if I have grilled chicken breasts on Tuesday, I make extra and then use the cooked chicken for enchiladas on Wednesday or Thursday.

 

During the week I jot down ideas for the following week and print off recipes that catch my eye. I also encourage my kids to make requests for the upcoming week if they have anything special they want. I write down the meals on the fridge calendar so I never get "what's for dinner?" from my family. They just look it up.

[Melenie]

I keep a list of meals that we like to eat (about 20 meals) along with new recipes that I want to try out. Every week I check the grocery store mailers to see what meat or seafood is on sale. From that I pick meals to make from our list of go-to-meals or new recipes to try. I also pick up veggies and fruit from a local co-op and that influences our choices as well. I normally plan one to two weeks ahead.

[Karen in CO]

If you give my hubby a stocked pantry and no instructions (recipes aren't enough, he needs instructions too), he'd go to the grocery store or out to eat. I have a little spreadsheet with the dinner plan for the next two weeks all planned out, but if I don't feel like going to the store in two weeks, we would still eat very well unless it was my hubby's night in the kitchen.

 

It is a good thing that there is a great variety in people, otherwise it would be like only have one spice in the world - bland.

[Perry]

That would never work for me. I have to have a plan. I even have a planned day to make plans. :D. I plan seasonal meals, get veggies from a co-op, local meats and have backyard hens. But I also have 3 kids and 3 adults or 4 adults and 2 kids or 2 adults and 2 kids depending on how you count and who's in town. Hubby and I both work with a tag-teaming schedule. Without a plan, we'd have salad or cereal every night or spend a fortune on food.

 

Me too (except we don't have hens). When I didn't plan, I always ended up throwing out stuff we didn't get around to eating, or I'd have everything I needed except one critical ingredient. We ate way too much pizza.

[Amber in AUS]

I do my food shopping on a Saturday morning for the week and before i go i make a list of all the main meals we will have as our evening meal for the week. I just make it up as i go so this weeks is -

 

Today - Bacon & egg jaffles

Sunday - Vegetable quiche

Monday Fried chicken & vegetables

Tuesday - Home made meat patties & vegetables

Wednesday - Chicken parmagana & vegetables

Thursday - Vegetables soup with noodles

Friday - Crumbed fish & vegetables

 

I put that list on my pantry door so each day it is a no brainer. I just get out whatever meat we are having from the freezer in the morning.

 

I pretty much shop to that list but also get the staples that we are out of like milk, yoghurt, cheese etc.

 

HTH

[Mrs Mungo]

Huh.

 

I'd say we almost never plan meals. Holidays, dinner parties being possible exceptions.

 

Instead we purchase fresh healthful foods in season, have a well stocked panty, and create meals that speak to our mood of the moment.

 

I happen to believe this is the best way to eat.

 

Bill

 

I see nothing wrong writh eating that way! I could do the food/pantry thing but I don't get home until 6:30 pm during soccer season. If I had to make egg noodles for my soup at that point then my son would chew off my leg before I managed to get dinner finished.

[Spy Car]

I see nothing wrong writh eating that way! I could do the food/pantry thing but I don't get home until 6:30 pm during soccer season. If I had to make egg noodles for my soup at that point then my son would chew off my leg before I managed to get dinner finished.

 

You mean egg noodles from scratch? Or boiling pre-made ones for 4 minutes?

 

ETA: I get good meals on fast

[Mrs Mungo]

You mean egg noodles from scratch? Or boiling pre-made ones for 4 minutes?

 

ETA: I get good meals on fast

 

I make egg noodles from scratch. My kids love them. When I give them store-bought egg noodles it's viva la revolucion!

[Spy Car]

I make egg noodles from scratch. My kids love them. When I give them store-bought egg noodles it's viva la revolucion!

 

Rolling pin or machine rolled?

 

Hand kneaded or food processed?

 

Making the noodles and letting them dry before soccer practice doesn't count as "planning" to me.

 

I make egg pasta too. Fast!

 

I've said it before, I'll no doubt say again, but I'd eat at your house anytime :D

 

Bill

[Karen in CO]

I make egg noodles from scratch. My kids love them. When I give them store-bought egg noodles it's viva la revolucion!

 

 

Yum, I love homemade noodles. Try throwing cheese or sausages at him when you come home from soccer. Leftover burger patties are handy too and are better for accuracy. If he's already gnawing at this age, he's going to be like my boy and go through a pound of bacon, a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs as a late-night snack when he hits a growth spurt.

[Karen in CO]

Apparently your kid isn't a biter.

 

yep, for biters its - "Eat this while you wash up for dinner." Not "Wait for me to boil water."

[Liz CA]

and say, "Hmmm...what do I feel like eating today?" Yep....I am no help. I try new things as I come upon them.....

 

I watch cooking shows on TV for inspiration....and new recipes, LOL!

 

.

 

I used to write out a nice dinner plan, now that I am working part-time, it's whatever is handy but I try to make sure it's nutritionally good.

 

As far as the tV cooking shows go, like her or not, I learned a good bit from Martha! :lol:

 

[Mrs Mungo]

Rolling pin or machine rolled?

 

Hand kneaded or food processed?

 

Hand kneaded and rolled with rolling pin. I don't own a pasta machine, I am deprived. :crying:

 

Making the noodles and letting them dry before soccer practice doesn't count as "planning" to me.

 

Well, I also plan my menus. The store we shop in (see grocery cost thread) is 40 minutes from my house and is a *nightmare* to shop in. I can't shop every day. When we lived in Germany I picked stuff up at the butcher, fish market, vegetable market, bakery, cheese shop, etc every day. Sigh, I miss that.

 

 

Yum, I love homemade noodles. Try throwing cheese or sausages at him when you come home from soccer. Leftover burger patties are handy too and are better for accuracy. If he's already gnawing at this age, he's going to be like my boy and go through a pound of bacon, a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs as a late-night snack when he hits a growth spurt.

 

He already eats more than me and he's actually tiny, he's the size of a four year old. I shudder to think of feeding him as a teen.

 

yep, for biters its - "Eat this while you wash up for dinner." Not "Wait for me to boil water."

 

Do you also have first and second breakfast? We do. :D

[CAMom]

Do you also have first and second breakfast? We do. :D

 

My 4 yo has first and second breakfast all the time. The kid is a bottomless pit. I don't know what to do with him.

 

By the time the table has been cleared he's saying, "Mommy, please give me something to eat! I'm very, very hungry!":001_huh:

 

On the subject of menu planning, I'm a failure!:tongue_smilie:

[Karen in CO]

He already eats more than me and he's actually tiny, he's the size of a four year old. I shudder to think of feeding him as a teen.

 

 

 

Do you also have first and second breakfast? We do. :D

 

My little one eats two breakfasts - first she has seven "little mini pancakes" which are leftover frozen silver dollar sized oatmeal pancakes plus a frozen waffle - 'cause I don't cook that early. Then once I have had my first or second cup of coffee, I'll make breakfast for everyone. She's tiny too.

 

Yeah - teen boys will put a dent in your grocery budget - and they usually come with friends and demand large portions of meat at every meal. My boy would go through 3-4 gallons of whole milk a week and still be skin-and-bones.