meal plan blues

[hsingscrapper]

Would your family eat the same thing every week if it meant not being hungry at the end of the month? Like every Monday would be the same, every Tuesday, etc. The only day that's different for us is Sunday because we eat at his brother's house. I plan a backup meal in case that's cancelled.

At first, I really enjoyed not having to think. Now, I just want to go back to buying staples and shooting from the hip. My dh wants to "stick to the plan".

Please, hive, help me to find balance. This isn't working the way it should. I just want to cry.

[bettyandbob]

Monthly, my meals are sort of similar like that, but they change by the month. Something I served three times last month might not be served at all or only one time this month. I try to do monthly meal planning. My planning accounts for that is in season and what types of meals we want based on typical weather (winter--soup/ stew, summer--salads) . I used to plan quarterly and relied heavily on freezer meals that I made quarterly. I make enough different meals that I did not have repeat everything every week--only some things.

I suggest if you want to change go to a monthly plan. Keep some of what you do now and add in a few new things. Match your meal calendar to your schedule--ie If you are gone all day on Tuesday then plan a crock pot meal, but change the recipe weekly and if Monday dinner time is killed by soccer and scouts plan sandwiches or salads that whoever needs to take in the car can take.

[Desert Strawberry]

Short term, yes.

If the alternative is hunger, yes.

As a long term way of life, no. 

I do meal plan. But it varies. The same foods over and over and over again makes me a little crazy.

One compromise might be a two week plan. 12meals instead of 6. That might help with variety.

One of the days in my 14 day plan was "Mom's Choice." On that day I could make whatever exotic dish I chose.

Also consider assigning a category instead of a specific meal. Pasta, soup and salad, casserole, Mexican, sandwiches, etc leaves more room for flexibility.

[marbel]

Short term, yes.

If the alternative is hunger, yes.

As a long term way of life, no. 

I do meal plan. But it varies. The same foods over and over and over again makes me a little crazy.

One compromise might be a two week plan. 12meals instead of 6. That might help with variety.

One of the days in my 14 day plan was "Mom's Choice." On that day I could make whatever exotic dish I chose.

Also consider assigning a category instead of a specific meal. Pasta, soup and salad, casserole, Mexican, sandwiches, etc leaves more room for flexibility.

 

This is what I try to do.  I really try not to have "Tuesday is pasta day" but sometimes that's the way it works out best.   But I do try to vary things as much as possible.

 

So, I use ground meat, it might be tacos, curry, meatloaf, an enchilada casserole (which is not that different from tacos, but different enough) or refried bean soup (which again is similar but still different enough). 

 

Of course that means I have to have a variety of seasonings but typically after the initial investment most are fairly cheap.  I don't buy taco seasoning packets, but I have cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, etc. I think that helps a lot, because my family gets very tired of the same tastes all the time. 
 

[Sherry in OH]

They would love it … if the seven meals were meals they all liked.   The problem is, there aren’t seven meals that everyone likes.  Plus, I get bored cooking the same few meals over and over again.  

 

I can work with categories – Ethnic, pasta, soups and stews (salad in summer), sandwiches, breakfast for dinner, pizza, and leftovers or cook’s choice.  Even so, I mix them up.  We have simpler meals on days we have outside activities and more complex meals when I have time to cook.  

[history_junkie]

My friend and I started a meal planning challenge at the beginning of the year. She says it has changed her life  :001_smile: We both use themes, to some extent. For example, I have Mexican, Crockpot, Soup, and Breakfast each week, but my actual meal is not set in stone. This has worked well for me. My friend has different themes, like a weekly pizza night.

 

HTH!

[solascriptura]

This may be a good compromise. What if you plan a two week meal rotation? This may help with meal boredom and your husbands desire to stick with the plan.

[ajfries]

My family would probably be good with it...I think I'd be the one to get tired of it. That being said, I'm in a major meal plan funk right now so there's been a lot of spaghetti & taco dinners recently.

[hsingscrapper]

We eat 6 small meals throughout the day and are counting calories and dh eats near twice what I do. It doesn't help that we have a very picky toddler. *sigh*

[linders]

I like the idea, but we have too many days of odd schedules/DH work dinners/scout cookouts, plus those days when DH and I just really want a large salad for dinner.

 

Good luck!

[DianeW88]

No, that would be too boring here.  I love variety, and we never eat the same thing twice in one month.  I meal plan every week.

[mamaraby]

I couldn't do the rotation thing. I also can't do the meal planning services because they just don't seem appealing. What has worked, though, was checking out a cookbook from the library once every few weeks or so. I work my through the book with our meal plan and by the time it's due back at the library, I'm sick of it. It keeps things fresh and I don't waste money on cookbooks that take up space. :0)

[KRG]

I guess my meal planning has turned into we eat what is on sale.  I have a pretty well stocked freezer and pantry so that helps.  I buy a lot of chicken and we eat chicken probably 3x/week but it's always cooked differently.  Could you change the actual meal you are cooking but use the same ingredients?   I hope you can find  a solution that works for you.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Yes we have and will be doing it again.

 

We planned a few breakfasts that rotated, 7 lunches, and 7 dinners.  It worked very well and wasn't boring due to having 17-20ish different meals each month.  We also have outside activities like a church potluck or dinner out that added more variety.

 

 

Right now we are using Simplified Pantry which is similar to what you describe.  I like it and have learned a lot, but will likely go back to rotating.  Weekly plans take too much brain power for me right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Truscifi]

Short term, yes.

If the alternative is hunger, yes.

As a long term way of life, no. 

I do meal plan. But it varies. The same foods over and over and over again makes me a little crazy.

One compromise might be a two week plan. 12meals instead of 6. That might help with variety.

One of the days in my 14 day plan was "Mom's Choice." On that day I could make whatever exotic dish I chose.

Also consider assigning a category instead of a specific meal. Pasta, soup and salad, casserole, Mexican, sandwiches, etc leaves more room for flexibility.

 

This. Same meals every week would get boring fast.

[bolt.]

As a way of avoiding poverty and hunger, if it had to be done: yes, I would.

 

But I sure wouldn't like it. Even in poverty, I think I'd be capable of at least a "week A" an "week B" thing, without exceeding the budget. I'd probably try for 4 distinct weeks if I could.

[73349]

You could keep the same category without the same items. So maybe Friday is soup night, but you rotate among five different kinds of soups. Monday is breakfast for dinner, but sometimes it's eggs, sometimes waffles, etc.

[kewb]

If every day was pasta day my son would be thrilled.  I have never been able to stick to a meal plan like that because sometimes I am just not in the mood for what is on the menu that day.  I tend to shop what produce is on sale that week and plan around that.

[Amy in NH]

Not the same exact meal, but the same theme.

 

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner

Monday: Pasta night

Tuesday: Usually a roast of some sort

Wednesday: "Mexican"

Thursday: Something made from the leftovers of the roast

Friday: Take-out or home-made pizza

Saturday: Burgers &/or hotdogs

 

We change up the meals for each theme. 

Pasta could be American Chop Suey, spaghetti and meatballs, penne with chopped chicken, etc.

Mexican could be tacos or beef burritos or enchiladas, etc.. 

Even Burgers can be made with different spices mixed into the meat, and different side dishes.

 

I don't think I could eat the same exact meal each week though.  We'd all hate that, and I don't see how it would save money.  We just cook from our staple ingredients which I purchase in bulk for cheap, and items from the supermarket sales flyer.

[KungFuPanda]

I can see sticking to the budget, but sticking to the plan seems a silly rule for someone else to impose upon the cook.

[SadieMarie]

I agree with previous posters about a two week plan.   And you also might want to consider seasonal plans.  Seasonal plans also make sense from a budget point of view as prices vary seasonally.  You could have your two week plan for spring, another for summer, another for fall and a fourth for winter.  Maybe let dh know that first you try the plan, then you evaluate and then you tweak and then you try again.