Meal planning flunkie

[Mom2legomaniacs]

I admit it. I stink at meal planning. I go to the butcher shop and get meat. And then I get stuck in a rut. Okay, so what did we have for lunch today? Ribs. Yep, that's all. Just ribs. I picked them up from this club that smokes them every year as a fund raiser. They get them from my butcher shop next door. So we had ribs.

 

We cannot just eat meat every meal and nothing else. Nor can we just do mac and cheese. (yes, I am exaggerating to some extent here) I have a run every so often when I do okay. But boy howdy am I in a rut now.

 

How in the world do you get out of those times? Is there a meal planning for dummies that does breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is healthy, reasonable (not too fancy schmancy), and not terribly involved?

 

I am a picky eater as far as mood goes. I like a lot of things, but not every day. Sigh. Is there any hope for this home ec. failure?

[laylamcb]

The funny thing is, Melissa, that I have the same problem you do--except that my DH often says, "Can't we please have meat sometimes?!" Yes, it's all veggies all the time here at Chez Leila. I try but honestly, what am I supposed to DO with MEAT? I just don't know....:001_huh:

 

So I'm :bigear:, waiting to hear what advice the Menu Divas have to offer.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

The funny thing is, Melissa, that I have the same problem you do--except that my DH often says, "Can't we please have meat sometimes?!" Yes, it's all veggies all the time here at Chez Leila. I try but honestly, what am I supposed to DO with MEAT? I just don't know....:001_huh:

 

So I'm :bigear:, waiting to hear what advice the Menu Divas have to offer.

 

That's funny! I don't know what to do with the veggies except steam or boil -- plain. And mine don't care for many veggies.

 

How about I handle the meat, you do the veggies, and we all eat together!

[laylamcb]

Woohoo! And I'll bring the guac and margaritas. No bailout talk, no debate talk, just good meat and veggies.

 

New board: "The Well-Trained Potluck." :D

[Mom2legomaniacs]

I like that! I have some wine and some Mike's too. And I always have fruit around. Sounds like a plan.

[Rosie_0801]

You just be careful, you two. I love meal planning, but am now gestational diabetic and not allowed to eat anything, and not allowed to eat nothing either. The thought of you two wasting your culinary freedoms on ribs and boiled veggies makes me want to buy a plane ticket and come and shake you vigorously!!! Hmm. Ribs, huh? I think I can eat ribs.

Don't you women own cookbooks? Oh the stress! I have a recipe collecting gene and this sort of talk hurts me down to me very DNA!

Ok. This is what you do. You make the kids do a unit study on different herbs and spices and as part of that, they have to find out what type of dishes each one is traditionally used in, then they must find those traditional meals, and find some rebel meals that break that tradition. So, your meal planning is pretty much done! Pick some and write a shopping list!

 

Here's some to start you off, and I don't mind if you eat them three meals a day:

 

The Best Soup in the World (Serves about 6)

 

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cardamom pods, bruised

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

½ tsp chilli powder (or to your taste)

6 curry leaves

2 large carrots, chopped

2 large potatoes, chopped

100g button mushrooms, chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

425g tin diced tomatoes

2 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup (125ml) coconut milk

½ cup frozen peas

 

 

 

Method

 

• Heat oil in large pan, cook onions and cardamom, stirring until onion is browned lightly.
  
• Add ground spices, curry leaves, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, stock and tinned tomatoes. Boil, then immediately simmer, uncovered for about 15 mins, or until vegies are tender.
  
• Add juice and coconut mils, then simmer uncovered for 10 mins. Add peas and simmer for a further 3 mins. If possible, remove curry leaves and cardamom pods. Serve and receive compliments!
  

Vietnamese Beef Curry (Serves 4-6)

 

Ingredients

1 kg beef chuck steak, diced into 3cm pieces

1 tbsp finely chopped lemon grass

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp crushed ginger

2 tsp mild curry powder

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp brown sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ cup (60ml) fish sauce

1/3 cup (80ml) peanut oil

2 medium onions, sliced

1 litre water

¼ cup tomato paste

1 star anise

2 small carrots, sliced

200g daikon or sweet potato, chopped

 

 

 

 

Method

 

• Combine, in a bowl the beef, lemon grass, chilli, ginger, curry, pepper, sugar, garlic and fish sauce. Mix well, cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
  
• Heat half the oil in a pan, add beef in batches, cook until browned all over then remove from pan.
  
• Heat remaining oil in pan. Add onions and cook, stirring until onions are soft. Add water, paste, anise and beef to the pan, simmer, covered for 30 mins. Remove cover and simmer for a further 30 mins.
  
• Add carrots and daikon (or sweet potato) to the pan and simmer until beef and vegies are tender, about 15 mins. Serve with rice.
  

Azerbaijani Lamb Pilaf

 

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp oil

650g diced lamb

2 onions, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

200g rice, aborio, long grain or basmanti

1 tsp tomato puree

1 tsp saffron threads

100ml pomegranate juice

850ml chicken stock

115g dried apricots, soaked and sliced into quarters

2 tbsp raisins (optional)

 

 

 

 

Method

 

• Heat the oil in large saucepan over high heat, add the lamb in batches and cook for about 7 mins, turning until lightly browned all over.
  
• Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for about 2 mins, or until beginning to soften. Add the cumin and rice and cook for about 2 mins, stirring to coat well, until the rice is almost clear. Stir in the tomato puree and saffron.
  
• Add the pomegranate juice and stock and bring mixture to the boil stirring to avoid sticking. Add the soaked apricots and the raisins, and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20-25 mins, stirring occasionally, until lamb a rice are just tender and liquid has been absorbed.
  

Geez. I've run out of word count...

[Rosie_0801]

Tamarind Chicken (serves 6)

 

 

Ingredients

60g dried tamarind

½ cup boiling water

6 chicken thighs

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp crushed garlic

1/3 cup palm or brown sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

steamed rice, to serve

 

 

 

Method

 

• Soak dried tamarind in boiling water and mix well to loosen the fibres and seeds. Force through a sieve and extract the liquid. Discard the pulp.
  
• Heat oil in frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add the chicken, and cook, about 10-15 mins. Set aside the chicken.
  
• Add prepared tamarind water, sugar, and fish sauce, simmer until combined. Return chicken to the pan and simmer for a further 5 mins.
  
• Serve with rice.
  

CHICKEN IN ALMOND GREEN SAUCE serves 6

 

6 large chicken breasts, skinned

1 L chicken stock for poaching

Sauce

1 onion, chopped finely

6 large lettuce leaves from the outside of a cos lettuce, shredded

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 chillies, seeded and chopped

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup chicken stock

*1. Make the sauce by placing the first 5 ingredients in the food-processor and process until a fairly fine puree. Add the ground almonds and ½ a cup of the chicken stock. Tip this into a saucepan and gently cook for 5 mins, stirring constantly. Add the other half cup as needed to keep the sauce to the consistency of thick porridge. Set aside. (It can be kept covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.)

2. To poach the chicken breasts, bring the litre of chicken stock to simmering point. Place the chicken breasts in the stock in a single layer. Avoid overlapping. Cover the pan, Turn after 3 minutes. After a further 3 mins, the breasts should be cooked and will feel slightly springy to touch. Remove chicken and keep warm.

3. Take ½ a cup of poaching liquid per chicken breast (this may be all the liquid) and bring to the boil, stirring in the green sauce puree. Serve chicken with sauce and rice.

 

 

SPICED PORK

1 whole head of garlic

2 tbsp ground annatto

2 tsp ground cumin

300ml white vinegar

1.5kg diced shoulder of pork

2 tsp olive oil

juice of 1 seville orange or 4 tbsp orange juice

salt and pepper

*1. Peel garlic and puree in electric blender with annatto, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and vinegar. Put the pork pieces into a large non-metalic bowl and pour marinade over the top and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Strain pork, reserving the marinade. heat oil in a large fry pan and saute the pork until golden brown all over, transferring them to a casserole dish as they are done. Pour the reserved marinade over the top, add the orange juice, cover and cook over low heat until meat is tender, about 1 1/2- 2 hours. If the meat seems to be drying out, add a little water, 3 or 4 tbsp should be enough. There should be very little gravy when finished.

3. Traditionally served with white rice or slices of sweet potato.

 

:)

Rosie

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Cookbooks? DOH!:lol:

 

But that requires work! Just kidding.

 

Rosie, you are cool. I want to meet you for real. Thanks for kick start!

 

I am really not all that bad. But I have been lately. Maybe it's because we ate out constantly for about a week with company here. Hard to get going again.

 

Each kid gets a book. I get a book. We all start picking things out and go from there.

[Parrothead]

One meat, one starch (potato, pasta, or rice), one veggie. That is my meal planning for the evening meal.

[jensway]

My meal planning is lot like Parrothead. 1 meat, 1 starch, 1 veggie, and 1 small salad. A friend of mine turned me on to http://allrecipes.com At least this website helps.

[Plucky]

I hear you. I have struggled mightily in my domesticity. The main thing is to have a plan. Make a list of all the meals you make. Then make a weekly schedule and assign a meal for each day. You can change meals around during the week as long as you have a plan. Look at your calendar. Are you having a busy week where you aren't at home in the evening? Plan accordingly. Then make your shopping list for ingredients. Every Friday is pizza night and salad. I pop the pizza out of a box and cook it in the oven. But I cook it. LOL

 

Start slowly with it. It will really save you. When I first started I'd look for good recipes online and in cookbooks that had very few ingredients. Now I make more complicated meals at times but I still like to keep most meals easy to make. Not everything has to be homemade at first so don't worry. Start with a plan and see how it goes. The goals is to simplify your life not make things harder. HTHs!

[tmulcahy]

Rosie,

I ususally just look at the pictures, get hungry, and grab the same old stuff to cook. I am now inspired to actually pull the books out of my pantry and shop for a "new" meal. :thumbup:

[TammyinTN]

The only thing that works for me is to just sit down once a week and make a chart.

 

7 breakfast, 7 lunches, 7 dinners...I buy everything on the list and if I make it they will come. Also, I keep a stocked freezer of frozen weight watcher meals so when I don't feel like cooking you can always have something healthy. ;)

[amy g.]

I was in a rut until I started having each child look through the cookbooks and plan a breakfast, lunch and dinner for each week. They have to make out their grocery list, and cook the meal. Their siblings clean the kitchen after those meals.

 

We had stir fried shrimp and broccoli, eggplant and tomato sandwiches, and homemade alphabet soup last week.

 

This weekend, my oldest made granola, and I had her quadruple the recipe and freeze the extra in single serving ziplocs.

 

My 10 year old is about to make pancakes this morning.

[Ferdie]

I use a meal planning service. I love, love, love not planning meals or making up a grocery list. It costs about $1 a week and it so worth it to me.

[Mabelen]

I use a meal planning service. I love, love, love not planning meals or making up a grocery list. It costs about $1 a week and it so worth it to me.

 

Please do tell more, what exactly is a meal planning service, how does it work and how do you go about finding one?

[caitlinsmom]

Man!! I lost this post once!! Grr

 

Anyway. I love meal planning and look forward to it each month. :) I have a really simple way of doing it, but I will admit it is a habit that took me a while to get into. This is what I do. At the begining of the month I will print off the meal planning calander from http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/recipes.htm Then I will make a list of meals that I know we love no matter how many times we eat them :). This list includes spagetti, tacos, echiladas, and fried rice among other things. Then I start filling in the month with those meals. I dont worry about where I place them on the calander as I will choose randomly based on my mood what to make each night. After a meal has been made I will cross it off the list so it isnt repeated.

 

Then after I have filled in all my usuals I will look in my cookbooks (I have an obscene amount, mostly picked up from thrift store for .50 or so) and see if anything strikes my fancy. If something does I stick a bookmark in the page, write the recipe name on the calander and the page of the recipe with cookbook name. That way I know where I can find that recipe come dinner time. I also leave a few boxes blank- these are leftover night or pb&j because we home late type nights.

 

After the calander is filled in I see what I have in my pantry and then write all the ingredients I dont have on a grocery list. And thats it. I go shopping and come home to a months worth of meals already done. I am big on planning dinner but dont pay nearly as much attention to breakfast and lunch. The reason is I already have a list of breakfasts that I just mentally choose from. Lunch is 98% of the time leftovers.

 

The breakfast list I rotate from is: pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, cream of wheat, muffins, eggs and toast, omlets, granola and yogurt, french toast, etc. A simple and quick list because my kids like to eat 30 seconds after waking.

 

Here are the meals we will be/ have had since the 12th of Aug.

BBQ chicken with coleslaw and corn

Veggie sandwiches with fruit salad

Fried rice with egg rolls

Baked Pasta with salad and garlic bread

Grilled sesame ginger chicken with salad and veggies (I havent decided yet)

Stir Fry (using left over Sesame chicken)

Enchiladas and refried beans or spanish rice

Homemade pizza with salad and garlic bread

Spagetti and meatballs

Tacos

Breakfast

Burgers and Sweet potato fries

Meatloaf with corn on the cob and salad

Vegetable soup with grilled cheese

 

I make everything from scratch so it is important for me to plan as much as possible. A lot of times I will pick of veggies at the store as they look good and are priced decently. I will choose what veggies we have that night based on what I have in the fridge or what I am in the mood for. (I am a big mood cook!) If I bought broccoli but it isnt keep well then I will use that even if I had corn planned (assuming it will still complement the meal). I try to keep things really simple recipe wise otherwise I loose motivation. Most meals I make are ready in about 30 min or so because once again I will loose motivation.

 

Anyway I hope that helps a little. :) Good luck

[yslek]

I subscribe to the 6 o'clock Scramble (http://thescramble.com/), which has really helped with dinners. (Except since I've been pregnant. Looking at recipes increases the nausea, so dh has been doing all of the meals lately. Fortunately some wonderful ladies from church started bringing us food; dh had gotten into a rut & was serving cereal for almsot every meal. :lol:)

 

I used to use Saving Dinner, but my family didn't care for most of the recipes, so even though it was a time-saver, it ended up being a major food-waster, too. Most of the Scramble recipes are well-liked here, and are the kinds of foods I like to prepare anyway (healthy, mostly-from-scratch, but quick & easy to fix.) Meal planners that include a lot of processed or pre-packaged foods don't work for us, as D has a corn allergy, and almost everything processed and/or pre-packaged contains corn products. :glare:

 

Now, if only someone would devise a lunch and breakfast planner...that's where I really get into a rut, especially with lunches. :tongue_smilie:

[Mrs Mungo]

It's funny how different everyone is! You can really see how if we lived in tribal communities how that would come in handy, lol.

 

I get easily bored cooking the same thing all the time. So, I subscribe to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. I like getting new ideas every month, it helps me (as always, ymmv).

 

I sit down before I go shopping and make a meal plan. I plan breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner for 5 days (there are always cereal/lunch out/leftover days in there somewhere and I always have some things on hand I can throw together if we need something extra).

 

With school and activities starting back up this month I'm keeping my menu *really* easy. Also, my 13 year old and 11 year old cook some meals, especially lunch. I like having planned snacks in the afternoon because we tend to eat dinner a bit on the late side. Planning it by day means I buy fewer snacks, overall and less fruit goes to waste.

 

My breakfasts this week include: pancakes with sausage and a banana; eggs, bacon and toast; breakfast burritos; muffins, scrambled eggs; omelet roll (this is an oven-baked omelet thing, it's a pampered chef recipe)

 

Lunches: BLTs, carrots and cucumber; ravioli with broccoli and parmesan; bean burritos with chips and salsa; grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup; mini-corndogs, mac and cheese, carrot sticks

 

Snacks: string cheese with apple or plum (my son is allergic to apples so we always have an alternative to apples), 1/2 PB&J and a tangerine; cheese and crackers with applesauce (my son *can* eat some types of applesauce); peanut butter with apples or carrots; string cheese and a tangerine; ants on a log-they also can have a granola bar and yogurt instead of our snack of the day.

 

Dinners: Tacos with chips and salsa; pork chops with mashed potatoes and asparagus; baked ziti with garlic bread and salad; chicken pot pie; enchiladas with rice and beans

[Ferdie]

Please do tell more, what exactly is a meal planning service, how does it work and how do you go about finding one?

 

Here are three that you can check out. I have used all three. The downside on the first two is that you are not shopping store sales. The last one is designed around store sales so your grocery bill will be less expensive than the first two.

 

1. Savingdinner.com - they have a book that you can probably get at the library or second hand at Amazon. They also have an on-line menu planning service called menu mailer.

 

2. Sixoclockscramble.com - food is great

 

3. e-mealz.com - I use the Walmart low-fat version. I skip the bread, use whole grain carbs for side dishes and make my own veggie sides. I love this service because the meals are so fast and my family likes them. My dh said that food is good, but not so great that we overeat. LOL!

[Laura Corin]

I rotate through proteins night by night, something like chicken, beans, fish, lamb, lentils, fish, chicken, quinoa, fish...... Then for almost every meal I serve a whole grain (brown rice, brown pasta, etc.) or potatoes, a steamed/sauteed veg, and an oven-baked veg, as well as a fruit. If you haven't tried baked/roast veg, you might like to give it a go - lots of veggies are more interesting that way and it's dead easy. Here's a recipe - you can skip the polenta and just do the veggies.

 

Laura

[Ottakee]

http://www.menus4moms.com has some great ideas and they are quite easy. Even if you don't like all of them, you can get some good ideas.

 

They send you a weekly email with recipes, grocery list, and menu for 5 main meals a week. She also does some special things for holidays, etc.

[OnTheBrink]

http://www.menus4moms.com has some great ideas and they are quite easy. Even if you don't like all of them, you can get some good ideas.

 

They send you a weekly email with recipes, grocery list, and menu for 5 main meals a week. She also does some special things for holidays, etc.

 

I just started using this service. We don't make every meal suggested, because we don't eat pork, so either substitute chicken or just use their ideas as a springboard.

[jlovebaker]

because I yelled at my 10 yo for asking what was for lunch. Told him to make his own ... real nice! Fortunately, Grandma was here and helped him with a sandwich. I'm really lucky if I make one good meal a day. It's just not my thing - rather be curriculum shopping or on the forums!

[lauracolumbus]

Meal planning is non-existent here.

Breakfast is cereal (whole grain), yogurt, banana and OJ or frozen waffles w/milk and fruit, or cinnamon toast.

 

Snack is typically a smoothie or pb w/apples or popcorn.

 

Lunch is usually sandwiches on ww bread or bagels. Sometimes soup w/fruit and milk. Yogurt.

 

The kids are responsible for their breakfasts and lunch most days.

 

Dinner is something w/green salad, fruit salad and whole grain.

 

The fruits and the veggies always vary so they get some variety in their nutrients.

 

I loathe cooking. I just don't have the patience for it--esp. since it leads to the task I hate even more than cooking--cleaning.

 

Laura

Edited August 19, 2009 by lauracolumbus

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

I used to do a different type of meal each night of the week. They were: leftovers, chicken, beef, noodles, vegetarian/fish (vegeterian one week and fish the next, etc.), breakfast/soup and salad or sandwich, and other. I often picked sides to go along with them. This helped a lot. Now I just pick 4-6 recipes and buy the ingredients for those each week. As far as veggies go, we mostly just steam them and everyone likes it (the older kids like them better with ranch dressing). I'd love to do one of the planning websites but *I* am just too picky. So I have to do it myself.

 

Edited to add: Breakfast is mostly cold cereal, bagels, fresh fruit, and yogurt. For lunch we usually have leftovers from supper and I also have a few fairly quick recipes that we always have ingredients on hand for if we don't have anything else.