Just for fun I thought I would share my menu plan for this week:
Monday: Enchiladas and beans (trying a recipe from one of my new followers Shabby Soul
Tuesday: Salmon patties with hollandaise sauce, red potatoes and green beans
Wednesday: Sausages with caramelized onions and coleslaw
Thursday: Split pea soup with homemade bread
Friday: Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread
Saturday: Frozen pizza (I will be gone for dinner, that's simple for daddy to do!)
Sunday: Breakfast (I keep Sunday dinner simple, it is a day of rest)
I blogged once before about my weekly menu calendar ($1 at JoAnn's) I LOVE it but ran out of pages! JoAnn's doesn't seem to be carrying it so I decided to create my own (I'm too cheap to pay more than a $1 for a new one!) ;-) If you would like a copy of it feel free to download one HERE.
Just a couple tips: Plan ahead, for example I'm baking the bread for Thursday's dinner, so I wrote on Wednesday to bake the bread. Look at your whole week and take note of when you might be gone (plan something simple for the family) or having dinner outside the home. On the "To Do" line I give myself a little reminder, such as pray, have patience, be joyful, count my blessings and so on. I'm visual and these little reminders help throughout the day.
Happy eating! :-)
Showing posts with label menu planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menu planning. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
What's for dinner?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Menu planning has changed my life!
A few months I got this calendar at Michael's for a $1. It has magnets on the back so I can keep it safe on the refrigerator. I write out the meals for the week and at the end of each week I tear off the old sheet (which I turn over and write my new grocery list) to reveal a new calendar. The little "To do" spot comes in handy to remind myself to pray throughout the week or to spend time with God.
I used to sort of do meal planning, think of a few meals, buy the ingredients, then forget what I wanted to make or which cookbook the recipe was in! Many of times I found myself standing in the kitchen looking in the refrigerator or pantry, wondering "what in the world do I want to make for dinner?! It is 5:30 and the family is hungry!"
I also used to grocery shop on Thursdays (when I was in graduate school it was the best day to do it) but I'm not in school anymore and it was kind of an awkward day as far as planning a menu for the week. I moved menu planning and grocery shopping to Mondays and it works great! I use my handy calendar to plan out meals for the week, search the pantry and refrigerator for what I already have, write a list and clip my coupons. It has saved me a lot of time AND stress!
My friend Heidi gave me the greatest idea. Each day of the week is a different type of food. For example, Mexican food is on Mondays, Asian food is on Tuesdays, Wednesday is Italian, Thursdays is crock-pot day (we don't get home from Grace's ballet until 6:30pm). I added the idea of Friday being "Kid Friendly" dinner night. So, every Friday night we eat what kids love to eat, build your own pizza, hot dog roll ups, grilled cheese etc. It gives me a break at the end of the week to make a simple meal and the kids get to have something they love, all week long they they have to eat "grown-up" food. Creating food categories is a great way to narrow down the long list of possibilities of what to make for dinner.
If you don't already plan your meals for the week, I highly recommend you start. It seriously has changed my life and lowered my stress level, at least in this area of keeping the home. Now if I can figure out the laundry!!
Be sure to visit We Are That Family for some tips and tricks!
I used to sort of do meal planning, think of a few meals, buy the ingredients, then forget what I wanted to make or which cookbook the recipe was in! Many of times I found myself standing in the kitchen looking in the refrigerator or pantry, wondering "what in the world do I want to make for dinner?! It is 5:30 and the family is hungry!"
I also used to grocery shop on Thursdays (when I was in graduate school it was the best day to do it) but I'm not in school anymore and it was kind of an awkward day as far as planning a menu for the week. I moved menu planning and grocery shopping to Mondays and it works great! I use my handy calendar to plan out meals for the week, search the pantry and refrigerator for what I already have, write a list and clip my coupons. It has saved me a lot of time AND stress!
My friend Heidi gave me the greatest idea. Each day of the week is a different type of food. For example, Mexican food is on Mondays, Asian food is on Tuesdays, Wednesday is Italian, Thursdays is crock-pot day (we don't get home from Grace's ballet until 6:30pm). I added the idea of Friday being "Kid Friendly" dinner night. So, every Friday night we eat what kids love to eat, build your own pizza, hot dog roll ups, grilled cheese etc. It gives me a break at the end of the week to make a simple meal and the kids get to have something they love, all week long they they have to eat "grown-up" food. Creating food categories is a great way to narrow down the long list of possibilities of what to make for dinner.
If you don't already plan your meals for the week, I highly recommend you start. It seriously has changed my life and lowered my stress level, at least in this area of keeping the home. Now if I can figure out the laundry!!
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