A couple weeks ago, I was sharing with some friends about my new menu planning strategy. I was told I must blog it. So now I am blogging it.
When we decided I would indeed go back to the classroom (even in a small way) this year, I decided that it would be vital to our family’s well-being for me to be extremely organized in my meal planning. I have a bad habit of cooking new recipes all the time…I like to…and I don’t want our food to be boring because the dinnertime meal is really a reflection upon my performance as a wife and mother. “They say” it’s not, but it is, and you all know it.
So, I had to try to find a way to blend my meal planning need and my desire to cook a variety of things. This is what I came up with:
Meatless Monday: either “breakfast for dinner” or “soup as the star” (as in, meat is not the main dish. Get it?)
Taco Tuesday: fairly self explanatory, although we don’t always have tacos. It’s been a variety of Mexican dishes…this gives me a chance to try new recipes while having a FOCUS to the recipe search.
Wet Noodle Wednesday: as in spaghetti. Or something similar. Wednesdays I don’t work, but I have Bible Study in the morning and I am with the girls picking them up from school and taking them to and from lessons and practice from 2:45 – 6:15. That puts a bit of a damper on my ability to make dinner, so it has to be something easy Ed can throw together. Ed can make spaghetti.
Thankful Thursday: dinners for which I am thankful. That means, crockpot meals, or pre-made freezer meals, or Costco’s Frozen Garlic Chicken in a bag. Don’t knock it. Everybody eats it and there’s even vegetables in there.
Fantastic Friday: I don’t work on Fridays, and we don’t have to eat as quickly on Fridays because there’s not the pressure of getting all the homework and all the practicing done in one night on Fridays. So, I make something that maybe takes a little more work or thought. Or we get pizza.
Simple Saturday: grilled ham & cheese, panini’s, baked potatoes…you get the idea. Little prep, big rewards - since we usually fill our Saturdays with chores.
Sorted Sunday: this is for the evening meal only…leftovers. After church we are blessed with cooking a large meal only once a month and rotating with family members for most other Sundays.
We’ve been on this meal plan for over a month now and so far, I LOVE IT! And Ed comes home every Tuesday soooo excited for something spicy.
6 comments:
ack!!!! i LOVE this idea. not sure i'm ready to commit something so similar, but i'm going to think about this to see what might work for our family. thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a great plan! Meal planning is something I try to do, and it goes well for a week or two, but then I get back in the rut of only planning a day ahead if I'm lucky. I like the idea of having specific "genres" - or whatever you want to call it - for specific days!
I love how each day has a creative theme...brilliant! I've learned to make meals ahead of time, so on the day we are stretched for time all we have to do is heat it. It works great! Love you guys!
I know, Sus! It helps SO much! That's my Thursdays...pulling something I've already made out of the freezer quite often. And when I DO make something, I try to make double if I have enough stuff so I can freeze it for a later date.
I found myself in the same state of mind in late August. I made a list of our family's favorites and had my kids plug in a meal for every night of the month. They had to pick a side dish & veggie too. They also picked one baked item for the week. So far, so GREAT!! I'm loving that I don't have to come up with the meals and since the kids picked them, they eat them WITHOUT COMPLAINT! It has made my life and my shopping so much easier! I do tend to swithc some night around but I've held to the calendar pretty closely. And we've only eaten out 1x so far this month...a record for us. Here's hoping I can stick to it for another month. :)
Amy Brooks
I am so glad you finally blogged this! Watch out, we may show up on Tuesdays. ;)
-Lea
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