Sunday - Wiener Schnitzel
Monday - Pasta with Vodka Tomato Sauce
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Garlic Pork with Peppers
Thursday - Beef Tacos
Friday - Hamburger Stroganoff
Saturday - Block Party - my contribution chocolate chip cookies
Showing posts with label menu planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menu planning. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Week 35 Menu
I've been planning menus every week but keep forgetting to post them. Time to get back on track.
Sunday - Almond Chicken Casserole
Monday - Summer Spaghetti - New recipe - we skipped the crushed red pepper as my kids don't like real spicy food, they liked it. My husband thought we should add mozarella chunks next time
Tuesday - Cafe Rio Chicken
Wednesday - Pasta Salad (to bring to pot luck)
Thursday - Roast Beef Tenderloin
Friday - Smoky Chicken & Cheesy Potato Casserole - I'm hoping I can use the leftovers from the Cafe Rio for this
Saturday - Hamburgers & Hot Dogs (kid request)
Sunday - Almond Chicken Casserole
Monday - Summer Spaghetti - New recipe - we skipped the crushed red pepper as my kids don't like real spicy food, they liked it. My husband thought we should add mozarella chunks next time
Tuesday - Cafe Rio Chicken
Wednesday - Pasta Salad (to bring to pot luck)
Thursday - Roast Beef Tenderloin
Friday - Smoky Chicken & Cheesy Potato Casserole - I'm hoping I can use the leftovers from the Cafe Rio for this
Saturday - Hamburgers & Hot Dogs (kid request)
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Week 33 Menu
Sunday - out
Monday - Shrimp Scampi
Tuesday - Chicken With Asparagus & Parmesan
Wednesday - Frikadeller and Potatoes
Thursday - Bacon Sloppy Joes
Friday - Baked Ziti
Saturday -
Monday - Shrimp Scampi
Tuesday - Chicken With Asparagus & Parmesan
Wednesday - Frikadeller and Potatoes
Thursday - Bacon Sloppy Joes
Friday - Baked Ziti
Saturday -
Monday, July 30, 2012
Week 31 Menu
Sunday -pizza
Monday - Ginger Shrimp - new recipe from my friend at Curvy Girls
Tuesday - Shaved Parmesan Chicken
Wednesday - Italian Sausage Rigatoni
Thursday - Chinese Food
Friday - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Saturday -??
Monday - Ginger Shrimp - new recipe from my friend at Curvy Girls
Tuesday - Shaved Parmesan Chicken
Wednesday - Italian Sausage Rigatoni
Thursday - Chinese Food
Friday - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Saturday -??
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Week 30 Menu
Sunday - Burgers on the grill
Monday - Ribeyes with Grilled Asparagus and Baked Potatoes
Tuesday - Korean Stirfry
Wednesday - Garlicky Baked Shrimp
Thursday - Creamy Ranch Chicken
Friday - Tortellini Alfredo with Prosciutto and Peas
Saturday - ??
Monday - Ribeyes with Grilled Asparagus and Baked Potatoes
Tuesday - Korean Stirfry
Wednesday - Garlicky Baked Shrimp
Thursday - Creamy Ranch Chicken
Friday - Tortellini Alfredo with Prosciutto and Peas
Saturday - ??
Week 29 Menu
Sunday - Baked Chicken Parmesan
Monday - Spaghetti & Meatballs with sauce - this is a mix of two recipes - Rachael Rays meatballs and BHG bolognese sauce minus the ground beef (and cream) since I had meatballs. Worked well, but I need to type up both recipes on one page.
Tuesday - Ham, Roasted Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus
Wednesday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss
Thursday - out
Friday - out
Saturday - Chicken Dijon
Monday - Spaghetti & Meatballs with sauce - this is a mix of two recipes - Rachael Rays meatballs and BHG bolognese sauce minus the ground beef (and cream) since I had meatballs. Worked well, but I need to type up both recipes on one page.
Tuesday - Ham, Roasted Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus
Wednesday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss
Thursday - out
Friday - out
Saturday - Chicken Dijon
Monday, July 9, 2012
Week 28 Menu
This week is pretty light, as we ate out on Sunday and our town is having their annual food festival this weekend. I decided to keep it super easy with a bunch of kid friendly meals.
Sunday - out
Monday - Bacon Sloppy Joes
Tuesday - Mac & Cheese
Wednesday - Chicken Penne
Thursday - Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches with soup
Friday - out
Saturday - out
Sunday - out
Monday - Bacon Sloppy Joes
Tuesday - Mac & Cheese
Wednesday - Chicken Penne
Thursday - Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches with soup
Friday - out
Saturday - out
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Menu Planning
A friend of mine recently asked me about my menu planning process so I figured I'd write a post on it. There are a ton of different ways to do it, but after a few months, I've found this is what works best for me.
Check Your Calendar
When it's time to sit down and plan my menu for the week (I can't do a month at a time, that's just too much for me), I look at my calendar and figure out what nights there are evening activities, or my husband has a dinner out or is on call. Busy evenings call for a quick meal or crockpot (although my kids aren't fans of the crockpot). I make a hot meal every night as my kids don't get hot lunches at school and my husband is running around so much during the day, there are quite a few days when he doesn't eat anything.
Check Recipes for New Things to Try
Once I know what our week looks like I look through new recipes in my binder (or on Pinterest) to see what I want to try - I try to do one new recipe a week.
Mix It Up
When I first started cooking I made a lot of pasta and chicken as they are cheap and easy. But as versatile as they both are, it gets boring. Now, I try to mix my choices with one chicken, one pasta, one beef or pork, one seafood. Yes that's only 4 meals, see Involve the Family below.
I have a recipe binder with a copy of my "menu" in the front pocket. The menu is the list of recipes I have tried that worked. The inside is divided into two main parts. Recipes to Try in the front (grouped by type) and then Tried and True recipes in the back (again grouped by type). I used to have it reversed, but then would forget to try some new stuff. This way I see new recipes first and am more likely to try them.
Keep Track of What You Ate
Every day I mark on my calendar what we had that night for dinner, this gives me an easy month at a glance of what we have had. Also even though I plan my week, sometimes plans change, so I like to have a true list of what we ate rather than just relying on the menu plan
I try to not repeat meals within a month and that's where tracking meals on the calendar comes in handy. My husband recently suggested that now that we've tracked it for a while just pick a prior week/month and repeat it. Makes sense, but for now I kind of like making a new one each week.
I look at menu and try to find things we haven't had in a while. When I get some ideas, I check the calendar, and if it has been awhile (at least a month), I add it to the plan for that week.
Finally there are some recipes I make that use prepackaged fresh ingredients I don't use much - like mushrooms or asparagus. If I am planning on making one of those meals, I make sure to pick a second meal that uses that ingredient for later in the week. For example if I buy mushrooms for stroganoff one night, I'll use the rest in a stirfry later that week.
Involve the Family
The kids and my husband each get a night every week that they pick the meal. Makes it easier to enforce that everyone eats the same thing for dinner, if they are involved in the decision process.
List Making
I go through the weekly circulars for the 3 stores I shop at and see what is on sale of other stuff we may need. They usually arrive in the mail on Wednesday so I go through them before Sunday and make a list of the good specials at each store. Usually it's just staples so this hardly ever changes my menu. I know some people plan their menu based on the circulars but I hardly ever do. I don't plan breakfast and lunch as I don't have time to make a big meal before school, and lunches are pretty basic around here. I don't mind cooking, but I don't love it, so I usually don't make a huge effort for breakfast and lunch.
I use the Our Groceries app for my shopping list. It's not perfect (no way to flag an item you have a coupon for) but it's the best I've found so far.
Once I have the items from our menu plan entered, I add the other things we may need, add what I have coupons for, and head off to the stores. No matter how hard I try I usually have to go to three stores. One that is cheap but doesn't have good produce or meat, another that is more of an ethnic market that has good meat and produce but not always the basics, and finally a third stop at the big chain (with the big prices) for wine and anything I couldn't find at the other two. The whole thing usually takes me a couple of hours on a Sunday, but overall it saves me time as I can go without the kids, so I'm much faster.
I much prefer it to my old way of going to the store daily or trying to figure out at 600pm what to make only to realize I hardly had any ingredients to make anything.
Post the Menu
I post my menu on here, so I have it at a glance and try to add links to any of the recipes I have. Lately I've been using my iPad more in the kitchen. If I'm trying a new recipe that I pinned, I open up the link and put the iPad in my cookbook holder so it doesn't get splattered. Works pretty well so far.
Check Your Calendar
When it's time to sit down and plan my menu for the week (I can't do a month at a time, that's just too much for me), I look at my calendar and figure out what nights there are evening activities, or my husband has a dinner out or is on call. Busy evenings call for a quick meal or crockpot (although my kids aren't fans of the crockpot). I make a hot meal every night as my kids don't get hot lunches at school and my husband is running around so much during the day, there are quite a few days when he doesn't eat anything.
Check Recipes for New Things to Try
Once I know what our week looks like I look through new recipes in my binder (or on Pinterest) to see what I want to try - I try to do one new recipe a week.
Mix It Up
When I first started cooking I made a lot of pasta and chicken as they are cheap and easy. But as versatile as they both are, it gets boring. Now, I try to mix my choices with one chicken, one pasta, one beef or pork, one seafood. Yes that's only 4 meals, see Involve the Family below.
I have a recipe binder with a copy of my "menu" in the front pocket. The menu is the list of recipes I have tried that worked. The inside is divided into two main parts. Recipes to Try in the front (grouped by type) and then Tried and True recipes in the back (again grouped by type). I used to have it reversed, but then would forget to try some new stuff. This way I see new recipes first and am more likely to try them.
Keep Track of What You Ate
Every day I mark on my calendar what we had that night for dinner, this gives me an easy month at a glance of what we have had. Also even though I plan my week, sometimes plans change, so I like to have a true list of what we ate rather than just relying on the menu plan
I try to not repeat meals within a month and that's where tracking meals on the calendar comes in handy. My husband recently suggested that now that we've tracked it for a while just pick a prior week/month and repeat it. Makes sense, but for now I kind of like making a new one each week. I look at menu and try to find things we haven't had in a while. When I get some ideas, I check the calendar, and if it has been awhile (at least a month), I add it to the plan for that week.
Finally there are some recipes I make that use prepackaged fresh ingredients I don't use much - like mushrooms or asparagus. If I am planning on making one of those meals, I make sure to pick a second meal that uses that ingredient for later in the week. For example if I buy mushrooms for stroganoff one night, I'll use the rest in a stirfry later that week.
Involve the Family
The kids and my husband each get a night every week that they pick the meal. Makes it easier to enforce that everyone eats the same thing for dinner, if they are involved in the decision process.
List Making
I go through the weekly circulars for the 3 stores I shop at and see what is on sale of other stuff we may need. They usually arrive in the mail on Wednesday so I go through them before Sunday and make a list of the good specials at each store. Usually it's just staples so this hardly ever changes my menu. I know some people plan their menu based on the circulars but I hardly ever do. I don't plan breakfast and lunch as I don't have time to make a big meal before school, and lunches are pretty basic around here. I don't mind cooking, but I don't love it, so I usually don't make a huge effort for breakfast and lunch.
I use the Our Groceries app for my shopping list. It's not perfect (no way to flag an item you have a coupon for) but it's the best I've found so far.
Once I have the items from our menu plan entered, I add the other things we may need, add what I have coupons for, and head off to the stores. No matter how hard I try I usually have to go to three stores. One that is cheap but doesn't have good produce or meat, another that is more of an ethnic market that has good meat and produce but not always the basics, and finally a third stop at the big chain (with the big prices) for wine and anything I couldn't find at the other two. The whole thing usually takes me a couple of hours on a Sunday, but overall it saves me time as I can go without the kids, so I'm much faster.
I much prefer it to my old way of going to the store daily or trying to figure out at 600pm what to make only to realize I hardly had any ingredients to make anything.
Post the Menu
I post my menu on here, so I have it at a glance and try to add links to any of the recipes I have. Lately I've been using my iPad more in the kitchen. If I'm trying a new recipe that I pinned, I open up the link and put the iPad in my cookbook holder so it doesn't get splattered. Works pretty well so far.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Week 27 Menu
Sunday - Creamy Ranch Chicken Made this for the first time and it was quick and easy. Next time I may add some veggies into the sauce, we just had carrots and peppers on the side.
Monday - Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon - another new recipe, I'm trying to go through a lot of my Pinterest pins
Tuesday - Picnic at the fireworks
Wednesday - Beef with Garlic Sherry Sauce I usually serve this with rice, but will probably make mashed potatoes this time.
Thursday - Cajun Chicken with Linguine
Friday - Cheesy Pasta Bake
Saturday - Curried Rice with Shrimp - My kids don't like curry, but they love shrimp. I may have to make a separate batch of white rice for them.
Monday - Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon - another new recipe, I'm trying to go through a lot of my Pinterest pins
Tuesday - Picnic at the fireworks
Wednesday - Beef with Garlic Sherry Sauce I usually serve this with rice, but will probably make mashed potatoes this time.
Thursday - Cajun Chicken with Linguine
Friday - Cheesy Pasta Bake
Saturday - Curried Rice with Shrimp - My kids don't like curry, but they love shrimp. I may have to make a separate batch of white rice for them.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Week 26 Menu
S BBQ Chicken
M Salmon Penne
T Hamburger Stroganoff
W Pool - Pizza
T Garlicky Baked Shrimp
F Chicken Cordon Bleu
S Out?
I never got around to making the Salmon Penne last week, so will make it this week instead.
M Salmon Penne
T Hamburger Stroganoff
W Pool - Pizza
T Garlicky Baked Shrimp
F Chicken Cordon Bleu
S Out?
I never got around to making the Salmon Penne last week, so will make it this week instead.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Week 25 Menu
Sunday - Greek Chicken - tried a recipe I found on Pinterest but it was pretty bland, so I won't bother linking it.
Monday - Barilla Rigatoni - I'm being lazy. My husband is going out for a business dinner, and the kids have been invited over to a friend's house to try samples for a potential hot lunch program for next year.
Tuesday - Best Ever Pork Chops
Wednesday - Salmon Penne
Thursday - Wiener Schnitzel
Friday - Tortellini Pesto
Saturday - Out
Monday - Barilla Rigatoni - I'm being lazy. My husband is going out for a business dinner, and the kids have been invited over to a friend's house to try samples for a potential hot lunch program for next year.
Tuesday - Best Ever Pork Chops
Wednesday - Salmon Penne
Thursday - Wiener Schnitzel
Friday - Tortellini Pesto
Saturday - Out
Friday, June 15, 2012
Week 24 Menu
I've been slacking lately on posting my menus, which is especially lame this week as I only cooked three times
Sunday - Chinese Take Out
Monday - Brown Sugar Chicken I made this for the first time, it got mixed reviews. 2 of us liked it, 2 not so much. It tastes very similar to BBQ chicken but a bit sweeter
Tuesday - Shrimp Scampi
Wednesday - Pizza
Thursday - Out
Friday - Chicken Tarragon with Rice
Saturday - Out
Sunday - Chinese Take Out
Monday - Brown Sugar Chicken I made this for the first time, it got mixed reviews. 2 of us liked it, 2 not so much. It tastes very similar to BBQ chicken but a bit sweeter
Tuesday - Shrimp Scampi
Wednesday - Pizza
Thursday - Out
Friday - Chicken Tarragon with Rice
Saturday - Out
Monday, June 4, 2012
Week 22 Menu
This was a pretty easy week cooking wise but still very satisfying :)
Sunday - Peppered Beef Sirloin Kebabs with Dijon Cream
Monday - Steak Tacos at a friend's house
Tuesday - leftover kebabs
Wednesday - Spring Picnic at school
Thursday - Chicken Quesadilla - premarinated chicken from our local supermarket so no real recipe for this
Friday - Tortellini Alfredo
Saturday - Burgers on the grill
Sunday - Peppered Beef Sirloin Kebabs with Dijon Cream
Monday - Steak Tacos at a friend's house
Tuesday - leftover kebabs
Wednesday - Spring Picnic at school
Thursday - Chicken Quesadilla - premarinated chicken from our local supermarket so no real recipe for this
Friday - Tortellini Alfredo
Saturday - Burgers on the grill
Week 23 Menu
Sunday - Salmon Sliders with Spicy Ginger Sauce - This was an ambitious recipe, but it turned out really well. Next time we'll skip the suggested pickled veggies but the sliders and sauce were awesome
Monday - Korean Stirfry - wanted to use up the ginger
Tuesday - Kid Food. My husband has a business dinner so it'll just be mac and cheese/chicken nuggets and soup
Wednesday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss
Thursday - Chicken Marsala
Friday - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Saturday - Out
Monday - Korean Stirfry - wanted to use up the ginger
Tuesday - Kid Food. My husband has a business dinner so it'll just be mac and cheese/chicken nuggets and soup
Wednesday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss
Thursday - Chicken Marsala
Friday - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Saturday - Out
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Week 21 Menu
Sunday - Chicken Penne - made this for the first time after finding it on Making It Feel Like Home - it was great, kids even liked it :)
Monday - Basil Spaghetti with Tomatoes - something I found on Pinterest that failed
Tuesday - Asian Chicken Wraps - messy but yummy
Wednesday - Pecan Encrusted Fish - I've made this before and it was good, unfortunately I haven't found any good fish yet this week
Thursday - Wiener Schnitzel
Friday - Spaghetti & Meatballs
Saturday - out
Monday - Basil Spaghetti with Tomatoes - something I found on Pinterest that failed
Tuesday - Asian Chicken Wraps - messy but yummy
Wednesday - Pecan Encrusted Fish - I've made this before and it was good, unfortunately I haven't found any good fish yet this week
Thursday - Wiener Schnitzel
Friday - Spaghetti & Meatballs
Saturday - out
Monday, May 14, 2012
Week 20 Menu
This week is going to be a bit crazy for dinner as my daughters have their dance recital this weekend, which since they aren't in the same class unfortunately means two different nights for dress rehearsal (at about 6 pm, about 20 minutes away).
Sunday - Ribeyes with Roasted Potatoes
Monday - Chili Cheese Dogs
Tuesday - Rigatoni with Grilled Beef - first time with the recipe but seems like a good way to use up Sunday's leftover Ribeyes
Wednesday - Crockpot Chicken Parm My daughter loves chicken parm, so when I told her we had to have crockpot two nights this week, she asked if I could find a chicken parm recipe. I haven't had much luck with chicken in the crock, but hopefully this will work
Thursday - Bee Bim Bop
Friday - Crockpot Fried Rice This will be another first time recipe, but a good way to use up leftovers from the night before
Saturday - Chicken Penne - a new recipe I found on Making it Feel Like Home
Sunday - Ribeyes with Roasted Potatoes
Monday - Chili Cheese Dogs
Tuesday - Rigatoni with Grilled Beef - first time with the recipe but seems like a good way to use up Sunday's leftover Ribeyes
Wednesday - Crockpot Chicken Parm My daughter loves chicken parm, so when I told her we had to have crockpot two nights this week, she asked if I could find a chicken parm recipe. I haven't had much luck with chicken in the crock, but hopefully this will work
Thursday - Bee Bim Bop
Friday - Crockpot Fried Rice This will be another first time recipe, but a good way to use up leftovers from the night before
Saturday - Chicken Penne - a new recipe I found on Making it Feel Like Home
Week 19 Menu
Sunday - Chicken Tarragon with rice
Monday - Cheesy Pasta Bake
Tuesday - Crockpot Pulled Pork
Wednesday - BBQ Chicken - no real recipe for this just chicken breasts in BBQ sauce, baked in oven and served with tater tots and corn.
Thursday - Bacon Sloppy Joes
Friday - out
Saturday -Leftovers
Monday - Cheesy Pasta Bake
Tuesday - Crockpot Pulled Pork
Wednesday - BBQ Chicken - no real recipe for this just chicken breasts in BBQ sauce, baked in oven and served with tater tots and corn.
Thursday - Bacon Sloppy Joes
Friday - out
Saturday -Leftovers
Friday, May 4, 2012
Week 18 Menu
Sunday - Chile Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Monday - Salmon Penne with Mushrooms
Tuesday - Lemon Oregano Chicken with Rice - didn't turn out that great so I won't bother posting the recipe. I was just trying to use up some fresh oregano that I forgot to use on the Tenderloin.
Wednesday - Pork Fried Rice - I don't have a recipe for this, was just trying to use up the tenderloin.
Thursday - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Friday - Tortellini Alfredo
Saturday -Out
Monday - Salmon Penne with Mushrooms
Tuesday - Lemon Oregano Chicken with Rice - didn't turn out that great so I won't bother posting the recipe. I was just trying to use up some fresh oregano that I forgot to use on the Tenderloin.
Wednesday - Pork Fried Rice - I don't have a recipe for this, was just trying to use up the tenderloin.
Thursday - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Friday - Tortellini Alfredo
Saturday -Out
Monday, April 23, 2012
Week 17 Menu
Sunday - Shaved Parmesan Chicken
Monday - Prawns with Marie Rose Sauce - I changed this quite a bit so it was more of a shrimp remoulade over pasta - no avocados. Still really good, and the kids liked it to, but I left the sauce on the side as they aren't big on rich sauces.
Tuesday - Beef Tacos
Wednesday - Coq au Vin
Thursday - Cajun Chicken
Friday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss
Saturday - Out
Monday - Prawns with Marie Rose Sauce - I changed this quite a bit so it was more of a shrimp remoulade over pasta - no avocados. Still really good, and the kids liked it to, but I left the sauce on the side as they aren't big on rich sauces.
Tuesday - Beef Tacos
Wednesday - Coq au Vin
Thursday - Cajun Chicken
Friday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss
Saturday - Out
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Week 16 Menu
Sunday - Biksemad
Monday - Rigatoni alla Vodka
Tuesday - Kid Food - Chicken nuggets and soup
Wednesday - Almond Chicken Casserole
Thursday - Meatball Soup & Grilled Cheese
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Fried Rice
Not a super exciting week but since I was working on Screen Free Week, I didn't have a lot of time for cooking. Hopefully this coming week will be more interesting.
Monday - Rigatoni alla Vodka
Tuesday - Kid Food - Chicken nuggets and soup
Wednesday - Almond Chicken Casserole
Thursday - Meatball Soup & Grilled Cheese
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Fried Rice
Not a super exciting week but since I was working on Screen Free Week, I didn't have a lot of time for cooking. Hopefully this coming week will be more interesting.
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