Meal planning suggestions

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Does anyone else plan their meals ahead of time and do any cooking once to make several meals ahead of time? Do you rotate meals so that you have several days worth or weeks worth at one time? Please share your suggestions here.

I do things like make 3 times more macaroni and 3 times more cheese sauce for my macaroni and cheese. I make 3 casseroles and freeze 2 when I make this for dinner. This way, I dirty 2 pans only once for 3 meals. Another time saving tip I have is that I cook rice once. The first night, I might have plain, buttered rice and serve it with the meat I am having. The next night, I will make rice pilaf out of the rice and add some peas to it. I will flavor it will the stock of the balsamic chicken. When I cook a roast, I make an extra large one and then use the leftovers to make a stew.

[barbszy]

I generally plan meals by the month. Now, I do this in pencil and by the end of the month a good deal of erasing has gone on, but mostly I have just traded a meal from Thursday to Tuesday, or something like that--or we have gotten an invitation to visit someone so I didn't cook that day.

I don't make full meals to freeze and use later but I do plenty of "planned leftovers." The other day I made a big pot roast. We ate half of it for dinner and I froze the other half. I will use that in gravy over noodles, or in enchiladas, or in goulash--later in the month. I do the same with roast chicken. I buy the biggest roasting chickens I can get, since cooked chicken can be used SO many ways.

[ajrsmom]

On Monday, I posted a breakfast/lunch/dinner menu for my family and then made one for me to go along with their menu.

My son was absolutely thrilled with this idea. He is definitely a list person.


I haven't worked myself up to cooking for more than one day but I do plan leftovers that I mostly use for lunches.

I am trying!!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Tami, I am a list person too. lol

I would like to make a rotating meal plan. Breakfasts are easy as I keep cereal, waffle batter makings, and eggs for DH. I am happy with anything that eggs with stuff like tomatoes, onions and cheese.

It is the lunches and dinners that I have to plan out. I figure if I can have a rotating menu ready before school starts, that would be great. If I have 20 menu items, then that should do me for at least a month or more. I don't count leftovers. I never know if 1 meal will last me 2 or 3 days. Plus, once a month, I crave something that isn't planned. lol I usually plan menus for 3-4 days now that I live in the RV, because that is all my trailer will hold. But, I figure if I had a folder with a month's worth of menus, then I can pick out of them and then rotate them.

[Lizzie-boo]

I'm always impressed with those who can make a menu plan and stick to it (or even mostly stick to it). I tried that a few times, but then either DH or I didn't feel like what I had planned, and things just fell apart after that.

What I generally do is buy the components I need for three or four meals for the week and then just wing it for the other days either out of the freezer, pantry, etc. We've been really good about not eating out since the move because there's nothing convenient for fast food and the nicer places are a little too costly for a spur-of-the-moment lapse.

The one thing I do is keep a calendar on which I write down what we DO end up having each day for dinner -- that way when I'm fresh out of ideas, I can look back and see what we haven't had in a while that we liked before. I guess it's a reverse menu plan.

Liz

[cau]

When I buy grd chuck or round I buy it 10 lbs at a time. I cook up a large part of it. Drain, rince and put into plastic bags and freeze. I also make up the meat loaf and freeze in loaves so I just have to thaw and bake. When in a hurry or don't have any ideas at least the meat is browned for sloppy joes, pasta sauce or chilli or tacos.I do menus for about 3 weeks at a time. I usually use 2 weeks and start again. Having a little leeway helps me stick to it.

[Bilby]

I tried a monthly menu but found I chopped and changed things to much so I try for a weekly menu or at least know what meat I'm having so I know what to get out of the freezer and work on the rest of the meal on the day.
When I make bolognaise sauce I make several meals worth to keep in the freezer as that can be made into several dishes besides spaghetti.
I always try to have a couple of other meals in the freezer for the just in case or can't be bothered nights LOL, usually a chicken and a beef.
Fish I buy fresh so I can slot that in anywhere when we feel like it if I get to the market.
Sounds like Lizzy Boos writing on the calendar is maybe my way to go .....
I try to keep ahead of things but it doesn't always go to paln.

[mamab]

I've never been able to create a menu for a week, even, and actually stick to it! I guess if I were to write it on a calendar, and wrote in pencil, it might not be too bad. Maybe I just need a great big poster board with post-it notes for each meal. LOL

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I do usually make my meals in advance. I post the plan on the fridge. However, things do come up. Like, last night we decided to go to the movies, so we changed the plan. If we have too many leftovers, then we might spend an extra day eating them and move everything back by a day. But, I know that I at least have the ingredients for those dishes.

[katharina]

I do usually make my meals in advance. I post the plan on the fridge. However, things do come up. Like, last night we decided to go to the movies, so we changed the plan.

I've been trying to plan a week's meals (sometimes two weeks) in advance and it's been working well. Yesterday I sat down with a LOT of recipes and chose new recipes to try for the next two weeks... it'll be fun!

[cat lover]

I don't plan a lot; our lives change so much almost daily! LOL When I shop I buy what is on sale and with a fully stocked walkin pantry and freezer and two refrigerators it isn't bad to come up with something depending on what is going on around here.

In the winter time I guess you could call me somewhat of a meal planner. I'll do the sit down with recipes and pick out several and make sure I have those ingredients on hand. Particularly like to do that with new soups! That is also the time when I find myself coming up with more recipes to place in our" favorites" recipe box after we've tried them.

[barbszy]

My trick is: Plan in Pencil! I also scribble in little reminders like if there's something going on in the late afternoon/evening that would make me want to find an easy meal and/or easy to clean up meal.

I plan by the month and then at the beginning of a week, revise for that week if necessary. My kids like to help me list the meals they want to have in an upcoming month.

Katharina, I hope you'll be posting the good recipes you find right here on MM!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

My trick is: Plan in Pencil! I also scribble in little reminders like if there's something going on in the late afternoon/evening that would make me want to find an easy meal and/or easy to clean up meal.

I plan by the month and then at the beginning of a week, revise for that week if necessary. My kids like to help me list the meals they want to have in an upcoming month.

Katharina, I hope you'll be posting the good recipes you find right here on MM!

Katharina, yes, once you have used your family as guinea pigs, and they give their approval, please share! lol We love new recipes.

[Lizzie-boo]

I just sat down last night and added items to my grocery list for several new recipes I want to try. One is Rachael Ray's Jampasta, a mix of jambalaya and pasta. It sounded intriguing to me, and DH loves anything with pasta, so we're part way there already.

Another recipe I want to try is Deb Knechtel's Chicken with Feta posted over at Family Corner. I printed that out ages ago and have been meaning to try it -- maybe this is the week!

Liz

[katharina]

Katharina, yes, once you have used your family as guinea pigs, and they give their approval, please share! lol We love new recipes.

Will do.. that will be fun. I'll start with one we already tried and liked. Hehe Come to think of it, my face will be red if this forum is where I found it! hehe But anyhow, we get tired of Tuna Noodle, so this one uses elbow macaroni.

Macaroni-Tuna Casserole

8 oz. macaroni
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 or 2 cans of tuna, drained (I just used one can)
1 Tbsp mustard
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup salad dressing (I used Hellmans mayo)
1/2 c. crushed potato chips

Cook and drain macaroni. Melt butter in skillet and saute onion until tender. Remove from heat and stir in soup, tuna, mustard, milk, mayo or salad dressing, and macaroni. Salt and pepper if desired. (I used only pepper but then I also tried a few dried herbs and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes).

Put into *buttered* 2 quart casserole and top with crushed potato chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Katherina, I bet the potato chips give it a nice crust. I use FF onions on mine. There are a million ways to make tuna casserole. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

[RobertaD]

I make a list of 15 or so main courses that I have the main ingredients on hand and work from that. With leftovers and nights not home the 15 meals generally covers 3 weeks of planning.

It makes it easier to pick and choose what we have depending on how much time I have to cook it. Having a semi-up to date freezer inventory helps a lot too.

Roberta

[katharina]

Katherina, I bet the potato chips give it a nice crust. I use FF onions on mine. There are a million ways to make tuna casserole. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Oooh, that sounds like it would be very good, those onions! Yes, absolutely a million ways. We all decided that we liked it a lot better with the elbow mac than made with the traditional egg noodles. I'll have to do it like this again next time... maybe trying your FF onions. :)

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Katharina, I have found that the cheap, non-brand works best. It is finer and works better as a topping.

[critters]

I try to make a half hearted effort to plan meals. We have moved to eating more vegetarian meals than meat meals but I still try to plan ahead.
One idea that I used was I fixed a different meat every night.
Pork, beef, chicken or turkey, fish, veggie night, sometimes a soup night or leftovers or dine out.
I have a very hectic schedule. My work requires that I am gone from early a.m. many times then out during mid day and then possibly afternoons and often bed time. It changes day by day. I have three kids and my husband is on the road long distance.
I have to fix quick, easy meals. Crockpots are a real help!
Last night we had cheese stuffed shells, garlic bread and salad.
I bought the shells already stuffed and they were really good. I either by the Newmans Sockaroni sauce or make my own.
We eat many more vegetarian meals than we use to. If I fix meat I use it more for a side dish.
I have left for this week Eggplant Parm to fix, Lentil Soup, Spaghetti. I'll throw some veggies and fruit in with the entree for a full meal. I usually do my grocery shopping on Sundays or Mondays. I often look for store specials to determine what veggies and fruits we eat for a week.
We sometimes do meals like Pintos, turnip greens and cornbread.
I have weird kids that will eat greens, broccoli and brussel sprouts!
Robin in NC

[cat lover]

http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252&page=38

critters, come over to the above link and introduce yourself so others can get to know you; looking forward to sharing food talk with you!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Robin, welcome to MM. Like Cat said, be sure to pop over to the Introduce Yourself thread (http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252&page=38) so that others can get a chance to welcome you.

I could make a meal on pinto beans and cornbread. Greens are fine with me too!

I have a hectic life too, so I sometimes have to pack lunches so that I don't end up spending all my money eating out.

[barbszy]

This month I decided to do my plan a little differently.

I sat down with my freezer inventory list and made a list of 30 dinners that can be made with meat already on hand. That would pretty much clean out my freezer but I buy meat when it's at a good price, so I'm always restocking a bit at a time.

As I go through the month I will pick a week's worth at a time from the list I made.

So here is my list for September:
3 after-school track meets need quick, easy meals: Taco Skillet, Chili or Hot Dogs, Quick Chicken Divan (Family Corner)
Spaghetti once a week (4 nights)
Meatless on Fridays: Tilapia, Ravioli marinara, Pierogi, Shrimp marinara
Regular dinners:
Turkey drumsticks for the kids, chicken chili blanco for grownups
Pot roast enchiladas
Pork ribs
Roast chicken
Teriyaki pork
Barbecue chicken pizza
Chicken paprika
Empanadas
Swiss chicken melt
Hot dogs
Cashew chicken
Sausage & pepper sandwiches
Spicy orange chicken
Roast pork & vegetables
London broil
Chicken noodle soup
Pork chops
Chicken piccata
Eat out once

[Lizzie-boo]

Barb,
Wow! Very impressive. I had a plan this week, but weather vetoed one day, DH vetoed another, and then we had leftovers we needed to use! Boo, hiss. I think your idea of planning out of the freezer is a good one!

Liz

[cat lover]

Wow Barbszy,you are soooo organized! I never seem to make a menu that we can work with. Either we end up running out, working outside to late or... something.... LOL I guess when the boys lived at home and we had more of a"organized" life a menu worked, but not now! LOL

[barbszy]

Well, we'll see if I can live with this as the month goes on. It's an experiment, you know.
What I still need to do is go down that list and figure out if I have all the non-meat ingredients to make the meal, and make a shopping list.
DH totally shocked me the other day. He doesn't like pot roast. Who knew! I've been making it for years and he never said boo. "I just tolerate it because I know you'll make the leftovers into enchiladas," he informed me. LOL!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Barb, does your DH know that it isn't normal for a man no not like roast? LOL Mine prefers pork roast over beef roast, but he does love them both.

[cat lover]

Men! LOL My DH hates it when a recipe goes into "my favorites" file because he says I'm always trying so many new things that once it goes in there he never sees it again! LOL But whenever I ask "what do you want to eat" I get no answer! SO.... LOL

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Cat, I get a similar answer. My DH says, "I don't know" when I ask him what he wants for dinner. So, I tell him not to complain if I make something he doesn't like. If I am feeling sarcastic, I till him we're having ____________ and then I fill in the blank with a food he doesn't like. That usually gets him to tell me some that he wants for dinner. The problem is that he'll usually always say, "meatloaf." Men!

[barbszy]

ROFL!
My kids all love pot roast. They have funny names for recipes....if I say "Pot roast" they say, "What's that?" Then I say "Brown meat." Then they're thrilled LOL!

DH also does not like anything that resembles stew. Go figure. My mom's stew recipe, copied out of her favorite cookbook vintage 1963, with the chapter title "Meals Men Like" is NOT a hit with him.

Unless it's a weekend I do not invite input on meals. They get what I decide to cook, and that is based on my convenience--whether I will have time at the right time of day to cook that particular meal. But I do ask, when I'm doing a big meal plan like I did last week, if there is any meal they'd like to see me put on the plan.

[Bilby]

I ask dh what he wants for dinner and the most I get is chicken? Another time beef? Well that's a lot of help.
I ask the kids when I don't have game plan for the night and if I don't have the ingredients for what tehy ask it comes out similar.
Sometimes it's just easier to put the same old food on the table than ask LOL

[mamab]

You're so right, Kathy. My kids would rather have the same old, same old instead of my trying new recipes. I, on the other hand, like to try new things on occasion.