Last week Shorty asked this question:
I love reading your plans for the week. I was wondering how often you go off plan? Do you make what is on plan even if it doesn’t sound good out of discipline?
Well…if I tell you that I occasionally rearrange my menu and sometimes don’t even fix what I have planned…will you be horribly disappointed in me?
Yes, it’s true. Especially lately while I’ve been trying to juggle almost daily soccer games and practices, finish canning and preserving our garden produce, teach the boys and keep up with my blog. I’ve had a hard time finding socks that match…much less sticking to my menu plan.
BUT…while I don’t always fix Wednesday’s meals on Wednesday…I find that having a detailed menu plan like the one I usually make is incredibly helpful even if I don’t stick to it exactly. When I plan three meals for seven days in a row…I can be sure I’ve got a good balance and variety of foods. I can try to cook ahead of times for busy soccer days. I can have food purchased and ready for the week. When something comes up or I run out of time or forget to thaw a roast…I switch meals around. It works just fine.
How do all of you handle menu plans and sticking to them?
Here’s our menu for this week. This weekend my dad and his wife are coming for a short visit. Can’t wait to see them!
Sunday, October 4
Strawberry muffins
BBQ chicken, baked potatoes, peas
Leftovers
Monday, October 5
Apples with strawberry yogurt fruit dip
BLTs, sweet bell peppers, fruit-kefir smoothies
Shepherd’s pie, tossed salad
Tuesday, October 6
Scrambled eggs, orange slices
Tuna melts, strawberry-peach slushies
Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, green beans
Wednesday, October 7
Sourdough pancakes, pears
Popcorn chicken, stir fried rice and veggies
Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn
Thursday, October 8
Breakfast cake, bananas
Butternut squash soup, toast
Chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, carrots
Friday, October 9
Donuts (Remember my dad is coming. Papa likes to buy donuts. ) :)
Sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies (Some of the guys will go golfing!)
Lasagna, tossed salad, french bread, dessert (Big dinner with lots of family members!)
Saturday, October 10
Fried eggs, turkey bacon, hashbrowns, peaches
Potato soup, homemade bread, carrot sticks
Tacos
If you haven’t signed up to win a Shutterfly Photo Book…there are just a few hours left to enter the giveaway!!
The Fall Giveaway Carnival starts bright and early Monday morning. Plus…I can’t wait for Gratituesday! Just wait till you hear what God did for our family!! Make plans to join us for both!!
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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!
I’m with you. I like having the plan in place but will sometimes switch it around. Like tonight I planned on making black bean chili. Instead we are having fish (tomorrow nights dinner) and will have the chili tomorrow night. I also try to plan one meal a week that is essentially a pantry meal (like salmon patties) so if we need to use up leftovers or go over to a friends place or end up eating out (rare) then I didn’t thaw something out special for dinner and have to figure how to use it.
that’s makes me feel so much better. I stopped menu planning because I thought I wasn’t doing it right. I would sometimes have leftovers so I would skip one menu planned day and move to another.
My menu is simply called The Eat Sheet. There is a block for each day for two weeks worth of meals, since that is the length of time between grocery trips. BUT, I don’t plan this for this day and that for that day. Just whatever sounds good that morning gets crossed off the sheet. Or if I’m running really late, then I choose the quickest meal on the sheet. I’m too OCD to go off schedule if I do it with the days of the week beside it. Then I get overwhelmed.
My grocery trips are on Fridays, and I purchase for 6 evening meals and 2 lunches (week end ) as we all 4 have lunch in our offices or schools every day. I would cook those meals on saturdays or sundays to freeze or store in the fridge, and we would decide the very day what we’ll have for dinner, depending on who will be home (I have a husband who travels a lot for his job, and 2 children 19 and 17, who sometimes have dinner at home (having friends over or not), and sometimes don’t. I quite manage planning those meals, but no longer apply a day to a meal, because it was always upset !! Thank you for your recipes. I have made last week your Mac and cheese with chicken leftovers : yummy !!!
good menu! Praying your visit is lovely.
As far as planning, my husband gets paid once a month, so I try to plan meals for every day of the month. Some things get shifted around as the month goes along, but at least I know we have food and are cared for!
Thanks for posting your menus. Sometimes I need inspiration and your menus and recipes have helped. :)
I think it’s a good idea to be flexible with your meal plans … my husband works two jobs with odd hours, so I try to plan around his ever-changing weekly schedule.
And stuff just comes up …. family invites for dinner spontaneously, my eight month old needs more attention than usual one day, etc. A well-stocked pantry and freezer are invaluable on the hectic days. Menu planning is important because it keeps you organized, stops the “whats for dinner” panic and saves you money, but when life happens, you just have to roll with it!
I keep a list of easy meals that I feel confident making – things that use common ingredients and don’t require too much time in the kitchen. In a pinch, I just pick a meal off the list. Also, if I know the week might get crazy, I hold off on purchasing fresh produce until the day I need it – that way I don’t buy a bunch of produce that ends up wilting in the back of the refrigerator before I can get to it.