| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Feb 17 2007 : 11:35:07 AM
Hey,
Just wondering if you ladies have your menus made up ahead of time, so your know what you are going to make all week. Or, do you just fly by the seat of your pants? I would love to know either way.
thanks, Mel
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 07:03:31 AM
thanks to you too Vanessa, what a great system you have!!
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 07:02:27 AM
Thanks Jessica......Sounds like you and your husband have been busy!!! WOW!! two restaurants! I used to own one...notice the words "used to" I try to make things from scratch, but canned sure does help. I will mail your cousin. what is her last name? Thanks so much!! Mella
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
| smoothiejuice |
Posted - Feb 25 2007 : 09:25:21 AM
My husbands cousin is a big planner, she actually has a home business that she put together a meal planner complete with shopping lists. She gave me a copy once, it is good if you need fast things and do not mind cooking with canned soups and things like that. We are a little more traditional and cook all of our food mostly from scratch, so it doesnot get that much of a work out here. In years past when things have been very very busy we found it easy and helpful. my husband and I used to run two fairly healthy restaurants, so it wasnt the best for us, but if you are busy all day and have soccer practice and meetings and all kinds of kid activities, you should check it out. i am not making it sound so good, but it is good and very helpful. It is called "The Meal Planner" by Menus & More PO BOX 552, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722-0552...Ann Marie If you want her phone number, email me. |
| Beach Girl |
Posted - Feb 18 2007 : 12:11:24 PM
If I had to wing it every day, we'd be eating cereal and PB&J 24-7 and I'd be way too stressed. So, I plan and not just dinners. This may sound like a lot of work, but it really is not. I try to plan for the month, buying the produce and dairy weekly.
First, I made my own menu planning calendar from Microsoft Word by inserting a table with columns and rows. The first column is the days of the week. The 2nd is Breakfast, the 3rd is lunch and the 4th one is dinner. There are rows for each day of the week. I have left room at the bottom to jot down what I need from the store for those recipes. As I fill in what we are having, I put the cookbook and page (example pg. 124 in Fix It and Forget About It would be FF-124). Now, let's say that FF-124 gets rave reviews, I write down what it is and what I served with it and put it in a 3x5 card box. Now I can always draw on old favorites as well as new things. I admit, sometimes we just have FFY~Fend For Yourself (when I'm feeling a little crunched). Sometimes, I do a switch, so this is not always written in stone, but it really helps me to know ahead of time what I'll be doing.
Now, to make meal planning a little easier, I do the following each day of the week.
BREAKFASTS (served with homemade cocoa, bacon/sausage, and fruit)
SUNDAY-cereal (I always bake something to take to church so the boys do their own cereal and a banana)
MONDAY-eggs (hard boiled, poached, scrambled, fried, on toast, in a nest, in a wrap, etc.)
TUESDAYS-bread/muffins;quick breads or something hot out of the bread machine (what a GREAT smell to wake up to!)
WEDNESDAYS-porridge-oatmeal, cream of wheat or rice; made with brown sugar and milk. I add apple slices in with oatmeal as it cooks.
THURSDAYS-Prayer Breakfast w/our church; I usually take a coffee cake or a bread of some kind.
FRIDAYS-syrup day-pancakes, waffles, French toast, etc.
SATURDAYS-yogurt sundaes-yogurt topped with granola and mini chocolate chips
LUNCHES (we home school) (served with fruit, carrot sticks, etc.)
SUNDAYS-We eat at a church member's house every Sunday. They feed whoever wants to come and when it's warm, we all go change, grab our beach stuff and have lunch on the beach. Most of us have 4 wheel drive so we all meet in one spot and have a day of sun, fun, fellowship, games, and surfing. We only have about 50 people in the entire church.
With the rest of the week, I do not stick to a specific day but alternate with the following:
PASTAS-mac and cheese, spaghetti with fun pastas (wagon wheel, etc.), Ramen noodles cooked in 1 cup water for a non-soup version
SANDWICHES-includes grilled, deli subs, wraps
PIZZA-on an English muffin, bagel, tortilla, or regular frozen or crust made from the package. Sometimes it is a Mexican pizza with bean dip in place of tomato sauce
MISC.-bologna boats, nachos
BETTER THAN A NORMAL SANDWICH-sloppy joes, hot dogs, hamburgers
SOUPS
DINNERS (served with a vegetable or salad, a side dish-starch, and sometimes fruit)
SUNDAYS-Pizza and Ice Cream Night (no veggies tonight!)
MONDAYS-Chicken
TUESDAYS-Pork (includes ham, sausages, roast, chops, etc.)
WEDNESDAYS-Vegetarian
THURSDAYS-Beef
FRIDAYS-Youth Group-all 3 of my boys are in YG; we all eat at the pastor's house each week (I always take a desert)
SATURDAYS-Misc.-any of the above
Dinner meals include also Italian, Mexican, casseroles, crock pot, & soups/stews. BTW, I LOVE MY CROCK POT ALL YEAR LONG! 
OK, there you have it. No, I do not have too much time on my hands. It's just that homeschooling 3 boys, being a single mom, being involved in church & homeschool activities, I don't have time NOT to plan ahead. It really takes no time once you're set up and it saves money, as I don't go to the store daily to see what I can find to cook dinner. This may not be for everyone, but for me it works. 
Vanessa
Farmgirl-by-the-Sea |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - Feb 18 2007 : 07:47:14 AM
I posted about this about a month ago, but I use a pretty week by week calendar (Sierra Club, Audubon Society, that kind) and write menus in it two weeks in advance. I even write down what I need to thaw the night before and when. I have appointments on there too, so if I have to be out until late in the afternoon I can make arrangements for a crock pot meal, a quick meal, or a meal out. I also plan my grocery list accordingly. It sure makes life simpler; I do all the hard thinking for just a couple hours a month, and the rest of the time it's pretty well taken care of.
Not to say that I don't switch some things around when I get the urge. I do. But I find this easy for me. |
| shelle |
Posted - Feb 17 2007 : 10:37:30 PM
I wing it usually because unfortunately DH and I are on opposite shifts during the week and we rarely have a meal together. When we are off on the weekend we tend to eat out a lot. Sometimes I do plan out the meals on the weekend in the summer though especially if we are camping.
Shelle
http://janzenfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/ |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Feb 17 2007 : 10:11:05 PM
Sometimes (ESPECIALLY in summer) I think how nice it would be to not have to feed anyone (I don't like hot days much) and wish we could all just have salads, cottage cheese and fresh tomatoes and the occasional chinese takeout...but oh well..(and Ricki...husband could eat cold cereal twice a day and never complain!)
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| simpler1773 |
Posted - Feb 17 2007 : 8:05:48 PM
I'm terrible at making menus. I fly by the seat of my pants all of the time, and if it were not for hubby and kids I'd live on salad and cold cereal perfectly happy! LOL
~Ricki~
You can't pour anything out of an empty vessel, take care of yourself! |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Feb 17 2007 : 1:21:38 PM
I usually do a menu for the week on Sunday night...by what meats I have on hand for the most part. I don't plan out the side dishes until that day. I hate when I don't get a menu made (like this past week!!) since I sort of flounder all week!! I do have to change my menu on some busy nights, but I like having a plan. I check the calender and go by that while planning too.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| kitchensqueen |
Posted - Feb 17 2007 : 12:06:53 PM
For me it depends. If I have time on the weekends I do up some freezer meals and then we have that ready to go. I also have a well-stocked pantry so I can put together good stuff fast. I don't go as far as planning what all the meals will be for each individual day, because we like to eat we're in the mood for, and not necessarily what's "scheduled".
http://apartmentfarm.wordpress.com
Opening in March 2007:
http://shadetreestudios.etsy.com |
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