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JennGM
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I'm trying to get organized and make a meal/menu plan. I usually just have in my head some ideas for the week, see what's on sale and then shop loosely around some ideas, but I know there's a better way.
I've told dh I'd do a meal plan, since he would like it. As an aside, there was a cute article in Spring 2005 Heart and Mind by Nancy Carpentier Brown about "Taking Care of Husbands" mentioning this very thing -- her husband wants her to "meal plan" and she didn't.
Anyway, I was trying to figure out what was the best way to do this. Anyone have sources or ideas on how you do this? I always feel like each week I'm reinventing the wheel...do you write down all the possible meal ideas, then look at that list and then decide? Do you do a month rotation of meals? Weekly rotation? Does anyone use a computer program to help plan shopping lists?
I don't want something rigid...flexibility is important. I have had to move my grilling inside the past week because of these pop-up thunderstorms (grill is on the upstairs deck), so changes happen.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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tovlo4801
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Jenn,
Intersesting. I almost posted a week or two back asking for advice on how to be more flexible with my meal planning. 
I figure out what we will eat for a whole week and write it down. Then I go through the list and the recipes and write down the ingredients. I stopped changing my menu too much because then it was easier to just scan my menu and know what ingredients we needed.
Here's the problem with too much structure. (And I'll admit upfront that the problem might be with a lack of discipline on my part) What sounded good to me on Saturday when we went shopping doesn't always sound good to me on Thursday when I'm getting ready to make supper.  So all too often food goes bad in our house because I ditched the plan to make something that sounded better.
What I'm trying now is sort of a half-way compromise between a schedule and flexibility. I plan for the week like I always have. Breakfast has never been a problem for me to stick to so I just plan that out for the week. Lunch I plan out, but it's a little more loose, like "meat and cheese sandwiches" Tuesday. Then we can make those sandwiches however the mood strikes and with whatever we have around the house on Tuesday. For supper I'm planning some set meals and some flexible nights.
We joined a community supported agriculture and our vegetable pick-up is Tuesday, so I'm planning to just have chicken and rice and whatever vegetables look good fresh on Tuesday night. I've started ordering my groceries on-line and the order is due at 11:00 p.m. Tuesday night for Wednesday delivery. Our CSA always prints a newsletter with a meal suggestion involving the fresh vegetables that we got that week. So I make sure that I order the ingredients to make the CSA suggested meal on Wednesday after I get my groceries. There is enough surprise for these two days that I don't have too much trouble with dropping the plan. Thursday and Friday are usually planned meals. Saturday is my errand day so I try to buy a fun meal while I'm out for Saturday night. Sunday we have a set menu (homemade pizza) that everyone loves. Monday is leftovers or fend.
So far it's working. Maybe something half-way planned like this would work for you too?
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Marybeth
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We think the recipes from Saving Dinner are delicious. I use the book and shopping list to plan my week of meals. Then I fall back on all my old stand bys for a couple of weeks. Tonight I was inspired by the thread on summer cooking to make a stir fry and serve fruit on the side. We are in desperate need for me to grocery shop this week. Our fridge looks like my nephew's college fridge...beer, wilted lettuce, frozen food and old cheese!!!
When I menu plan I do throw in an "easy night" so if I get to "one of those days" I don't feel guilty. I just throw together my "easy night" meal and have dinner ready when dh is home.
Some examples for my "easy night" dinners are tacos, sloppy joes, red beans and rice, pancakes, waffles, frozen pizza, eggs and sausage.
Marybeth
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saintanneshs
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How to do this?
I think I was 9 mos. preg. and "nesting" big time when I did this, but here's how I organized my meal planning 4 years ago (and still use what I put together then). I bought a binder and some dividers and on each divider listed one the following:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner (main courses)
Side Dishes
Desserts
Snacks (to make with the kids)
Grilling
Holidays
Beverages
Then I sat down and made a list of each of the recipes I used on a regular basis, ones I'd loved as a kid, dh's favorites and some of the ones I wanted to try from magazines like Quick Cooking or Gooseberry Patch's Meals in Minutes. Next to the name of the dish I wrote where the recipe was located. For example, on the breakfasts page I wrote down Egg, Ham & Hash Brown Casserole and then beside it I wrote the name of the cookbook and the page it was on. If the recipe is inside of the binder (clipped & glued) I don't write anything but it's name (no book or pg.) I like to try new things but I don't have time to fool with finding a recipe on a card, so I glued all of my cards (after converting a few of them to 1 side only) onto plain paper and slipping the paper into a page protector in the binder. If I clip any recipes now I just glue them onto a blank page and file them behind the right divider.
Now when I plan my grocery list I just open my binder, pick a week's worth of breakfasts, dinners, etc. Find the recipes where they're listed behind each divider and write up the list. Doesn't take much time (or thought!)at all. It also helps to have pre-made grocery lists (set up by aisle) for the store(s) you do most of your shopping in. Then you can just take a highlighter and zip right through, highlighting what you need and skipping the aisles you'd normally wander down, trying to guess if there's anything you might need from them.
As a side note, my siblings originally laughed at me for being so OCD about menu planning but when one of my sisters got married last year, her soon-to-be-husband asked me if I would put together a binder for them as a wedding present from me! Glad someone appreciated my organization efforts!!
Have fun planning!
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Kristine
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Marybeth
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Kristine,
Wow! I think this is probably why God has me live in the city....because I could never be as organized as you. I'm very impressed!!!!
What types of snacks do you make with your children? I think it would help us if I planned our daily snacks. My dh thinks too much junk food gets doled out daily. (sigh) He's right...I just wish I craved fruit and veggies the way he does. 
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rivendellmom
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Jen,
Since I'm just sitting around watching my feet swell and wait for real labor to begin, I thought I'd jump in. I've been trying to get a handle on meal planing forever and finally have gone to this cheater system.
www.e-mealz.com For $5 a month I get a weekly itemized shopping list organized by section (aisle) and 7 recipes for the week. You can see samples on their site. You can even get it customized to certain chain stores and then you have a total for the week too. For the most part the kids like everything so far, and I usually don't have to double recipes for our family of 6. Occasionally I add more ground beef or meat than it says. I don't hink I'll do this forever, but its been so easy these last few months. I just add whatever else I need to the list (breakfast lunches TP whatever) and then I've been standing with the cart in the middle of the aisle and sending kids to run down and get whatever we need from that aisle. You can see samples on their website. Check it out and see if you like it. It'll also be easy for my DH to shop for the first 2 weeks after I have the baby.
Jen
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Jen in suburban Chicagoland Mom to Connor(91), Garrett(93), Reilly (95), Mary Katherine (98), Declan (05), Ronan in ^i^ 6/28/08
visit our new blog: http://recreationalscholar.blogspot.com/
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JennGM
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Thank you ladies, for the great suggestions!
Kristine, your plan sounds like what I was thinking I needed to do. I guess that will take the longest...getting my recipes together. I don't make many casseroles and all my meals have no eggs, dairy or wheat for my son's food allergies, so it makes it hard to use other people's recipes for family cooking.
I had started another thread about summer cooking. My cooking is so different in the summer and winter....is your binder set up so you have seasonal recipes/cooking separated? How about special feasts/birthdays? Do you keep records on that? Just wondering how far your OCD goes...
I have MasterCook so it might make it faster to type up my favorite recipes and print it all out...I'm a fast typist. How long did it take you to put your binder together?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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tovlo4801 wrote:
| Here's the problem with too much structure. (And I'll admit upfront that the problem might be with a lack of discipline on my part) What sounded good to me on Saturday when we went shopping doesn't always sound good to me on Thursday when I'm getting ready to make supper. So all too often food goes bad in our house because I ditched the plan to make something that sounded better. |
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That's my problem, also. And, after making my plans, the grocery store has different types of produce or meats out than I had planned and I change there on the spot.
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Molly Smith
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I have a great menu-planner that someone originally posted to the magnum-opus list and I've been using it ever since. I'll see if I can figure out how to attach an excel file here. It has breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack for each day of the week. I cross out "snack" and write "tea time", because that's the only snack I plan. There is plenty of room to write in the main dish and any sides or desserts. When I'm good, I plan every detail and the week is awesome. I don't do well without a plan. Anyway, I fill it in, post it on the side of a kitchen cabinet and don't spend a minute more thinking about food all week.
There is enough space on the section that lists the day for me to write the date and any special event/feast day for the day. I do take into consideration how long I will have that day to prepare the meals and sometimes plan for the crock-pot or leftovers or something quick/easy. I also space our beef, chicken, fish and meatless nights so that we don't have too much of any one thing all in a row.
Since Rick's heart scare I've been primarily making recipes from Cooking Light (he's lost over 30 pounds, btw!!). I go to the website on Thursday or Friday and search based on which type of meat I want to use and how I want to cook it. Then I look only at "5 star" recipes, print out what I think we'll like and keep my printouts with my weekly plan. I make my grocery list from that. I buy all of our chicken, fish and beef from Costco and I know what they always have so I don't have to worry too much about what's going to be on sale.
Richelle, I laughed when you wrote, "What sounded good to me on Saturday when we went shopping doesn't always sound good to me on Thursday when I'm getting ready to make supper". That's just not an option ! I sometimes have to remind my family that this is not a restaurant. My menu has two choices: eat it, or don't eat. That's not to say they go hungry. I only pick recipes I know they'll eat and I almost always have some mac & cheese around for the pickest eaters. Tonight we're having Baked Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Bell Peppers...and mac & cheese .
Oh! How can I get the excel menu planner to attach?
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Molly Smith in VA
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JennGM
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Molly Smith wrote:
I have a great menu-planner that someone originally posted to the magnum-opus list and I've been using it ever since. I'll see if I can figure out how to attach an excel file here.
Oh! How can I get the excel menu planner to attach? |
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I don't think you can do attachments. Elizabeth or another moderator can post the file to the CCM groups. I'm very interested, so I'll PM you with my email address! Thanks, Molly!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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Molly Smith
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I just wanted to add that we do not eat fancy, expensive meals! There are so many "5 star" recipes to choose from at Cooking Light and so many of them are very simple--simple techniques, simple ingredients. I do not have a creative bone in my body, but I can follow a recipe as well as the next guy, so it works for me.
As far as breakfast, lunch and tea time go, each day is different but we usually have the same thing each week. And those meals are NOT from recipes . Unless "open pantry, get out cereal, pour into bowl, add milk" counts as a recipe . We'll eat cereal most of the summer, and switch to real breakfasts in the fall.
I'll be happy to email the blank menu planner to anyone who'd like it--just PM me with your email address.
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Molly Smith in VA
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Elizabeth
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I plan the way Molly does, usually in a three week rotation that repeats. I have grocery lists keyed for each week. I'm in the midst of doing a new plan now. I do a new one when I get bored--I have dozens of these and if I can make the old computer behave I'll upload them. As far as the idea of not being in the mood--I used to cave to my whims. Now, I remind myself that my husband rarely has a say over what he eats (though I like to think about his preferences), he just eats what I plan. If he can eat what I plan, so can I. When I plan, I consider where I'll be before dinner time. If it's a running around kind of day, it's a crock pot meal. If it's the day after grocery day, it's fish.
Molly, I can't do excel on this computer and the other one won't get online for me (you don't know a computer guy do you ), but if you email the files--both planned out and blank, if you like--to Janette, she can upload it.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Leonie
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Ah, Elizaberth - often it is my *dh* who doesn't want to eat what is on the plan. He suggests something else and so my plans are always flexible and menu spines rather than set menu plans.
Hey, we can have a spine for hstiry or Maths - why not menus? We also have a "shopping list spine".
I change the spines every so often, because of family needs or schedules.
I grocery shop every two weeks and this is a weekly spine right now - for each of these headings I have several recipes, some with meat, some meatless, some easy, some complicated. And what we buy can for each category can depend on specials.
Spine A
1.Pizza
2.Quiche
3.Mexican
4.Pasta
5.BBQ or other meat meal
6.Casserole/curry/crockpot
7.Soup
Spine B
1.Macaroni Cheese
2.Quiche
3.Mexican
4.Jacket Potatoes
5.Pasta
6.Asian
7.Soup
Last year was a busy year for me and our spine was -
1.Take away 
2.Thomas ( then 11) cooks ( he loves cooking)
3. Meat meal
4. Oven meal
5. Pasta ( quick dish)
6. Tuna ( easy make)
7. Quick pasta or risotto dish
Leonie in Sydney
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Elizabeth
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Leonie wrote:
| Ah, Elizaberth - often it is my *dh* who doesn't want to eat what is on the plan. He suggests something else and so my plans are always flexible and menu spines rather than set menu plans. |
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Mine would completely forget to eat if he weren't called to dinner--so it's all ready before he has a chance to have an opinion 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
| As far as the idea of not being in the mood--I used to cave to my whims. Now, I remind myself that my husband rarely has a say over what he eats (though I like to think about his preferences), he just eats what I plan. If he can eat what I plan, so can I. |
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To me, it's more being in the mood to cook the meal, rather than eat it. I'll eat anything that someone else puts in front of me. I like not having to cook it!
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stefoodie
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jenn, i don't know if you're still looking for suggestions since there are SOOO many good ones here, but here's how i plan ours, in order of priority:
1) based on what's in the refrigerator.
e.g., there's lettuce, so let's do a salad; there's carrots and broccoli, so that could go into a stir-fry, etc.
2) based on what's in the freezer.
e.g., i see a whole chicken -- the legs and thighs could go into a stew.... the breast could go into a stir-fry. i save the wings until i have enough for a "wing dinner". the carcass go into a bag in the freezer -- when i have enough it becomes chicken stock for soup -- usually asian with noodles.
3) based on what's in the pantry.
e.g., i have lentils, so sometime this week there'll be lentil soup. i have grape paste that i bought a month ago on sale at wal-mart, so i'm looking at epicurious.com to find something i can make with that. i have potatoes in the basket and phyllo in the freezer, so i may turn that into some samosas. there's some rotini left so that could be a quick pasta dish sauced with tomatoes, olives and anchovies.
4) i start out with a list of the days coming, then under each day, B, L, D (breakfast lunch dinner) -- as i plan the meals i fill in the blanks. at the end of that i see what's missing -- and fill those blanks with
a) whatever the kids ask for and/or
b) something new I haven't tried from a cookbook or cooking magazine or from the 'net
i try to cook with whatever i already have first, then add on snacks and fruits, breads and cereals, (i'm currently not baking 'cause my oven's broken) etc., then veggies and pantry staples that are on sale that week, then if i have money left i buy some extra meat or fish.
hth,
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ALmom
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I am not a very good cook and our menu planning is in the interest of helping us save money in groceries. I don't plan special meals as such, but plan a rotation of meats and vegetables for each day of the week. IE Friday dinner will be Tuna casserole, meatless pasta (spag or lasagne) or mac and cheese with salad and maybe bread, Wed may be chicken with some sort of veggies and bread, etc. I try to plan based on what I know. Monday nights have to be done early and something that reheats well as that is orchestra night.
You guys are such great cooks. We only have the kinds of meals you are talking about when our 17 yo cooks.
Having the general idea allows me to shop and then still be flexible. IE we may have decided on chili but its too hot to be in the mood so we have hamburgers instead. Or I trade the day with the next day which has chicken and have chicken salad and move chili to the next day.
Janet
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cathhomeschool
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Here's Molly's menu planner! Thanks, Molly!
Molly's Menu Planner
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Molly Smith
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Thanks, Janette, but I must make clear that this was NOT created by me! I saw it on the magnum-opus list and I cannot remember who originally posted it. I love it and use it every week, but I cannot take credit for creating it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!!
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teachingmyown
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rivendellmom wrote:
www.e-mealz.com For $5 a month I get a weekly itemized shopping list organized by section (aisle) and 7 recipes for the week. You can see samples on their site. You can even get it customized to certain chain stores and then you have a total for the week too. For the most part the kids like everything so far, and I usually don't have to double recipes for our family of 6.
Jen |
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Jen,
Are the meals really pretty run of the mill? I mean this in a good way! I tried Menu Mailer and my kids just couldn't take all the "different" meals. We eat pretty plain around here I guess.
Anyway, before I sign up for yet another quick fix, I thought I would ask for your thoughts on the meal selections.
Thanks!
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Suggestions on HOW to Menu Plan
