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lovebeingamom
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| Posted: June 03 2010 at 7:49am | IP Logged
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Hello Ladies - I thought I would seek you all out, as you have all seemed to be a wonderful inspiration to me in so many areas.
My question this time is about meal planning .... how do you do it?????
Do you plan and make different meals each night with a leftover night squeezed in?? Do you make a casserole to eat on for so many nights????
How far out do you shop for (i.e. a week at a time, for a month, etc.)?
Any help, suggestions, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!!!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 03 2010 at 8:12am | IP Logged
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Our schedule is so crazy that I can only plan and shop a week at a time. When things are going well, here's how I do it:
I plan seven dinners, of which three or so are meatless. During the school year, some of these meals also have to be slow cooker recipes because of our dance schedule.
I shop for all this food once per week. If I plan properly and check on paper goods, cat food, etc., I don't have to shop again.
I make a separate Costco run when I need to put gas in my car (that's where we buy our gas). I shop from a list so I don't impulse-buy.
When dh is away (he's military and travels often) I tend to cook double recipes of the meals I plan and we eat the leftovers for lunches or another dinner. This is also when I cook things dh doesn't care for (recipes with mayo in them, for ex.).
I have a rotation of summer meals and winter meals - I tend to cook seasonally - and spring and fall meals are weather-dependent. I don't like to bake when it's warm outside.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: June 03 2010 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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I made my menu based on the foods we always have on hand, either in the freezer, the pantry or the garden. Or what I get from neighbors, like milk, fresh eggs, other produce that I kill when trying to grow...
We almost always have leftovers (either I'm a bad cook or my recipes are too large  ), so I incorporated them into the menu. For instance, Monday night is crock-pot rotisserie chicken, and Tuesday night is chicken soup, using the carcass and any leftovers from the previous night.
Saturday night is not planned --- either any remaining leftovers or a new recipe I want to try out.
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 03 2010 at 3:08pm | IP Logged
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I actually shop for well over a month at a time.. some items are a good year or more at a time. But I stock a pantry and freezers and then we use what we have. It means that I buy things that we typically use and only occationally need to buy special things for a special meal or whatnot.
It also means that I buy a lot when something is on sale and I start looking for sales when I get low vs buying when I'm out. And it also means that when I'm "on the ball" that most everything we use is bought on sale (if it's something that goes on sale).. and I'm not limited by the sales of any particular week.
Like I just bought 2lb blocks of cheese.. they'd gone on sale a while back and I got a rain check for 10 blocks. They're dated to be good for at least 6 months.. and I got them for $3.50 less than normal.. or almost half price.
I don't need to plan every meal to use cheese because it's on sale.. I have other things bought one sales at different times.. and I can make most of our basic meals all the time without needing to buy things specially for meals.
though hamburger hasn't gone on sale recently and I know I'm almost out of that. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: June 04 2010 at 12:04pm | IP Logged
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I just wanted to say that I do things almost exactly the way Jodie describes.  I keep everything for our oft-eaten meals on hand, buying in bulk when on sale. I use the weekly ad to stock up and to buy fresh produce. The produce that is on sale determines our side dishes.
I plan a week at a time, working from our master list of meals. Planning just a week in advance allows me to make use of the sales that week and to take stock of our freezer on a regular basis. I do plan in leftovers (I usually know which meals will result in leftovers based on experience). For unexpected leftovers, I shift my meal plans back a day and squeeze them in, or we eat them for lunches.
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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anitamarie
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| Posted: June 04 2010 at 8:02pm | IP Logged
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I plan for 10 days at a time. A mix of regular favorites and new and different. I tend to shop the ads and stock up on what we use a lot of when it is on sale. I also check the calendar and the weather forecast before planning, so that I can plan to use the slow-cooker or make a quick meal on busy days, know if it will be a good grilling day, are we going to be somewhere else for dinner, etc. I ask dh what he's in the mood for, too.
Over the years, I've done it differently, just based on our needs at the time. Right now, this works for us.
Brainstorming about how often you want to shop, where, what you buy at different stores, etc. is a good starting point. Then it's easier to get started on your own system. Keep tweaking till it works for your family.
God Bless,
Anita
ETA: This summer, we've enjoyed adding in regional cuisine from around the country - wherever our beloved Cardinals are playing.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Meal Planning Question(s)
