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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 14 2014 at 8:04am | IP Logged
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I know it is only August - but there is a chill in the air this morning and I am starting to think of pumpkin bread and apple pie!!!
I am working on my fall menu plans - I try to plan for Sept to Thanksgiving - as our schedule is busy. I really like the Costco Meal Plansthread. I would love to find more ideas like this.
My goal is healthy and frugal - not sure this is possible!!
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Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Aug 14 2014 at 9:35am | IP Logged
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I love the Costco link, too! I see that two of the items on the shopping list are boxed chicken broth and canned beans for the pantry. I think that it would be relatively easy, too, to do a big pot of beans and a big pot of chicken stock that day and get some savings AND nutrition out of that plan. The stock and beans can be frozen and labeled to go with the bagged crockpot plans. We will be a lot busier this Fall, and I was already planning to have at least one dedicated crockpot meal each week on the menu, so this link is exactly what I was looking for!
I find that variations on a theme is one of the easier ways to be both healthy and frugal. However, this gets trickier the more that is required to feed your family. It is pretty easy to double or triple a recipe to make leftovers, but when you need to double a recipe just to have enough, it gets harder to quadruple! I have long considered an electric skillet just because a regular skillet that size is too big for my stove eyes. I've seen some people cook ground beef in their crockpot in bulk, but I have not tried this.
This week, I thawed a three pack of ground beef from Costco and cooked three nights in a row. The first night, I added some leftover rice and made stuffed bell peppers stuffing even though I didn't have enough peppers from the garden to actually stuff anything, and then I added kale from some oomph. The next night, I made a one pot pasta using some tomatoes and onions from the garden. Then, last night, I just sort of did the stuffing thing again but used a big zucchini instead of rice or kale and Parmesan cheese and some sour cream I needed to use before we leave for vacation. We served it with variations of cucumber and tomatoes from the garden. I admit it might not have been as frugal if we'd purchased the veggies, but I think that it was helpful to not make a completely different full recipe each night. I am blessed that my kids are not picky about their food being separate and like skillet meals.
However, I don't always think this way when I sit down to make a meal plan, and it is hard this time of year to predict what I will have to work with, but then, maybe just planning for "ground beef skillet dinner" is enough?
We really like soups, so last Fall, I had my best meal plan going to date. I made one night a week a soup night, and I had at least two meals each week that shared ingredients. So, I would make tacos on Monday, save half the meat, and then we'd have chili come together quickly another night. I also had a meatloaf/meatball duo as well as chicken thighs or roast chicken and soup or a skillet enchilada spoon bread.
We also have beans and rice every Friday in lent, and I am thinking of alternating it with tuna for this Fall.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Aug 14 2014 at 11:33am | IP Logged
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Saving Dinner
by Leanne Ely has seasonal meal plans listed neatly... a great resource with all the recipes included.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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setonmom
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| Posted: Aug 14 2014 at 4:24pm | IP Logged
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Maybe some moms here could help me out. I have never menu planned. What I usually do is decide in the morning what I'm going to make, based on whether or not I think we have enough leftovers to get through another night. For those of you who menu plan, how do you deal with leftovers? If I did start menu planning, would this help our family?
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juliana147
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| Posted: Aug 14 2014 at 6:10pm | IP Logged
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We eat leftovers for lunch the next day, or if it is a big pot of beans and rice, for example, I will block it off on the meal plan for two days in a row. I will have to cook additional rice the second day.
I menu plan in spurts... when I get too busy to do it, though, it seems our nutrition suffers. I need to be more consistent.
It also helps me through big transition times like the beginning of school and the holiday season.
I use a small weekly post it calendar. And I don't feel thoroughly bound to it. A meal that I planned can be shifted to the following week, if necessary.
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Misty
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| Posted: Sept 09 2014 at 9:34am | IP Logged
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I have a meal plan for two months that just keeps rotating. We had basically enough favorite meals to do that. I made it so every week will average the same in grocery cost and it means all I have to do weekly now is see what I need, NOT plan. I wish I knew how to share it here but I don't, not that savy and it's only on a excel sheet. It also really is 2 plans a week as my family eats healthy but has wiggle room for wheat and I am doing the THM (trim healthy momma plan) and I don't eat meat. It took about 2 weeks on and off but with the kids help we had fun putting it together. I also felt like I could breath after.
Now if I get a new recipe we want to try we just switch it for a week with another one. If it's a WOW we'll just replace it in the spread with a ok meal. The OK or Quick or Cheap or Easy meals all have a little spot on a list in the front of the book in case I need one of those for well obvious reasons.
Cool dinner ideas - chili, sloppy's, turkey noodle bake, spag, alfredo, breakfast for dinner, grill cheese and tom soup, enchilada pie, casserole's in general.
Good luck!
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Misty
Mom to ds16, ds15, ds13, ds11, ds8, dd6, dd4
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MelissaClaire
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| Posted: Sept 09 2014 at 1:05pm | IP Logged
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Alright Misty, we need to find a way for you to share your hard work! It sounds great.
I'm trying to put mine together now, but without having the practice and game shedules from all the sports teams it makes it more complicated.
As far as a healthy and frgual dinner idea--these are really yummy. Tasty Lentil Tacos I had to double it for my crew and cook the lentils longer than stated in the recipe.
Melissa
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Sept 09 2014 at 8:01pm | IP Logged
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I finally did my plan last weekend. We had all fixtures, practice dates, job schedules, classes etc - so it was easier. I did several choices, so that I could change something without anyone complaining, or if I was missing an ingredient. Such a relief to have a plan up on my kitchen walls and know what I am doing. I am typing up shopping lists so that dh can do the shopping if I am unable to do so.
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Marilyn
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knowloveserve
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| Posted: Sept 09 2014 at 8:52pm | IP Logged
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I did something similar to Marilyn. I am "sanctified" to have married an incredibly picky man and food has been--I kid you not-- the source of our deepest marital disagreements. A long hard journey this was....
Finally, 13 years into this, I made a list of all the meals he will eat. I have enough for 7 weeks of meals to rotate now.
I sadly scrapped a couple of my favorite meals that does not like (hurrah for lunchtime when he's at work!).
I made sure each week had at least ONE of his very favorite meals, while spreading out his least favorite--but still tolerable-- meals on the plan.
One Italian meal a week.
One Mexican style meal a week.
One meatless meal a week.
One soup almost every week.
One day every few weeks of "something new" to allow for new recipe finds.
I plan only six days to allow for a spontaneous eat out, leftovers or "every man for himself" smorgasbord... which we do on Sundays. I know its a beautiful tradition to have a big lovely meal on Sundays... but frankly, I'm beat and I want to enjoy Sundays too! So we all just scrounge around for our own supper now and it's a very happy time for all.
Variations for the obviously seasonal meals to switch depending on the time of year. Eg. In week 3 I have "pot roast OR pulled pork sandwiches". or "beef stew OR grilled bratwurst". Etc....
So far, it's been brilliant. While I don't always "feel" like all the meals I've planned for the week, I don't schedule the day so it allows some flexibility on what we eat, when.
Also, I think the mental and organizing payoff has been huge. It's one less stressful thing to think about... and honestly it's been good discipline for me not to run each day based on feelings... but to stick to the plan no matter what.
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Ellie
The Bleeding Pelican
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Fall Menu Planning
