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MaryM
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Meal planning - something I need to be better at. What does it look like for your family?
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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guitarnan
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I try to plan weekly; sometimes it ends up being a four- or five-day plan instead. I also have certain ingredients on hand all the time, such as ingredients to make pasta with meat sauce, so that I can create a dinner relatively quickly if our schedule changes.
Our biggest challenge is that "the dinner hour" is not our dinner hour. We eat very early or very late because of our daughter's nightly dance/music schedule. Sometimes I forget to start dinner at lunch time! 
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JennGM
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None of these choices are what I do. I have a usual rotation, but it's not set in stone:
Monday-whole chicken
Tuesday-ground beef, usually burgers or Taco Tuesday
Wednesday-chicken something, usually with thighs
Thursday--left open, experimental night
Friday--fish, usualy salmon
Saturday--easy or take-out
Sunday--nice dinner, like roast beef or steak
Partially a rut. I go by our schedule, and Tuesdays have to be an easy dinner. I like to make chicken broth during the week, but it has to be a day we are home.
I'm like Nancy, that I try to keep the staples in the freezer and pantry to make the quick meals. I don't incorporate my crockpot enough, but I do have to admit I don't really like the taste of food cooked in it. Isn't that terrible?
I think for Lent I'll add soup one day a week. I'm eating a sugar control diet (a little similar to Whole30), plus I have to avoid nightshades, and my son has allergies, so my options are so few.
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MaryM
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JennGM wrote:
None of these choices are what I do. I have a usual rotation, but it's not set in stone:
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So still closest to number 2 but not with a set-in-stone menu. So I guess a combo 2 & 3? Sounds interesting, Jenn.
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Mary M. in Denver
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St. Ann
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I chose planning 1 or 2 days before. That is on a good day!
Mostly, in the past, meal planning was very spontaneous. This is something I am working on to improve. The days I do have planned ahead of time are much better for me and that means for the whole family.
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I'm not sure I voted for the correct option. I have a set weekly meal plan, but it does sometimes change. We always have Mexican Monday, chicken on Tuesday, some sort of bean soup on Wednesday, Roast meat (beef or pork) on Thursday, meatless on Friday, Hamburgers on Saturday, and Soup on Sunday.
But! There are all different recipes for chicken, or soup, or whatever that I use. And sometimes I switch the bean soup on Wednesday for the chicken on Tuesday or whatever.
Editing to add, now that I've read the other posts, I should have just said "we do what Jenn does!" 
Doing it this way really helps with grocery shopping because my basic list never changes. Occasionally I try a new recipe and need to add a few ingredients but having this generally plan really simplifies things.
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SeaStar
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I like that choice of words, Stephanie: spontaneous.  
My problem is that I would be perfectly happy living on cheese, yogurt, fruit, nuts, chocolate and popcorn.
But I am raising two carnivores....
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Lately it's "4 o'clock, what's for dinner?" But, in the past I have done well on monthly meal planning, and have been really wanting to get back to it.
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mylonite
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I guess I'm closest to set plan, doesn't change. Although I do allow things to flex as needed, but that doesn't happen too often. I write up two weeks of menu plans, usually week one will repeat to week two (becauseI'mlazy).
I'm in a total rut, we hardly eat red meat and there's only so much you can do with chicken. We are also gluten-free, and AHHHHHHHHHHH. 
Back when money was tight I would menu plan for the whole month and get the non-perishables in one swoop, then add in perishables through the month as money allowed. I've kept almost all the menu plans I've made to allow for review, especially as I follow the Liturgical Year.
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I have a seasonal weekly plan that does not change - Fall, Advent, Christmas/Winter, Lent, Spring, Summer. I do put in options - and have a disclaimer at the top of the menu plan "the cook reserves the right to change any meal at any time" - so that no child can complain if the plan is not as written
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A mix. Some traditional meals I'll know way in advance and plan for them. Sometimes I'll plan several days toa week out. And Tuesday is almost always burrito night (variation include bean burritos, fajitas, carnitas - as long as it's wrapped in a tortilla) unless someone wants to make dinner early enough to have something else. And yep I'll end up right at 4pm or later thinking.. how did it get so late and what can we do about dinner. But have several meals that can be made from scratch at the last minute so it rarely becomes needing to buy a meal.
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Booksnbabes
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Reading this at 5 p.m.--having sat down at the computer to find inspiration for tonight's supper. Guess what my vote was...
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MaryM
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Booksnbabes wrote:
| Reading this at 5 p.m.--having sat down at the computer to find inspiration for tonight's supper. Guess what my vote was... |
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Mary M. in Denver
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Erica Sanchez
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I am not sure if votes are still being taken, but I voted '4:00? Hmmm….what’s for dinner?'. Must tackle this weak area in my life!
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MaryM
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Erica Sanchez wrote:
| I am not sure if votes are still being taken, but I voted '4:00? Hmmm….what’s for dinner?'. Must tackle this weak area in my life! |
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- and it is 5:00 here and I just decided about an hour ago...
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Aagot
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4:00 would be a miracle in this house!
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SallyT
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I shop weekly, but not from a a set-in-stone meal plan, with actual planned recipes slotted in. I just know the kinds of things we like and feel like having (i.e. are not sick to death of already), and have a rough idea of a rotation: several meat-inclusive meals per week, interspersed with meatless, one night of which is always Friday. I've been doing a whole chicken about every other week lately, and that usually stretches out for several days. And I've been averaging 1-2 meals weekly where I have enough left over to freeze. The freezer is overflowing right now -- we really need to eat our way through some leftovers this Lent.
So my process is that I take stock of the larder, fridge, and freezer and my "master list" of staples, and just buy ingredients from which I could make any number of things, depending on our mood. Generally in the morning I decide what's for dinner that night, especially if it's choir/Mass/Faith Formation night, or a day with a busy afternoon, which is more and more often the case. Other days I don't think about dinner until later, but I have an idea of what's on hand and what I can throw together easily. I plan big holiday meals meticulously in advance, but our daily MO is much more open in terms of the menu.
Sally
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Erin
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I've been planning and shopping for a month for years now So I keep much of it in a spreadsheet so just rotate the seasons. ie more stews in winter, more barbies and salad in summer.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Dinner menu planning?
