Something that I started in 2020 is monthly menu planning. I had gotten to a place where I hated Fridays (who hates Fridays??) because I had to come up with a menu plan for the next week, shopping list, and then actually go shopping and meal prep the food for the coming week. It was overwhelming, so I took some steps to make it easier.
Making the Worst Part Easier
First thing I did was start using Plan to Eat regularly again. I had subscribed for some time, but had stopped using it. However, I started adding recipes and notes again, so that it would AUTOMATICALLY start generating my shopping list for me. Work smarter, not harder everyone! I love using the app on my phone for a portable shopping list or the website to check things off as I do a grocery order for delivery. I immediately stopped forgetting key ingredients and it has helped me stay pretty focused with my pantry and freezer so there are fewer things going bad. An amazing program that cuts down on some of the chores I have to do. Also–it syncs over several platforms–so I can use it on my desktop, or on my phone, or on the ipad depending on what I’m using it for and where I am!
Dinner Planning
Secondly, I decided to start planning all our dinners monthly. It sounds like a lot, but if you break it down it goes pretty quickly. I only plan dinners monthly. Breakfasts I sometimes will do a special recipe, but I try to keep a small selection of current favorite breakfast foods on hand so its not something I have to think about. Lunches I more regularly plan, but not always. We usually have a lot of leftovers that can easily work for lunches. I also keep some pantry items on hand in case we don’t plan anything or change our minds about the plan.
So, dinners…we break our weeks into themes to make meal planning easier. Tuesdays my husband always cooks. I regularly have meetings on Tuesdays and so he covers dinner that night. Wednesdays are 75 percent breakfast for dinner. Those are the days when I have a little more time in the kitchen to wipe down appliances and other chores, so making a time intensive thing like waffles (which I never make time to make in the mornings) is perfect. Thursdays are leftover days. We usually have some weird things left that need to be eaten before the grocery shopping happens, so this works out well. Fridays are always pizza night (or mac and cheeze!). Saturdays are fish and rice. I’m not sure why, but that’s always the way it works out.
Once you fill in those days (my husband will only make certain things, so it is easy to fill in his days), you only have a handful of days left to plan! I will sometimes pick out something new I want to try or take a request from my daughter …or just inventory the freezer to see what I can make with the meat I have on hand. And boom–no more Friday scaries because the plan is already done.
What If We Change Our Mind?
Now, do we always stick to the exact meal plan I wrote down? No, absolutely not. Things happen–as I’m writing this I’m cooking Monday’s meal because things happened. However, having a plan means that I could switch stuff around without too much trouble and still have all the ingredients needed.
So here are my meal plans for February. Does anyone else love that February is such a short month?
1st Week:
Sunday: Ribs, baked potatoes, broccoli
Monday: My daughter gets a monthly subscription box from Raddish Kids. She made 3 dairy free cheese ravioli, antipasti salad, and tiramisu
Tuesday: Spaghetti and meat sauce (with zucchini noodles)
Wednesday: Chicken fried rice (I don’t have a recipe I use) and egg rolls from the freezer
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Leftovers, Pizza, Out
2nd Week:
Sunday: Roast Beef from Costco, smashed potatoes, veggie
Monday: Beef Stroganoff over noodles
Tuesday: Taco Baked Potatoes
Wednesday: Cinnamon Vanilla Waffles and bacon
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Leftovers, Pizza, Fish and rice
3rd Week:
Sunday: Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie
Monday: Clam Chowder (with mac and cheeze for the picky person)
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes with broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken a la king over mashed potatoes (from the leftover chicken on Sunday)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Leftovers, Pizza, Fish and rice
4th Week:
Sunday (Valentine’s Day): Steak, shrimp, asparagus
Monday: Wings, smashed potatoes, carrots
Tuesday: Grilled burgers, french fries
Wednesday: Tuna melts
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Leftovers, Pizza, Fish & rice
So, what about you? Have things changed for you in the meal planning area in the past year? What’s your favorite way to meal plan? Do you have picky eaters in your house? How many people cook?