Menus

A couple of people (Jess and Carrie) asked about my menus, so I'll try to explain how I do things here.  (At least since the beginning of this year!  It seems my methods are always changing and morphing as I try to figure out what works best for us.  For now, this is working.)

I do my actual menu-planning once a week.  I've tried doing a month at a time, but I always get off track if I do it that far ahead.  A week works for me.  However, I do plan ahead, in that I always have meals in my freezer.  Things I try to always keep in my freezer... (Many are fromFix, Freeze, Feast** some are my own inventions.)
1) Sauce for Chicken Curry**
2) Ginger Beef**
3) Italian Red Sauce**
4) Meatloaf
5) Sloppy Joes
6) Roasts
7) Roasts for Cheesesteaks** (and chopped onion and sliced green peppers)
8) Seasoned and formed Hamburger Patties
9) Mozzerella (or regular) Meatballs**
10) Lasagna
11) Sauce for "Beans and Rice"
12) Refried Beans (or "Burrito Filling" which is homemade refried beans with rice mixed in)
13) Chalupa
14) Cooked, Chopped Chicken (I buy this at Cash & Carry in a big 10 lb box.  It's about $29, so around $3 a lb, but it's so worth it... since it's cooked and trimmed and chopped, I'm convinced it's equivalent to my $2 a lb meat price limit in raw meat, and the convenience just can't be beat.  I throw this in my chicken curry, cook some up with taco seasoning for chicken tacos or chicken quesadillas, throw it in soups or casseroles, thaw and break up for chicken salad, etc.)

Considering we have Pizza every Sunday, that's more than 2 weeks worth without any repeats (besides the pizza).  And that's more valuable than a monthly meal plan to me!  But back to my weekly plans...

It all starts with a spreadsheet on my computer.  In MS Works because I am too lazy to go hunt for the disk and code I bought to load MS Office on the new computer.  (Mental note: add software install to "to do" list.)

The spreadsheet is divided into 3 columns.  In the far left column, I have the days of the week, with a line for each meal under each day. 

Column 2 is for my grocery list (it's easy to make the list while I'm making my menus that way.)  I have the grocery list divided by stores for easy reference.  If I need an item by a certain day, or not until a certain day (like salad or fresh french bread to go with a lasagna that isn't until Saturday), I'll note that by the item.

Column 3 is for other weekly reminders... a regular "to do" list and things I want to accomplish during homeschool that week.

Then I print 2 copies of the spreadsheet.  One for the fridge for easy reference, and one for my purse, so I'll have my grocery list with me if I happen to be out and can run to one of the stores.

Here's an example:

Easy-Peasy rice and cheesy.

How do I choose what to eat that week?  Here's the basic criteria:

- What's going on this week (which nights/days do we need something quick and easy)?
- What do we have that needs to be used up?  For instance, this week, we need to use up a big tub of sour cream, so I'm making Scones, Burritos, and Chicken Tacos to work toward that end.
- What's on sale?  Usually this translates to what I batch cook that week (hence the cheeseteaks and ginger beef for the freezer), but a good deal on hamburger also meant we had yummy fresh burgers this week!  The Pizza Penne?  I got a big #10 can of Pizza Sauce at an outlet store for $2.  It's not "zesty" enough for my taste for pizza, but it was great as a pasta sauce.  I made a big batch for a friend's large family on Monday and finished the can the next night when we had the same thing.  When I was getting those roasts at Albertson's, it was convenient to pick up a loaf of our favorite french bread for French Bread Pizza.  It made for a heavy "pizza" week, but my kids love pizza and there was a lot of variety (crust, french bread, pasta, toppings).
- And then... yeah... what sounds good.  My kids aren't great dinner eaters, so a lot of it comes down to what sounds good to ME.  Good thing I'm the mom!

I do have a list of go-to meals for when my mind is drawing a blank, but usually the criteria above are plenty to make a week of meals pretty easy to plan.  (Lunch continues to be the tough one, trying to avoid too many sandwiches.  Soup is a great option, but requires a lot of me for the "prep", when I'm usually doing school with the big kids.)

Did I cover that alright?  Let me know if I left any questions unanswered on this topic and I'll try to address them.

Comments

[Carrie R]

thanks Hilary! I have yet to make my own refried beans, but have wanted to...do you start with dry beans? I would assume so, and if you feel up to it, could you share how you do it? I have a couple bags of beans, some black and some pinto, plus I can get them with WIC as well. Thanks.

[joabair]

Do your kids not do dinner well because of the time of day or because they prefer sandwichs? I ask bc I do freezer meals, and I found that pyrex dishes with the nice sealing lids can go in oven, microwave and freezer. So when I make big freezer meals, I make a lot of LITTLE enchiladas, spag and meatballs, lasagna, chicken pot pie etc and each child can pick their own lunch. Great for packing my husbands lunch as well, but will only work if dinner foods are a favorite.