I thought I'd give a super quick run down on how I make up my menu every two weeks. First, I gather opinions and jot down a few things that sound good and/or new recipes I want to try (right column). Then, I make a list down the page of the days and include activities we might have going on. Then lastly, I pick the easiest meals for the days we have things going on and then fill in the rest! As you can see, Belle helped me with my planning.
I could do this planing in my calendar, but my list is normally full of scratching out and moving things around. I am very particular about my planner and it's only for final drafts. :)
- Monday: Lasagna-- Jackson's request, of course. Derek has finance meeting at church, so this needs to be ready to eat as soon as he comes home.
- Tuesday: Cauliflower & ham casserole -- another meal that needs to be ready early. We are finishing up our Love and Logic classes and there's no time for a family dinner. :(
- Wednesday: Chicken nuggets, homemade macaroni and cheese-- I am hoping to make extras so I can have some leftover nuggets to keep in freezer!
- Thursday: Beef Stroganoff-- I have never attempted stroganoff... unless you count hamburger helper... and I don't. I can't believe I used to live off of that sort of fake "food like substance" in my early 20s. Bleh.
- Friday: Oven-baked fajitas. Yum!!
- Saturday: Homemade pizza -- We aren't big fans of toppings on pizzas, so we pair this with a smoothie to get a good serving of fruits and veggies in this meal!
- Sunday: Whole Fryer Chicken-- I use the leftover shredded chicken for lunches and soups!
- Monday: Tilapia & roasted veggies -- I have book club, so I purposefully planned fish for this night!
- Tuesday: Pork chops & baked potatoes -- basic and easy, but delicious!
- Wednesday: Thanksgiving celebrations!
- Thursday: Thanksgiving celebrations!
- Friday: Bacon cheeseburger soup -- I'm hoping this is better than the last recipe I tried! :)
- Saturday: Thanksgiving celebrations!
Lots of Thanksgiving celebrations! I can't wait. I've planned to prepare cornbread stuffing and green bean casserole, made with organic cream of mushroom and organic friend onions.
I picked up this handy dry-erase calendar thing from Target a few months ago. I love it! It's perfect for planning our week! I'd like to get a second one as I always plan our menus two weeks at a time, but one is sufficient. It's so handy to have it right by the fridge, so I can take a look and see what I need to get prepared when I'm doing breakfast or lunch (depending on how productive I am that day!).
I'm really looking forward to some pumpkin pie next week. What is your favorite thanksgiving dish?
Man, you are rockin' the menu planning! I loooove menu planning, but always end up forgetting ingredients and getting frustrated, plus I never try new recipes. But I still don't know what i would do without my plan and list! And my favorite Thanksgiving dish is probably the stuffing, when it's done right.
ReplyDeleteI will be making green bean casserole for Thanksgiving too! My favorite dish is definitely the sweet potatoes!
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