plan a weekly menu

going so well! Definitely an improvement. Going to do this again next week and see if I can keep it up. Makes my life easier and my sons happier. It gets them to help out more, too.

really likes this, as he now can check the list I made if he wants to help with the cooking. Made my life easier today, since he cooked.

for this coming week. Did my grocery shopping, using the menu plan. First day went well folowing this. Hope I can stick to it.

There are many great things about this: knowing what you’re cooking any given night without standing paralysed in the kitchen wondering ‘what you feel like’; having the ingredients you need ‘cos you planned ahead; knowing what to put on the weekly grocery list; being able to plan complementary meals – as in, this recipe needs half a thingy, so I’ll make that to use up the other half.

My only problem is being perhaps too organised, and planning out every meal in the week. Sometimes I don’t need full dinner, soup would do. Other nights I can’t be bothered standing chopping veg again. So, I’m going to drop to planning say four evenings, and the other three give me scope for not being very hungry, or I can defrost something – goodness knows it’s not like my freezer isn’t full enough!

Monday: Beans and Rice, salsa
Tuesday: Articoke pie, salad, bread
Wednesday: Calzones, spaghetti sauce
Thursday: Potato pancakes, applesauce

I just want to see samples of weekly menus that I can prepare for my 13 year old son and I. I would like to plan a week in advance and have time to shop and have everything on hand to be more organized when I get home at night. I work 50 miles from home, get off at 5 pm, so unless I have things planned out really well, we end up eating junk or snacking. HELP!