If there is one thing that saves us time and money around here, it is menu planning. I try to make a menu each week of what we will have that week, and do my grocery shopping based on the menu. It helps cut down on us eating out, which is awfully expensive for a family of 6. It keeps me on track and I don't wait until 4:30 to decide what is for dinner, only to realize that everything we could eat is still frozen and won't be defrosted in time for dinner.
I have recently started trying to make my menus based on what is on sale that week at the store. That has been really difficult in the past because I just didn't have time to do that much research. But I have over the past couple of weeks, come across some very helpful tips and sites on the web. I will share those in a later post.
Here is our menu for the week:
Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Turkey/Cheese wraps
Dinner: Roast, Mashed potatoes, carrots
Tuesday
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: BBQ Pork Sandwiches (made from Monday's roast)
Dinner: Pork Chops, Rice/Gravy, peas
Wednesday
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas/Salsa
Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie, Salad
Thursday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast
Lunch: Tuna Sandwiches, Apple Slices
Dinner: Spaghetti, Salad, Texas Toast
Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: PB&J
Dinner: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Salad or Carrots
Saturday
Breakfast: Wafflewiches(sandwiches made of waffles with bacon, eggs, cheese, and syrup)
Lunch: Tuna Sandwiches, Apple Slices
Dinner: Leftovers
Sunday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast
Lunch: Turkey/Cheese Melts
Dinner: Lasagne, Carrots
I seriously need to do this more. Your ideas are inspiring--lots of variety. In fact, I've just been working on a monthly grocery list based around a 30-day meal plan, but I have never planned that much so I'm sure I'll have to work some bugs out of the system.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Thanks Stephanie, It really saves us money, time, and stress. The kids even go to the menu on the fridge and ask Daddy to fix them breakfast based on what is on the menu. They seem to get excited when they know what meals are coming up. However, one day this week, our plans changed and Alyssa got very upset because we missed cheese quesadilla day. It was kinda cute! ;)
ReplyDeleteWe have been doing this for a while too. I think it would be much less stressful on me to do a weekly menu instead of one for every two weeks, like you. Planning two weeks out can be hard when buying snacks for two weeks. My family tends to eat the snacks in the first few days??? ha! ha!
ReplyDeleteKelly Johns