My friend, Sarah (you'll find her Domestic Goddess blog link on the sidebar) recently did a post on meal planning. She and I both love this domestic activity. She gave some wonderful tips on her blog for meal planning.. perhaps she can cut and paste them into a comment here if she cares to share them again. We both plan our meals at the beginning of each week. Every Sunday she will post her weekly menu. I will attempt to join her in that endeavor... mine might come on Saturdays or Mondays, depending on when I do my planning. This week is a little unique in that my family is visiting and I'll have extra people to feed every evening (my cousins will join us for a meal one evening as well.) So I'll be doing some extra and more involved cooking that usual because I like to and because I can.
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - Smokehouse Spaghetti, green salad, garlic bread
Wednesday - FAB at our church (meal provided)
Thursday - Maple Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, green salad, applesauce
Friday - Stuffed Acorn Squash, green vegie, homemade bread
Saturday - Taco Soup, Raw Carrots, Cornbread, Cheese
Sunday - Eat Out or Take In
It's always fun for me to hear how others plan their meals. Feel free to share your style, tips, and ideas... it may just give me or another reader a good suggestion for the next week!
About Me
- Kris
- I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. But first I'm a woman and I'm committed to taking care of myself so that I can have good relationships with others. This is not always easy. Okay, some days it's just plain impossible but I'm working at it! For almost 3 1/2 years I have been home raising children. Though quite difficult at first, I feel very content with my lifestyle choice. I am grateful that I have this "choice" and that it was mine to make. In college, I spent three months living in Costa Rica, Central America, for a Study Service Term. While there, I became familiar with the term Pura Vida. My interpretation of the phrase is "life is good." Sure, I have complaints and I am full of flaws. Many times things don't go my way. But hey, who has the perfect life (and wouldn't that be boring)?! My life is good!!
2 comments:
As requested, here are my tips. Of course I'm aiming high here. I don't do all of these things every week. They're just some things I try to give thought to when planning meals for my family. I've had the Maple Roasted Chicken on my menu several times but haven't yet tried it. Please let us know how it turns out.
I have gone through many different ways to plan menus, but currently this is my method:
I look at my week to see which nights I need to cook. Luckily for me I married someone who loves leftovers so I typically only need to cook 3-4 times a week.
I try to come up with one chicken main dish, one beef main dish, and one pot of soup a week (during the fall/winter only).
I TRY (but I have fewer recipes here and less knowledge of what to make) to have a vegetarian or fish main dish once a week too.
I also try to balance a heavier dish (such as a casserole) with a lighter dish before and after it in my week.
I try to include as much seasonal produce as possible - especially during the summer when I try to only buy produce at markets and not at the grocery store.
I also look at my schedule. Is there a day where I need to cook but won't be home? I look at crock-pot cookbooks. Is there a day where we have to run somewhere after dinner? I aim for something quick.
As mentioned in a previous blog, I try to have emergency breakfast for dinner supplies on hand at all times for a night when I don't feel like cooking, have run out of leftovers or need something speedy.
I have made a list of my family's favorite meals that I can refer to. That eliminates the need to think about meals if I don't have time.
I try to make a new recipe once a week.
What's "smokehouse" spaghetti?
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