I am new to menu planning- I've generally decided on the day what I'll cook based on what meat and veg I bought (on special) that week/week before. That way too I can cook what I 'feel' like that day. But in trying to get more organised (in general) and to see if it saves money and time, I have started menu planning. After about 6 weeks of doing so, I am quite sold on them! I'm even planning breakfasts now :)
I've roughly assigned categories to the different days of the week - curry, stir fry, oven bake, chilli/stew, soup, leftovers...... - and work from there. I was doing a fortnightly menu to start with but have cut back to a weekly one. 7 columns for the days of the week, and 4 rows - one for the days, breakfast, dinner, and the prep I need to do the night before (soaking beans, rice, oats etc).
This week's menu features tinned tuna curry with rice, turkey stir-fry with rice, classic baked beans with potato and coleslaw, pumpkin curry with rice, lasagna (treat for Jonathan) with veges, mexican corn soup with garlic toast, pumpkin soup with risotto cakes.
Does anyone else menu plan? What's on your menu???
The five children who live at home in my family prepare all the dinners during the week. Sometimes we forget what meals we can do so I have written a list of the dinners we most commonly make under the names of those that usually make those dinners. For example, dinners under my name include: Roast lamb or beef with roast veges, Coconut Chickpea Chicken Curry, Lentil Stew, Chicken Laska Soup, Butter Chicken Soup, Cream of Pumpkin Soup, Butter Chicken, baked potatoes and kumara with Shrek Cream and salad, Satay Chicken, Steak and Liver Pie, etc. With most of our dinners we also have veggies and salad.It is my responsibility to work out with the cook what they will be making the following night so that it can defrost in time if it involves food from the freezer.
ReplyDeleteCool to hear about what you're doing. It's great to have variation, isn't it?
Love,
Kedesh xox
Once upon a time, I had a menu plan...haha!! Just could not stick with it. So the menu plan changed to kitchen duties,..who's washing dishes and who's cooking. Whatever, is in the fridge....and cook whatever. That's like my menu plan...hehe!!
ReplyDelete@Kedesh: variation is certainly great (but when I find a good recipe I tend to make it a lot; Jonathan will agree! :))
ReplyDelete@Alisi: whatever works for you, ay!
Oh, and I highly recommend tonight's main dish: Classic Baked Beans, recipe from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2086
(I used black beans instead of white beans though). Absolutely delicious!