I know what a strange title for me. As you all know I love food (and it shows!) My big issue is planning out food. We here at the monkey house have a dining out problem. We spend WAY TOO MUCH eating out and I would love to say that all that dining out is taking place and super healthy places but, truth be told, it is not. So I am asking a favor from all of my 2 readers…
What is on your menu this week? What are your menu planning strategies? Would you be willing to do a weekly/biweekly menu post on your blog? What are your grocery shopping or best money saving tips? Help a sister out!
rebekah Said:
on January 21, 2009 at 11:07 am
I need this. Cuz I don’t got much. We DO try to make one big thing and stretch it. Like…roasted chicken = 2 dinners + sandwiches + one thing like a curry or soup with the broth. Beef stew=2 dinners + 1 lunch. Pasta noodles we make 1 night can be stretched to another night with a different sauce/topping.
Intermonkey lurkerpants Said:
on January 21, 2009 at 11:53 am
Most of my menu needs to be done within an hour to 30min because of our tight time schedule
put it over spaghetti! mmmm
This weeks menu…
Mon : Chicken cutlets (breaded chicken breast baked) Mashed red potatoes, and peas with mushrooms garlic and onion (cooked in butter mmmm)
Tues: Obama casserole (ground turkey and onions) with elbows in tomato sauce covered in sharp cheddar cheese
Wed : Moroccan chicken with olives rice and zucchini (the longest to make and prepare 1 hour 20 min)
Thurs: Beef Stir fry with rice and asian veggies
Friday PIZZA!
Normally I go shopping on sunday and figure out what we are going to eat for the week. Depending on the price of the veggies (only buy what is onsale) that is what influences our meals for the week. Unless I have a craving for something special. We have been working on an $80-90 budget which could probably feed 4, but Matt and I normally eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.
We have started to make a lot of soups and freeze them for rainy days.
Good cheap dinners
3 bean vege chili, crock pot friendly and you put CHOCOLATE in it
With the price of food these days I dont now how we can last the winter
I hope that this helps!
Love you!
Jessica Said:
on January 21, 2009 at 1:56 pm
This week was a record for us, since I planned and purchased groceries for 4 dinners. Unfortunately, we are totally food challenged, so I doubt you would take on much of it. This week our menu was beef fajitas with kale salad, pot roast with veggies and salad, beef marinara and noodles/rice with salad and zucchini, and Zucchini/kale/carrot dal with rice. Leftovers for another 2 dinners plus miso soup for me
. Lame? Yes. But the plan helps so much!
Karen Said:
on January 21, 2009 at 2:27 pm
We have a problem with this, too. DH has really helped me get into menu planning, because he REALLY likes to know what the plan is.
I started by printing out a blank monthly calendar from iCal and posting on fridge, writing down what I planned to make in pencil, then what I actually made in pen (too often, not the same!). This also helped me see how often we ate certain meals (as DH was complaining I made the same few things too often). Then I found a meal-planning magnetic pad at New Seasons. It was too expensive, but I bought it anyway. Takes up less space on the fridge, but you can only see one week at time.
New plan is to sit down on Wed. or Thurs. and plan meals for the following week (Sun-Sat), which makes grocery shopping easier. Also, that DH will cook dinner two nights a week (which means he needs to learn how to make one more meal!)
So, what are we having this week? Well, MIL was here Mon & Tues, so we had salmon on Mon, and Tues. she made (very bland!) Mac & Cheese. Tonight, we are having a pre-marinated TJ’s tri-tip with roasted potatoes and salad. Tomorrow, DH will make tacos. Friday, probably some kind of chicken stir-fry, either curry or teriyaki-type. Lots of veggies, no rice. This is actually one of my fave meals, as I just chop up and throw in any cook-able veggies from the fridge (or garden, in summer). We also cook a lot of turkey burgers, spaghetti or chili (also turkey, usually), and baked chicken breasts. these are our staples.
And, hey, that’s more than 2 readers!
leah Said:
on January 21, 2009 at 3:18 pm
we have bins full of rice and dried beans that we get from azure. these are the bases for many meals–but i have to remember to soak the beans the night before! i also always have spag sauce, pasta, and refried beans in the pantry. when i shop i buy whatever meat is on sale or the best cheaper cuts like whole chicken legs or thighs or ground pork/beef. then i cruise the veggies to see also what is a good deal. i always keep things like carrots,broc, avos, salad greens on hand. all of this i use to pull about 4-5 nights of dinner out of “thin air.” every week there is some spin on a pasta dish, taco or burrito, roast chicken, a stir-fry. i pretty much always have a pot of rice on the stove (save for pasta nights) and have some sort of meat ready to go and add what every veggies are appropriate. when i go to the store i normally have one or two special recipes in mind and get the specific ingrediants for those.
we used to eat out all the time too. we were forced to stop out of the allergy thing but it was effin expensive anyway. i think it takes time though to adopt a new way, and being aware of your habits is the first step. it has taken years to get better at spending less and learning many simple recipes with random on-hand ingredients.
kudos to the family that can get more than 2 meals out of a roast chicken–i can only get one dinner and lunch, then use the carcass for stock.
good luck, dudette:-)
Danielle Said:
on January 21, 2009 at 8:18 pm
You have more than 2 readers.
Here is what I do. I have a big dry erase board/calendar on the wall. I stole this idea from Breana. I sit down and figure out maybe 5 meals at a time. I go through my kitchen and freezer to see what I have on hand. If I can make meals from that, I do that first. Then I figure out the rest of the meals after that.
Here is what we had last week:
Sunday- Indian Tacos
Monday- Spaghetti with meat sauce
Tuesday- Italian Beef Stew
Wednesday-Leftovers
Thursday- Out to dinner
Friday- Enchiladas
Saturday- Chicken Spring Rolls
Grocery List:
1 pound Ground Beef (if on sale buy in larger portions and split into one pound packages in the freezer)
Frozen Broccoli
1-1.25 pounds Stew meat
Parmesan cheese
Canned tomatoes
2 Bone in chicken breasts or 3-4 thighs (if on sale buy in larger portions and split into 2 breasts/thighs per package in the freezer)
Corn tortillas
Green enchilada sauce
Monterey Jack cheese
Spring roll wrappers
Bean sprouts (small amount)
Cabbage
Milk, bread, butter, fruit, cheddar cheese, avocado (regular everyday stuff)
The chicken I make in the crock pot, shred it, and use it for enchiladas and then the spring rolls. I plan for one night of leftovers and 1 night of going out. Because I know we like to eat out.
Hope this helps some. Oh, I find that if I just stick to my grocery list I save money during the week.
UrbanHippieMama Said:
on January 22, 2009 at 12:13 pm
My process is almost exactly the same as Danielle’s: see what we have on hand, plan as many meals with those ingredients as I can, and then come up with the rest. I usually plan 1-2 weeks at a time, and grocery shop about every week and a half, because we always seem to need more fruits and vegetables by then.
I love to use recipezaar.com, because i can type in an ingredient that we have and I want to use up, and then find recipes to make with it. Many of my recipes this week are from there.
This week I am trying a lot of new crock pot recipes, and so far have loved them. The crock pot is the best. thing. ever. Totally cuts down on the 5 pm meltdown that everyone in my house has had while I’m trying to fix dinner. So, my meals for this week are:
Crock pot black beans, shredded chicken, and salsa (was super yummy) with tortilla chips
Crockpot enchiladas (were ok… will try them again and tweak next time)
Spaghetti and garlic bread
baked potatoes with bacon, cauliflower, mushrooms, cheese, and sour cream
crock pot garlic brown sugar chicken, with roasted sweet potatoes
steak, salad, and bread
crock pot split pea soup
Every night I add whatever veggies we have on hand as a side dish: lots of sauteed greens, salad some nights, raw carrots, and carrots vichy.
I’m so glad you asked this… I’m getting lots of ideas from your other readers!!
Lee Said:
on January 22, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I usually throw meals together based on what I have in the house, but will also get groceries for specific meals.
Just to throw in a vegetarian presence here, this past week we had:
Sunday: Split Pea soup
Monday: Pasta with veggies
Tuesday: leftovers + baked sweet potatoes
Wednesday: Brown rice, BBQ tempeh, salad
Thursday: Mashed potatoes, Kale avocado salad
Friday: Make our own pizza
We eat a LOT of meals with just brown rice and beans and steamed kale and just alternate the sauces for it — sometimes a spicy Thai, sometimes peanut sauce, sometimes simple soy sauce. That is probably the cheapest thing I do — buy rice and beans in bulk and eat those 2-3 times a week.
Gary Said:
on January 26, 2009 at 1:39 am
Adina kicks the meal-time ass in our household, so she’ll need to weigh in on the menu plans & strategies.
I know you guys have discussed this some, but Adina has had good luck so far with the online grocery ordering. The 2 things that impressed me the most about the process were the absence of impulse purchases, and the ability to look stuff up while shopping. Forget what’s in a recipe? Handy that you’re online and you can look the thing up and see how much you need of what. Forget what you have in the pantry? Go look, and come back & update your totals. I had my doubts about the online order/delivery game as well, but these things alone have proved that the fee is $ well spent. It’s also a decent trade off for *not* buying a couple half gallons of ice cream during the week, since they only help me grow in the horizontal direction. The time/hassle savings are also a relief.
Best of luck! Post up the menu(s) so we know when to come over for dinner.
I’m a pizza fan, so if you jump on the Friday pizza bandwagon, we may have to come crash your party, or tour the town to hit the ‘za nights.
Leslie Said:
on January 31, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I plan two weeks at a time. Go through the house and see what I have and what can be made from it. Then add meals that I know everyone will eat. It’s getting pretty boring making the same stuff, but the kids, and Eric are picky. Burritos, chili, spaghetti, stroganoff, chicken alfredo, shephard’s pie, roasted chicken (left overs go into chick pot pie), pizza, oh and we have breakfast for dinner at least one night a week.