Remember, I like to start planning for next weeks meals on Tuesdays. That gives us 3 days to get our act together. My menu usually runs from Friday to the next Thursday. I try to have at least one meatless meal. I have added an extra one the past two weeks but dont tell the boys. We have soup at least once a week but we really love soup and usually have it twice. We like to try a new recipe on the weekend and we usually have a hot sandwich like hamburger or bbq on Fridays with fries. I like to have something with rice at least once a week and something with noodles. You can never forgot the potatoes either.
This is what my menu looks like now
Friday Hot Sandwich with fries ( probably hamburger or quinoa burger for the vegetarian)
Saturday Deer roast with homemade bread cooked on the wood stove ( leftovers for the vegetarian)
Sunday quiche with broccol, mushroom and cheese
Monday Veggie soup with grilled cheese
Tuesday Burritos just like Chipotle but cheaper ( make one meatless for the veggie)
Wednesday Something over noodles, probably chicken with veggies ( once again just leave our chicken but use Barilla added protein pasta for her)
Thursday Potato Hash with sausage pepper and mushrooms ( leave out meat for the veggie)
Breakfasts are usually one of the following muffins, oatmeal, cinnamon toast, cereal, pancakes, egg Mc moms, biscuits with gravy or jelly but never both together eww!
Lunches through the week are PB and J, leftovers if they have access to a microwave at work or school that day, ham and cheese sandwich, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers and chicken salad. They usually have chips and a piece of fruit and sometimes cookies if I make them and they dont gobble them up too fast. On the weekend I usually fix at least one hot lunch and its usually pizza and we like to do appetizers for lunch on the weekend.
Snacks are fruit, home baked goods, crackers, chesse, popcorn and cereal.
With all this in mind I start constructing a list. Do I have any of these ingredients or do I need them? Which stores has the best sales on what, does Ibotta or Shopkick offer any cash back on the items I need?
If you are not in the habit of making a menu and a list this seems kind of hard at first but once you get the hang of it you can do this pretty quick. If you find a recipe you really like put it on an index card. Having a menu also helps you plan ahead. Tonight we are having fried rice with chicken. I will cook my rice this morning so it will be cooled for later. When looking at the menu for the rest of this week and for next week I see I need rice two more meals. I will fix enough rice for at least 3 but probably 4 meals and put it in the freezer. That will be one less thing you have to do on that day.
The first two grocery trips have been over budget. Remember my budget is $120 a week, the first week we had decided on prime rib for dinner on New Years day and that thing was like $37! We did also get hot sandwiches out of it and am going to try a 17th century soup recipe with the last of it soon. The second week I was $10 over. I blame that on me finding a ham for $1.19/lb and they had an additional $3 off making it .89/lb. I cut it up and will get several lunches and future meals from it plus a big ham bone to cook in some beans on my wood stove. I will post my totals for this week and hope to be under.
Do you have any helpful tips you would like to share with others. I know I am always looking for new ideas.
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