Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: 2-week plan with New Meals

February 13, 2012 By Gina Leave a Comment

I’m finally trying some new recipes! While some weeks I take a look at the calendar and think, “I want things as easy as possible,” it’s nice to occasionally throw a new recipe into the mix. Thankfully, my kids will try anything once. If I see a recipe online or in a magazine, I’ll show it to them and we’ll talk about what’s in it that they already like. That sets the stage for a good attitude trying it at dinner, and it usually works. I’m eager to try the Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Onions from BHG and this Cauliflower Soup from Zoom Yummy.

As I’ve been doing in the New Year, I’m sharing my two-week meal plan every other Monday. On the other Mondays, I share my meal plan challenges. Last week, I told you how we’re running out of food. Thanks for your great comments and suggestions! Let me know if you’re struggling to meal plan so we can tackle those issues, too.

Sunday–Hamburgers, homemade fries, corn, salad
Meatless Monday–Italian Spinach Pie, GF cornbread muffins for me, garlic breadsticks for the family, salad
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, leftover GF cornbread muffins and garlic breadsticks
Wednesday–Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Onions, brown rice, green beans
Thursday–Slow Cooker Taco Pie (usually precooked beef from the freezer)
Friday–Baked Pesto Chicken, brown rice, broccoli and cauliflower
Saturday–Leftovers buffet–great time to clean out the fridge!

Sunday–I’ll be out of town, so I’m leaving Easy Manicotti for the family to heat up.
Meatless Monday–Cauliflower Soup (I’ll use GF flour), salad
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, flour & corn tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, black beans
Wednesday–Chicken Sausage with mushrooms, zucchini, tomato and onions over angel hair pasta (GF for me)
Thursday–Quesadillas with ground beef (precooked from the freezer, and I’ll use corn tortillas), salad
Friday–Balsamic Mushroom Pork Chops, brown rice, broccoli
Saturday–Homemade Pizza (I’ll use GF bread as my crust) with olives, green peppers, and mushrooms, salad

Head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more meal plans, recipes, and inspiration.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: When you Run Out of Food

February 6, 2012 By Gina 5 Comments

Since I’m now posting a two-week meal plan every other week, I’d like to tackle some of the meal plan challenges that come up. Often at my house, it’s often running out of food! Please tell me this happens to you sometimes, too. I’ve tried shopping for one week’s meals at a time or two weeks at a time and doing my usual stockpiling, and I still come across these problems:

I go to make one of the meals on the meal plan, and we’re missing 1-2 ingredients.
Some ingredients magically disappear, possibly snacked on during the week (hubby?).
We run out food the last week of the month, and I’ve already used up all my grocery budget.

It can be so frustrating, especially when it happens again and again (it’s like I never learn…). Menu planning generally reduces stress and helps the budget, and I know that to be true for my family after doing it all these years. So it’s worth it to tackle some of these issues. Here’s what I’m going to try:

Physically organize our food differently. I think that when you stockpile, and you see that volume in the pantry or fridge, your brain says “eat more.” We seem to go through the food faster and then run out. I’ll just keep one in the pantry and the rest in basement storage (until we need it).
Reduce my spending–add an extra vegetarian meal or use another grocery saving strategy to stretch my dollars a bit more.
Maybe I’m not buying enough? Sometimes when I make my grocery list, I write “potatoes” not considering exactly how many I need for three meals’ worth, and the same goes for shredded cheese and other ingredients. I’ll be more specific when making my list.
Portion sizes might be too big. Not long ago, I could make a 6-serving recipe and get dinner for all 5 of us plus a serving for lunch the next day. Now, all three of my kids are eating a lot more, and I find myself needing more. We either need to stick to portion control or I need to cook larger meals, or learn to stretch them with low-cost rice, pasta or potatoes.
Spend more money–but not in a reactive way. If I just “spend more” at the end of the month grabbing what we need, it will hurt the budget. I need to look at the past few months and see if we need to increase our grocery budget. I know we’ve made a change to more whole foods and fruits/vegetables; that alone might be driving our costs up a bit. If none of the above ideas help, this could be it.

It’s worth taking the time to identify and solve these small issues with my meal planning, because I’ll see big returns with smoother dinnertimes and less budgetary stress. What about you?

What challenges do you have with meal planning?

To see what we’re eating, head to my 2-week Meal Plan. For lots of meal plans and recipe, go to OrgJunkie’s weekly linky.

Filed Under: Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Family Favorites 2-week Meal Plan

January 30, 2012 By Gina 2 Comments

Sometimes thinking up two weeks of meals is hard! I’m just getting over a few days of illness, and I have little energy to try out new recipes. Perfect time to rely on our “family favorites,” those meals we eat all the time (most are cooked without recipes, just made from memory). Does your family eat the same meals all the time? Tacos, pizza, mac & cheese, whatever your “usual” is, it’s perfect for your family’s meal plan. Just get it down on paper and make your shopping list around it!

If you’re just getting started with meal planning, see my tips about how to get started or my Meal Plan Video. Here’s the plan for this week and next:

Sunday–Homemade spaghetti sauce, spaghetti (for them, GF pasta for me), green beans, salad
Meatless Monday–Cheddar Corn Potato Chowder, leftover salad
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, buns (GF for me), carrots & celery sticks
Wednesday–Chicken Fajitas, black beans, brown rice
Thursday–Sausage & Vegetable Medley
Friday–Hamburgers w/sauteed mushrooms, sweet potato fries, corn
Saturday–Slow Cooker Broccoli & Beef, brown rice noodles

Sunday–Ginger Chicken Soup, gluten-free cornbread
Meatless Monday–Fiesta Corn & Black Bean Toss mixed with quinoa
Tuesday–Ham & Broccoli Pie (I replace the chicken and use GF Biscuit Mix instead), salad
Wednesday–Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders, Homemade Fries,
Thursday–Slow Cooker Apricot Pork Roast, cauliflower, baked potatoes
Friday–Garlic Lime Chicken, brown rice, broccoli
Saturday–We’re going out to eat (first time in ages!) for hubby’s birthday, using a Gift Card I earned from my bank’s points program

Head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more meal plans, recipes, and inspiration.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: 2 Weeks of Winter Cooking

January 16, 2012 By Gina Leave a Comment

I’m out of town right now–sunning it up in beautiful Tucson, Arizona–so it’s a good thing I left a meal plan at home for my husband. Having a two-week meal plan means I can buy groceries ahead and come home to a fully-stocked house to get through the rest of the week. It also helps keep the family from eating out (multiple times!) while I’m out of town, helping our budget and our health. For these next two weeks, I’m using a lot of my family’s favorite recipes, plenty of casseroles and soups that are easy to pull together.

If you’re just getting started with meal planning, see my tips last week about how to get started. Here’s the plan for this week and next:

Sunday–Easy Baked Manicotti, broccoli (I’m gone so they’re enjoying their gluten)
Meatless Monday–Breakfast for dinner! Sausage & Egg Breakfast Burritos, oranges
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup, flour tortillas
Wednesday–Beef Tacos (from the freezer), corn shells, fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.), black beans & rice
Thursday–Baked Mac & Cheese Casserole, broccoli, salad
Friday–Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (I’ll use a GF bun), corn, broccoli slaw
Saturday–Leftovers/clean out the fridge

Sunday–Meatball soup (I’ll replace the pasta with rice), gluten-free cornbread muffins
Meatless Monday–Homemade spaghetti sauce, pasta, green beans, Dill Rolls
Tuesday–Spinach & Feta Omelets, Rosemary Potatoes
Wednesday–Chicken breasts, baked potatoes, green beans
Thursday–Hamburgers, homemade fries, corn, salad
Friday–Chicken sausage with pasta (tossed with sauteed mushrooms, onions, zucchini and tomatoes)
Saturday–Marinated Chicken and Rice (I’ll just use brown rice), broccoli

Head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more meal plans, recipes, and inspiration.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Strategies to Start

January 9, 2012 By Gina 8 Comments

It’s the second week of my two-week meal plan that I shared last Monday. So far, I’ve stuck to it, and it was really nice this weekend to make a simple shopping list based on work I had already done. If you’re just getting started with meal planning, here are some suggestions to get you started:

Start with one week at a time, then make a grocery list based on those meals (plus whatever you need for breakfasts and lunches) and plan to shop ONCE at the beginning of the week. I shop on Fridays for the week ahead.

Consider a simple template to help you brainstorm your meals: one night per week for pasta, soup, chicken, pizza, tacos, etc. Then each week, change it up with a different recipe other changes so you’re not eating identical meals each week. DisneyFamily has some great suggestions for variety on a 7-day meal plan.

Use a paper meal planner and hang it in the kitchen so you know the plan. This helps you remember to take meat out to thaw the night before, keeps your husband from snacking on recipe ingredients (usually–ahem), and keeps the kids from asking “What’s for dinner?” a hundred times a day. There are tons of printable meal planners online; try these from OrgJunkie, MoneySavingMom and $5Dinners.

Stay motivated and encouraged by seeing how others schedule their week. Most moms are not planning fancy recipes! They’re planning pizza, mac & cheese, and other family favorites. Every week, there’s a HUGE linky of meal plans and recipes over at Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie. You’ll find allergy-specific and other menus there, too.

Give it a month, and once you have the hang of it you can start to apply the other grocery savings strategies to bring your grocery budget down. These are the types of strategies I’ll share every other week here at Meal Plan Monday.

You can do this! Meal planning not only reduces your stress but helps your family eat healthier and saves you money over takeout/restaurants.

To see what we’re eating this week, check out last week’s post. You can see our Family Favorites on my Recipes page.

Filed Under: Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Starting a 2-week Menu Plan

January 2, 2012 By Gina 4 Comments

Welcome to 2012! I’ve been meal planning for a couple of years now, and this year I’m going to make a change to save myself time at home and also help you here at the blog. I’m going to start doing two-week meal plans and alternating the posts every Monday with more meal-planning strategies that will help you get your home cooking schedule and grocery budget under control. What do you think? So for this week:

Sunday–Salsa Verde Pork (just lazy crockpot style, frozen tenderloin with a jar of green salsa), brown rice, corn
Meatless Monday–Italian Spinach Pie, gluten-free cornbread
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup, homemade bread for the family (GF toast for me)
Wednesday–Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli, rice noodles, mandarin oranges
Thursday–Lemon Chicken, baked potatoes, asparagus
Friday–Cheddar, Corn and Potato Chowder, salad
Saturday–Hamburgers, homemade fries, leftover salad

And for next week:

Sunday–Brown Rice Casserole, salad
Meatless Monday–Green pepper & mushroom Homemade Pizza (I’ll use GF bread as my crust), leftover salad
Tuesday–Sausage and Lentil Soup (trying lentils out on my husband for the first time; I’m substituting chicken sausage)
Wednesday–Pineapple Pork Chops, brown rice, green beans
Thursday–Chicken Fajitas, leftover rice, black beans
Friday–Ham & Broccoli Pie (I replaced the chicken and use GF Biscuit Mix instead), salad
Saturday–Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders, sweet potato fries, green beans

If you can’t wait until next Monday to learn about meal planning, watch my Meal Planning vlog. For lots more meal plans and inspiration, see Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Staying Warm

December 12, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

Our winter seems to be here. I’m already being teased for wearing long underwear when it’s 30 degrees out, but I go to the bus stop four times a day, so I need the layers. I’m always cold! I’m also looking for new soup and slow cooker recipes for the perfect cold weather comfort food.

I made a trip to Wegman’s last week to stock up on chicken breasts and ground beef (their regular prices are as good as most store’s sale prices), so now my freezer is full again and I can plan out the next few weeks’ meals. We have a lot of company coming for the holidays so I’m keeping things as simple as I can:

Sunday–Beef Stew in the slow cooker
Meatless Monday–Broccoli Pie, garlic bread (I’ll have GF)
Tuesday–Salsa Verde Chicken (just lazy crockpot chicken–frozen breasts with a jar of green salsa), brown rice, corn
Wednesday–Beef Tacos
Thursday–Pesto Lemon Chicken Soup, corn muffins (GF for me)
Friday–Shepherd’s Pie leftover beef & veggies from the week
Saturday–I want to try making calzones (something I used to do over 10 years ago) with homemade pizza dough. Hubs and I are going to a holiday party, but my kids will enjoy making and eating these.

For lots more meal plans and inspiration, see Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Staying Warm

December 12, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

For lots more meal plans and inspiration, see Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Back to the Grind

November 28, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! We had a blast with our friends who were visiting from Florida, the kids got along great, and we ate (a lot) well. I’m glad to be getting back to the regular routine, but my cupboards are bare! My pantry is almost empty and my stockpile has been used up. I’m using what little I have left in my November grocery budget to get us through until Thursday (December 1st). I managed to stay on budget even with the holiday, but I’m scraping by since it’s the end of the month.

Here’s my plan to get us through until Thursday. Then I’m gambling and hoping that chicken or something will be on sale with the new grocery store ads:

Sunday–Leftover Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
Meatless Monday–Omelets, hash browns, fruit
Tuesday–Pork chops, leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving (from the freezer), green beans
Wednesday–Pita Pizzas (I’ll use GF bread as my crust) with veggies on top, salad
Thursday–Super Easy Chicken Soup, corn muffins (GF for me)
Friday–??
Saturday–??

For lots more meal plans and inspiration, see Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Thanksgiving Week

November 21, 2011 By Gina Leave a Comment

It’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S., and we’re hosting friends from Florida. I spent a little while this weekend brainstorming easy meals to feed 9–it’s tough when you’re not used to it! I’m relying on my slow cooker to keep me out of the kitchen and visiting with company. On Tuesday, I’m making waffles to freeze for the mornings over the weekend and cooking Thursday’s mashed potatoes ahead of time.

Here’s the plan for this week:

Sunday–Chicken, brown rice, green beans
Meatless Monday–Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas, salad
Tuesday– Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup, corn muffins (GF for me)
Wednesday–Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli, rice noodles
Thursday–Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, two kinds of pie (I’m settling for gluten-free cheesecake, poor me)
Friday–Shepherd’s Pie made with leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and veggies
Saturday–Hopefully there’s enough leftover turkey to make Slow Cooker Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, otherwise, I’ll throw some chicken in there.