January Menu Planning Exchange

[Patricia]

I got mine worked up. I didn't include Sundays because we either eat out or have leftovers.
It felt so great to plan a menu again! I feel so much more in control!


Meatless Mondays:

*Bell Pepper Pasta w/crusty bread
*3 cheese Ravioli w/ side salad
*Eggplant Parmesan
*Penne Rosa


Tuesdays:

*Herbed Chicken Dinner
*Quiche Lorraine & Salad
*Creamed Chicken over Rice, Peas and Carrots
*Sunday Chicken Casserole

Wednesdays:

*Ham & Broccoli Bake
*Roast Chicken w/ Vegs. , Baked Apples
*Italian Stuffed Peppers
*Planned Leftovers

Thursdays:

*Baked Chicken Chimies
*Pierogie Casserole
*Pork Chops, Corn casserole
*Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic bread

Fridays:

*Homemade Pizza
*Chili w/ Cornbread
*Barbeque Chicken w/ Baked Potatoes
*Pizza & Subs nite

Soup & Salad Saturdays

*Broccoli Cheese soup
*Chili leftovers
*French Onion Soup w/ antipasto tray
*Pizza leftovers

 

[Ahorsesoul]

MrsSoup,
Love the google doc! I really need to spend some time using it.

Never heard of grilled PBJs! I've added it to my Wacky Sandwich Menu I'll be doing for my dinner party night. Along with Baloney, PB and dill pickle sandwiches. I do not even like baloney or PB sandwiches but together with the dill pickle is really nice.

 

[cmerth]

Runzas are German. It is dough filled with cabbage and ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper. They are so filling. I make 6 of them and they last us 2 meals... they are great warmed up the next day.

Yep, I buy my ground beef in large quantities. I cut it up into 1 lb servings and then put it in bags to be thawed later for individual meals. I buy chicken in large re-sealable bags (breasts) and then take out the necessary breast early in the afternoon to thaw. I do the same for fish. It comes in nice resealable bags and then I just have to remove the fish from their individual plastic covering. I try to buy for 2-3 weeks at a time.

 

[Gingerbug]

Okay....I updated my five week winter rotation menu listed above....Now I just need to figure out four more Try It Tuesday recipes....and it's DONE....

Anyone else trying to get a month's worth??

 

[Gingerbug]

In working up the five week Winter seasonal menus...(I'm cooking week two of it this week...)

So far so good on my seasonal planning ideas....last time I treid to do this a year or more ago I just couldn't seem to get it going. This time seemed a lot easier. I have my Winter one done! That means I am set through February....the SPRING cycle will start in March so I have started working on it.

Here's what I did. I have two notebooks. One called Fall/Winter and one called Spring/Summer. I already had these and they were recipe notebooks. So I cleaned them out and set them up as follows. They are the same so I will just talk about the Winter section and you will get the idea.

Winter Divider Page (just a colored sheet of paper with Winter printed on it..inside a page protector)

The back of that protector has the Five Week Cycle (its a the printed page from the site I listed earlier but enlarged) I have written the five weeks main dishes on the planner page. On the page opposite it in the next protector is a sheet that says Recipes to Try. I just typed this up in word and it has room for five recipe titles plus a space to list the source of the recipe.

Next in page protectors are all the recipes for this five week cycle that I need recipes for. I mean some of the things I do not need the recipe sheets for...like tacos etc...

On the Winter Cycle sheet on Try It Out Tuesdays...I just listed New Recipe 1, New Recipe 2 etc SINCE these have the potential of changing....but I can look straight across to the other sheet to see what those will be.

I wanted to use the new recipes part because otherwise I was afraid I would get bored etc and not want to stick to the cycle. AFTER the first five weeks of the winter cycle I will then....

1. Discard any of the new recipes we really didn't like (no use keeping clutter)

2. Decide whether to "reuse" those recipes for the second cycle even though they are no longer "new". I thought I might want this option thouigh because perhaps they will be really good or perhaps I will be pressed for time and not have the time to search for new ones etc.

3. Those NOT being reused will be considered for other season's menu planning since I am still developing those.

4. I will then fill in any "missing new recipe spots" (if any) and I'll be all ready to go for the next round of the cycle.


It's really not complicated though it might sound like it is...lol. It offers me the stability of five weeks of menu plans with also the option of new recipes thrown in to spice things up a bit.

Also this time I will only go through the Winter cycle twice because of when I started but I think it will also help with spices etc because I will buy the spice or whatever and then know I will be using it at least twice more during the winter cycle.

The last part of this "project" is to make up a master ingredients list for each week of the cycle...then when I am getting ready to shop for that week...I will check the pantry or freezer and fridge ....mark off items I have and then know what else I still need.

While going through recipes and ideas etc....when I found one I thought might work for another season I put a stickie note on it so as I develop that season I can use it.

Also my DAYS will not remain the same each season....basically the same but with some differences....

In the Spring Saturdays will become Shiskabob and Salad Saturdays and Wednesdays will become International Night. Sundays will remain Traditional but every other one will be barbeque or grilled items in Spring and Summer.

I know this is long but wanted to share this idea with you because really you only have to do the menu planning ONCE and then you can add new or not as you want. So it has the potential for variety too. I'll keep you updated on how it is working!!

 

[teachermomof2]

Good for you Ginger!! Hope it works out well for you!

 

[luludou]

wow great work Ginger! I'm getting behind on my planning because DH is at home for a few weeks and I want him to do the cooking and planning... he's on his own

 

[Gingerbug]

Thanks!

The other thing to note is you can use variations of recipes if you want...

Like for chili I have lots of recipes, regular, white chilii, chicken chili etc...so for that one I picked three recipes....and first time through I use A, second time through I use B, third time through I use C...

I like variety so I was worried it would get dull but I think the way I have it set up will allow for enough variety...really even if you used all the same recipes for each of the five week cycles for the season...you would only be eating the same thing every five weeks...(three times that season and then on to the next season)

So now on to planning SPRING.....LOL

 

[jampss]

Yes!

I've so got to get back into doing this, because our dinner life has been boring the past few months. I love trying new recipes and doing a premade menu. I think I'll make a menu board for my kitchen too while I'm at it.

Oh my gosh, are my meals boring of late! I'm tired of having nothing interesting! This would be nice!

:snowman:

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Posting this here too.
Here is a step by step way to plan out your 30 days of menus:
ttp://littlenannygoat.blogspot.com/...meal-plan.html

 

[jampss]

Hmmmmmmmmmm

Posting this here too.
Here is a step by step way to plan out your 30 days of menus:
http://littlenannygoat.blogspot.com/...meal-plan.html

I couldn't get the link to work. Is it just me?

:snowman:

 

[jampss]

Cool

Well, I went to the site (just deleted the last few words till the .com) and found the link!
http://littlenannygoat.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-heck-it-30-meal-plan.html

And WOW what cute playroom they made up! Wish I were a kid again! LOL

:snowman:

 

[jampss]

Oooooh!

It won't let us post the link cuz there's a "word" in the link that is forbidden.

Let's see, can I be creative?

http://littlenannygoat.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-heck-it-30-meal-plan.html

If this works, you have to copy and paste this into an new opened email and write after the .com/ what-h e c k-it-30-meal-plan.html

But with the "h" word, you have to not have the spaces in between!


Did this work?

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Thanks. I forgot to check the link before posting.

 

[MrsSoup]

I love that blog Ahorsesoul! I just spent the past 20 minutes or more looking at it and got timed out of MHH. LOL The 30 meals looks like a great idea, I might have to try that.

 

[Gingerbug]

It's somewhat like what I'm doing but not on cards....AND I did the meals by season for variety....idk...30 meals sounds like a lot but you would be having the same every month....idk...maybe it's just me but I'd get tired of those...

But the idea is cute and for those that like recipe cards...a great project.

 

[Gingerbug]

P.S. I am starting week two and everyone in the family is HAPPY because they know what to expect...LOL.

Also I was afraid the groceries would be higher but they weren't AND I have enough left over soup and lasagna from Saturday and Sunday for several lunches!!!

So far so good...

 

[MrsSoup]

Ginger- I think the 30 meals think is good for families with young children that are picky and will only eat certain meals. I know mine are very picky these days so there's only a handful of things they will eat. There's no way I could come up with 30 meals that we all liked and would eat but I think this could be adapted to fit any amount. She also talks about having a binder with many different sections and one was new recipes to try, then after they try it they vote on it and it either gets added in or tossed.

 

[Gingerbug]

Yes you are exactly right about young kids...they have a small list of meals they LOVE

 

[luludou]

It's a great site! I'll try to look at it more tomorrow.