Those of you who know me, know that I like to plan things. I am an organizer and a planner. Ever heard the saying "if you fail to plan you plan to fail"? Yep, that's why I always have a plan!
We get paid every two weeks. A couple of days before payday, I sit down with my cookbooks and internet and plan out the next two weeks of meals with accompanying grocery list. I use a calendar and plug each dinner main dish into a specific day. This works best for me. I have tried to just make a list of 14 things, but inevitably nothing sounds good from that list on a particularly tiring day and we eat out. For me, having a meal assigned to each day keeps me sane. And because of the planner in me, even if it doesn't sound good I'm going to make it because that is what the calendar says. ☺ Another reason why this works for me is I can take a look at the menu calendar the night before and get out whatever meat needs to thaw. Again, if something is already thawed by the time I get home from work, I am going to use it that night for dinner. It all helps me stick to the plan.
I try to keep my menu full of variety. We have our go-to family favorites that we eat more often than others. However I really do try and not have the same thing each month. Sounds crazy, but because I LOVE to cook and love trying new recipes, it works. Now, how do you pick what goes where in the week? Here is my breakdown:
Sunday--crockpot meal. We have church from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It is time to eat when we get home. I have 2 crockpots so if I want roast and mashed potatoes I will put the roast in one and put the potatoes (already mashed and seasoned) in the other to keep them warm.
Monday thru Thursday--I rotate the types of meats each night (chicken, pork, beef, fish, meatless--I really want to start a meatless Monday tradition in stead of just occasionally, but haven't been quite brave enough to try that yet, etc.) We eat more chicken and beef than anything but we usually have pork at least once a week. I also make sure that whatever meal I am making will make enough for leftovers. Because Aaron and I both work, a meal needs to have 2 meals of leftovers on these days.
Friday--This is my "chill out" night. Because we don't need leftovers, I keep it simple. This is usually the night I do fish sticks, corn dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, boxed mac & cheese and hot dogs, etc. Because, let's face it, after a long week you just don't want to cook. One of the reasons I started doing this is because I noticed that Friday evenings were my most challenging night to "eat in". If I can just throw something together in 10 minutes or so, that's a lot better, and cheaper, than going out. Now, I don't usually like to used processed foods. I cook pretty much everything from scratch. But for me, this is what works. And whatever processed food we are having, I always add a vegetable (if I can get Miles to eat it) and it is definitely more balanced than a fast food joint.
Saturday--I usually plan this day like I do Mondays thru Thursdays. However, I always take into account if there are any plans for the weekend so I know if it needs to be a crock-pot meal, etc.
Anyway, that's how I decide what to have what night. When I fist started planning meals like this, this is what it would look like. If I know we are going to be eating out because of an event, I plug it into my calendar:
Now, I look at the ads for the week, see what's on sale that I can incorporate into my menu, and start adding main dishes. Each time I add a main dish, I look at the recipe and see what ingredients it takes. I immediately add those ingredients to my shopping list. I keep my shopping list in an Excel spreadsheet that I have by aisle/department.
Once I am all done with the menu, and to accompanying items needed have been added to my shopping list, I add the staples. There are certain things that will ALWAYS be on my shopping list: milk, eggs, cheese, spinach, bananas, yogurt. From there, I once again look at the ads and put in the items that are on a good sale that I want to stock up on. www.dealstomeals.com is a great site where you can view all the ads for your area and it lets you know if the item on sale is a good sale and if it is a better price than the normal price at Walmart/Sam's/Costco.
I usually do most of my shopping at Walmart because, let's face it, who wants to go to 4 different stores to get the best deals. There is no need when Walmart will do price-match. My Walmart does not require me to have my ads with me so I always mark next to the item on my list something like this (PM $1.00). When I am shopping, I keep the price match items separate in my cart from the regular items. (Trust me, the checkers and the people behind you will thank you for it!) I am not a couponer, but if there is a really good sale on say Yoplait yogurt that I want, then I will get online and search for a printable coupon to help me get an even better deal. If I have a lot of price match items, I try to go to the store at non-peak times so I don't hold up anyone or make anyone frustrated because of the additional delay.
Anyway, that is how I know what is for dinner every night. Maybe this will help you. Whatever you do, just find something that works. Nothing is worse than using a system of organization/planning that doesn't work for you or seems to make it harder than you want it to be. Happy menu planning!
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