Normally I am not a big planner. I also officially began to refuse to be a list maker when I turned forty professing that I refuse to live by my own rules anymore. Not sure where this meal planning agenda fits in to that plan. It started when I was at the day care today making a new lunch planning menu for the weeks ahead. Sometimes I do this but most of the time I do not. I just make sure I have enough and fix what I have each day. When my little menu was done for the week I felt better knowing what we would have the next few days, so I went further and planned the next few weeks. I realize that people do this all the time, I am just normally not one of them. I will get a few ideas for lunches and suppers and take it to the grocery and call it done.
I started out by writing down (not an official list) main dishes, side dishes and fruit for the DC. Then picked one off each... um... list... and wrote them down for each day. It wound up looking like this.
Yes, I have only part time kids and no kids on Fridays! I try to feed them as healthy as I know how. The hot dogs are turkey dogs, the jello is sugar free and I throw veggies in to the paddies that they don't know they are eating sometimes. I try to make sure there is a meat, vegetable, fruit and a bargaining chip to get the plates cleaned off.
Then... are you ready for this... I went a little crazy and did the same thing for suppers at home. I obviously cook a lot and no, we don't go out to eat much. Although I will alter any of these evening plans for the occasional supper out. I will also plan my grocery lists accordingly.
I really figured this planning would help get me started in the Holiday season and take a bit of stress off what's for supper.
AND... I made a blank one for you. Just in case you want to get in on the fun. Just copy and paste it or right click and print... however your fancy pc lets you do it.
By the way, I am on an "eat what's in the freezer" kick, so I told Shaun this morning. So the majority of the meals are planned around what we have on hand. We have four deep freezers and three refrigerators and could probably eat for two months without going to the grocery except for bread and milk. We keep deer meat in one, our pork in another, garden vegetables in the third freezer and the rest in the upright. You would think we fed a huge family. But, we like to eat what we grow and raise and it's time to stop buying anything but fish and chicken and who knows, we might just become fisherman to avoid buying fish!