I must have gotten carried away last week. I cooked like were a family of 12, and we still have food coming out of our ears! So, we’ll start our week with a leftovers night (easy for me!), and then get rolling onto a yummy St. Patrick’s Day dinner with all of the family over for some fun. Have a good week, everyone!
MONDAY
Leftovers from last week
TUESDAY
Corned Beef and Cabbage, Herbed Potatoes and Carrots, Irish Soda Bread
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Chicken Marsala
FRIDAY
Make Your Own Pizza Party
There are some good meat buys at the grocery store this week, and I’ve worked those into our menu. I never got to the Asian style pork tenderloin from a couple of weeks ago when it was so icy and I couldn’t to the store, so that one just jumped to this week.
It may look like a daunting menu this week, but really, there are several aspects that can be done ahead. Just to give you an idea of how it will all work out – Monday, I’ll marinate the meat, cut the veggies, and make the white rice (for the fried rice) in the morning. Tuesday morning I’ll cube my beef roast and cut veggies, then just pull out the rest of my pantry ingredients so everything is ready for me later. Wednesday, I can pound the chicken into cutlets and make the sauce for my mac before I head to work that afternoon. A quick pan fry for the chicken and boiling the noodles is all that’s left for the evening. And for Friday, there’s not much that’s easier than throwing together a frittata.
MONDAY
Asian Pork Loin with Stir Fried Veggies and Fried Rice
TUESDAY
Beef Bourguinon over Creamy Polenta
WEDNESDAY
Chicken Cutlets with Mac ‘n Cheese
THURSDAY
Leftovers
FRIDAY
Potato and Vegetable Frittata
The Hubby has to work late all week, so being down a set of hands, I’m going to make it easy on myself. That means utilizing meals I can mix up ahead and then just throw in the oven (meatloaf), pulling out the crock pot (BBQ chicken), and relying on meals that really take no time to prepare (sausage and peppers over pasta).
MONDAY
Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and Fries
TUESDAY
Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Peas
WEDNESDAY
Asian Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Stir Fried Vegetables and Rice
THURSDAY
Chicken Sausages with Onions and Peppers over Pasta
FRIDAY
Leftovers!
This week is all about cleaning out the freezer! Let’s call it a jump start on my spring cleaning. My meal planning for the week is using left-over ham and a big ham bone that has been taking up space, as well as some bratwursts and pork chops I got on sale a couple of weeks ago. Bonus – my grocery bill this week will be nice and low!
MONDAY
BBQ Pork Chops and Mac ‘n Cheese
TUESDAY
Ham and Lentil Soup with Cornbread Pudding
WEDNESDAY
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce, Garlic Bread, and Salad
THURSDAY
Leftovers
FRIDAY
Brats and Fried Potatoes
Happy Monday to all! Our weekend was actually sunny, and we were able to spend some time outside. It was much needed therapy for all of us after being cooped up for a while. This week, I’ve planned for one of my favorite easy, fun meals – make your own individual pizzas using Naan bread as the crust! I just lay out the topping choices, and we all load up however we want. Into the oven for 10-15 minutes, and dinner is served!
MONDAY
Maple Dijon Chicken with Rice and Vegetables
TUESDAY
Southwestern Chili with Corn Muffins
WEDNESDAY
Individual Naan Pizzas with Salad and/or Fruit
THURSDAY
Baked Chicken Burritos with Black Beans and Corn
FRIDAY
Leftover Chili and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
I’d like to start today’s post with a great big Happy New Year! Last year, my goal was to get this blog up and running, and although I’ve started small, it’s been exciting for me to see what I can accomplish.
I know the new year brings new goals for many people, and maybe one of those goals is to cook more meals at home. Many times I’ve been asked how I manage to cook dinner at home almost every weeknight, and my answer is always the same – it’s all in the planning. I don’t have a super secret method, but I do have certain things that make it easier. (Plus, I enjoy it, which is a bonus!)
To kick the new year off right, I thought I’d share my thoughts on weeknight meal planning and start a new series – “Menu Mondays” – where I share what I have planned for our week. More than anything, I’d like to inspire more people to cook at home on a regular basis. Feel free to copy our week’s menu or just grab an idea here and there. I’ll post our weekly menu on Mondays, and then starting next week, I’ll move my regular blogging to Tuesday and Thursday.
The following are my ideas on meal planning. Please understand that this is what works for me and our family, and I know everyone is different, but I hope you will be able to adapt some of these ideas to your own situation.
The Planning – I think most people get into trouble when it’s 5:00 in the evening and just then open the fridge to ponder, “hm, what should we have for dinner?” If that were me, I’d immediately get frustrated and call up the Hubby to ask him to pick up something on the way home. However, when I’ve planned out my week, and I know what’s for dinner, I’ve already won the battle.
I do my planning on Sundays and my grocery shopping on Mondays. It’s what works with our schedule. I sit down with a note pad and the grocery ad (hey, that rhymes!) and just start brainstorming ideas. Maybe chicken is on sale, or maybe I’ve been craving something in particular. My brainstorming list is a jumble of anything and everything we might want for the next week. From there, I pare down the list to what sounds the best for the week. Then, I make my grocery list making sure we have the staples we need plus ingredients for the weeknight dinners. I definitely have saved money at the grocery store by not just going in and buying whatever looks good at the moment.
For me, the last part of the planning is to think about my week and my schedule. Which days might you have more time to actually cook? Monday is the day I have the most time in the evening to prepare and cook dinner, so I’ll look at that menu list and plan the most complicated dish for Monday. I know I have some time Wednesday mornings to prep, so any meal that can be prepped early goes on Wednesday. And so on, and so on. And, yes, I actually write down what’s for dinner each night in my calendar. There it is, in my face, each time I open my planner.
Take Help From Easy Meals – We all need a break. Even I would burn out if I tried to be a gourmet everyday. I plan at least one really easy meal a week. Something I can throw together in a jiffy using a rice mix, or a frozen pasta dish, or something of the like.
We also have our easy favorites, like spaghetti or tacos, that work their way into our menu a couple times a month. And then there are the weeks that I’ve managed to cook for our family of 3 as though we were a family of 8, and we have to work in a leftovers night just to clean out the fridge. Now that’s an easy dinner plan!
Have A Grocery Routine – I sometimes think people see going to the grocery store as this overwhelming chore, but I actually enjoy it. I go to the same one or two stores each week. I know the people, I know the store layout. I order my grocery list in the order I walk through the store, and many times, have been able to get in and out with my whole week’s worth of groceries in 20 minutes!
Prep Ahead – As much as I love to cook, I must be one of the world’s slowest, so anything I can prep ahead is a good idea for me. That means that on the weekend I’ll cook chicken so it’s ready for casseroles, and on weekdays, if I have time in the morning, I’ll go ahead and chop vegetables and put them back in the fridge. I’ll put a pot of water on the stove top before I walk out of the house in the morning, so all I have to do is turn it on when I get home to start on my pasta. I pull together my dry ingredients for the night’s dinner and leave them on the counter so everything is right there when I walk in. Anything I can do to eliminate a step later works for me!
Be Flexible – This is a hard one for me, because in general I like to stick to my plans, but we all have those times when even if you planned dinner, it’s just not going to work out. A terrible day where the last thing you want to do is stand in front of the stove, an illness comes up, a long day at work. Even I have looked at my dinner plans and said, “nope, not tonight.” And what I’ve had to learn is that’s ok. I’ll grab something easy out of the freezer (pizza, Bertolli, etc.), or we’ll pick up cheeseburgers, and I’ll just move that night’s plan over to the next week and it’s one less thing I have to think about.
I think that’s it for my wisdom on meal planning. I do hope these ideas are helpful for at least a few people out there who might not know where to start.
As for our first Menu Monday, here’s what we’ll be having this week! (Thursday’s Lasagna Rolls are an experiment, I’ll let you know how they turn out!)
MONDAY
Braised Chicken Thighs in a Mushroom and White Wine Sauce over Creamy Polenta
TUESDAY
Taco Casserole with Mexican Rice
WEDNESDAY
Chicken Piccata over Angel Hair Pasta
THURSDAY
Butternut Squash and Asparagus Lasagna Rolls with Salads and Bread
FRIDAY
Leftovers Night!
Happiness at Home 