Menu Monday

I’ve found that it saves a lot of time and money to work from a weekly menu.  I just shop for ingredients I need for particular meals, use what I have on hand as much as possible, and try new things often.

In order to make sure I'm not repeating the same meals over all the time, I use my monthly meal calendar to balance things out.

 I keep thinking I'd like to plan out a whole month in advance using new and old recipes, but I end up working week to week.  Sloth.

I also pencil in the meals for the week at the bottom of my grocery list so I can see what goes with what and so I don't forget any ingredients.  (There's room to write that doesn't show on this example.)

 Here are some suggestions to get you started:

https://ohsweetbasil.com/sloppy-joes-recipe/

Smoked paprika and Liquid Smoke...the best sloppy joes I've ever had.  Find some really nice buns for them too.

http://12tomatoes.com/chicken-salad-casserole/

I'm a bad dog. I had the ingredients so I made this twice in a week.  I loved it, my spouse did not. So I ate it myself the second time and made him something else.  I halved the recipe each time.  Use Ruffles for the chips and crush them well.   I'm not sure I trust myself to make it again.  (...pencils in ingredients on grocery list...)

 http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-thanksgiving-slaw-237475

I love coleslaw, and tried this recipe for Thanksgiving.  The store didn't have any fresh Italian Parsely so I sprinkled in a tiny bit of dried from the cupboard.   I was lucky to find a tiny head of cabbage.  The method for shredding up the cabbage for so simple and quick.  I was surprised at how tasty the dried cranberries were in the dish.  Just an easy, lovely, light dish.  I'll halve it to make for myself at home.  It's nice to try recipes out on a crowd, but I've been halving more and more recipes, particularly new ones, in case I'm not so fond of them, and because many use 9 x 13 pans and are just way too much for two.

DOA Menu Planning 101

I make a menu now weekly and shop just for what I need for the week accordingly.  I've decided to go a month at a time.  Somehow I feel this will allow me to put all of our favorite meals in a rotation, and plug in at least one new to us meal at least once per week.

I like this template from No Ordinary Moments

She says it is an editable PDF but it didn't come up as editable on my screen.  I'd rather print it out and have it handy in the kitchen in any case.

Here is my own weekly planner:

I take a list similar to this to the store with me after writing out a menu (can't find in my documents grrr).

Here's a list of our Standard, stick these in the menu if I'm not inspired meals.  Each to their own!  There is plenty of room in a month long menu to use some of these and look through recipe books and cooking blogs for new things to try.

Tacos
Pizza using purchased sauce/dough or Pizza with homemade sauce and homemade dough with Garlic Bread
Burgers/Fries/Malts
Creamed Beef on Toast
Grilled Cheese
Roast /Mashed Potatoes and Gravy/ Corn/ Rolls
Chicken Breasts with Gravy/  Rice/ 4 Cheese Potatoes/Veg
Sloppy Joes and BBQ Chips
Chicken Nuggets/Homemade Mac and Cheese/Fruit
Brats/Dogs/Kraft Mac and Cheese
Pork Chops/Augratins/Veg
Beef Stew
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Chicken Noodle Soup/Bread/Cheese and Crackers
Chicken Pot Pie (Homemade)
 Ham/Augratin or Julienne Potatoes/Corn/Salad
H Helper
Chow Mien