How do you plan your meals for the week?
My husband and I have different work schedules, and as a result we have to figure out a basic meal list for the week. It ends up being planned in two ways:
1) Looking at what's in our fridge and freezer, and deciding on meals based on said ingredients. (We came up with this technique after my mother decided to pack our freezer with tons of frozen meats during her yearly visit to our side of the continent... let's just say, she is a pro packer.)
2) Finding recipes (nowadays, from SE!) that I've been dying to try, and buying ingredients as a result.
In the end, the list of 'meal ideas' ends up on a whiteboard on our fridge, and we cook based on the list and what we feel like for the evening; if something's remaining on that list, we leave it up for the next.
Just curious if anyone takes a similarly insane route for their meal planning... :) If not, how do you decide what you're eating for dinner?
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19 Comments:
Being retired, I have some time on my hands. Luckily, the grocery store is only a couple of miles from home, so I ride my scooter to the store almost every day. Being on a somewhat tight budget, I usually look for the bargains. I especially like the "buy one, bet one" deals. That being said, I still occasionally have a craving for something in particular, so I'll get whatever it takes, within reason. I'm really good with leftovers, too.
1stmakearoux at 11:59AM on 09/14/09
My husband cooks 99% of the meals. His method is somewhat haphazard and is based on:
1) surplus raw ingredients we have from a previous meal (get rid of leftovers)
2) vegetables/meats on sale
3) craving
4) interesting recipe we've stumbled upon
5) what we have had recently so as not to cycle in too soon
If it is a new dish, he'll call and ask me if I'm interested before purchasing ingredients. Sometimes he'll surprise me when he knows I'll like it.
Cassaendra at 12:51PM on 09/14/09
I scour the supermarket flyers, check my pantry/freezer/fridge and then maybe my cookbooks for something different. I, too, live near my supermarket and I can quickly get any missing ingredients.
One day last winter on a snowy day I pulled out my old Chinese cookbook and revisited the recipes that I hadn't cooked in a while. I also decided to make wontons/soup at that sitting-that was a first. We had a Chinese week.
There are so many variables in my decision making re: my menus. Today it will be the chicken cordon bleu leftovers. I made a double batch so that I can play with my granddaughter when she gets off the school bus. I also have three very precious tomatoes that I will serve/cucumbers and sprinkle with sugar and vinegar. They all have to be eaten today. Another very important reason to have them on the menu.
janaatwg at 12:52PM on 09/14/09
I alternate between insane planning and laissez-faire. I try and get to the grocery store only once a week, because I have poor impulse control and am a marketers dream. I regularly spend $20 on stuff that's not strictly needed when I go out to grab a dozen eggs or a carton of milk.
I always look at online flyers, and their loss leaders, particularly for protein, and stock the freezer up on those. I almost never buy meat or cheese at regular price. Then I ask the Bub if there's anything in particular he feels like eating. Between those two, figuring out what's in season, and rotating out some of the freezer stuff that should be used, I plan a menu. It used to be ridiculously exact--now it's sort of nebulous and in my head.
BananaMonkey at 1:50PM on 09/14/09
I'm a SAHM with two children under the age of two, so meal planning is a must in our household. You might think that I have all day prep/cook but the truth is I have very little time to get dinner going. I have to do my prep work while they nap, then the actual cooking just before my husband gets home.
I get my local grocery store flyers on Tuesdays, so thats when I plan the week of meals. I take note of what is in the fridge that NEEDS to be eaten, this week we have tons of peaches and nectarines, a huge head of cauliflower, and nice salad greens. Whole chickens are on sale this week, and I can make 3-4 meals out of one chicken. So are grapes, carrots and apples so I can replenish my produce supply. I try and shop the sales, and think about the fruits and veggies first, then bring in protein. Having one meatless meal a week helps break up the chicken-beef-pork rut.
The crock pot is coming back out now that the weather is getting cooler. This is really helpfull on the nights hubby plays softball, and we have to be out the door by 6:30! Of course, even with all this planning, sometimes things just don't work out. Thats why I keep certain things on hand always for rushed dinners that require very little prep- flat pizzas, boca burgers, dried pasta for mac and cheese (not boxed!) and good canned chili.
mhurst826 at 4:44PM on 09/14/09
I've been told it's a bit over the top, but this is how I do it:
I shop once a week to avoid unecessary and impulse purchases. This saves me big bucks...I'm sure of it.
Every monday morning I go to epicurious and similar sites to find interesting recipes that are quick to prepare. I copy and paste the recipes into a Word document. From the recipe's ingredients list, I create a shopping list at the top of the same document.
At the same time I consider items I already have in the fridge, freezer, pantry that need to get used.
Then I add the usual weekly stuff: milk, eggs, etc.
I print the document and use it as a shopping list. Because the recipes are also in the document, they are printed and handy when it comes time to prepare dinner.
I spend about $150 a week for a family of four and like to think we eat pretty well...Lot's of interesting and varied dinners through the week.
One of the best parts is that I'm able to create my menu and shopping list in 30 minutes at most. Because I love to cook, I actually enjoy the process. Over the top? Maybe. But I enjoy it and it works for me.
ericjpdx at 5:29PM on 09/14/09
For several years now I've been making a weekly grid menu planner - each day has one column for lunch and one for dinner so I can see where planned-overs or one ingredient will work in two or three meals. If my husband or I have been craving something I'll start with that, otherwise I go to the circular and see what's on sale. Once the meal plan is done I write out the shopping list. The big goal for me is to multi-task my ingredients, this is to save both time and money. (and, since I save the weekly menu plans, I can go back to weeks that worked well and the planning is already done, and I can tell you what we've had for dinner almost every night since 2007!)
AliceBlue at 5:45PM on 09/14/09
We look at the butcher's case and the fish display and see what looks good. Then we pick vegetables to go with the protein. Sometimes we just crave a soup or stew or have veggies in the fridge and just get chicken or shrimp(since they goes with everything).
gingercookiewithlime at 6:06PM on 09/14/09
I take a look at the weather forecast during the spring, summer and fall and then decide what to make based on how warm or cold it is. During the winter it's always some kind of comfort food--unless we have a a 35 to 40 degree day--then I'll fire up the grill even if I have to make a special trip to the store. I know I should shop just once a week, but Wegmans is less than a mile away...so I'm usually there twice a week.
I also go somewhat by what looks good in the produce and meat department and think about how I would recycle any leftovers into other meals.
dhorst at 6:14PM on 09/14/09
I go to the farmer's market once a week and pick up whatever is in season and looking good at the moment, along with a few staples like salad greens and fruit.
During the day, while I'm at work, I start thinking about the night's meal and usually have a plan by the time I'm on my way home. I try to use whatever vegetables I picked up on the weekend along with the occasional piece of protein that I'll buy fresh that day. I live alone and I usually make enough for two days.
As part of this plan, I try to make sure I'm well stocked with dry goods: pasta, lentils, dried mushrooms, canned tomatoes, etc.
Arjun at 7:45PM on 09/14/09
As mentioned above, I don't overplan.
1. What we have on hand (freezer, pantry, fridge)
2. What's on sale
3. What we're craving
4. How much time we have to cook
That sets a fair amounts of limits and still has a lot of flexibility too.
CJ McD at 8:58PM on 09/14/09
I make an Excel spreadsheet with the days of the week down the left column. Across the top, I have Entree, Side, Veggie, Dessert, etc. Below the grid, I have a list of main categories--poultry, pasta, beef, etc., and I 'X' each category so I can see what we're eating generally, which helps me avoid 5 days of pasta (which may happen). I just fill it in and go shopping once a week.
chachasnow at 12:56AM on 09/15/09
I run my kitchen like a small private restaurant. There are 7 of us. Saturday or Sunday will create menu for dinners only. Shop to the menu. I usually will cook or rollover as remorphed leftovers two proteins (chicken and fish), (beef and chicken) etc. etc. We eat buffet style due to varied schedules.
However when shopping if I run across any store bargains will readjust. Do as much prep as possible on Sunday afternoon. Also like to calculate cost of each meal vs equivalent of eating out or calling in pizza's. Savings is huge eating at home.
System works well.
Ribster at 4:32AM on 09/15/09
For myself? What I feel like eating that day. At my job I have to come up with a 2 week menu based on many things, what's on sale, seasonal, occasion, things that if not eaten up that day I can freeze, use into a soup/stew/casserole, or into a salad bar.
pjracz10 at 10:56AM on 09/15/09
Lunch for the week is always shopped for on Thursday or Friday and cooked up and portioned out on Sunday. Generally, it's some variation on tofu, brown rice and a green veggie. Dinner for the week is shopped for on Thursday or Friday based on a recipe I'd like to make or a roast I know I can stretch into other recipes. This gets cooked on either Sunday or Monday. This week I made a roasted chicken on Sunday and the leftovers became enchilladas.
I also make a loaf of bread on Sundays to be used for snacks and breakfast toast.
Amandarama at 11:45AM on 09/15/09
I also use the whiteboard method! I write down meals based on:
1. What is on hand -especially if I can use up leftovers/extras
2. What someone requests (usually the hubs)
3. What can be made quickly or in the slowcooker because The Niblet hampers my cooking efforts! I never knew a one year old could be so many places at one time...
4. Recipes I want to try- especially those that will use up pantry items and don't require another trip to the store.
5. Meals based on sale items
I use 2 online services to provide menu ideas and recipes because I don't have time to scour my cookbooks or online sites for recipes. I need to choose which service to stick with - either e-mealz.com or savingdinner.com because I don't want to pay for both. So far e-mealz is in the lead.
I've discovered that everything runs much smoother if I have meals planned out instead of trying to figure out what I'm cooking at 5:30 every night with frozen meat, no vegetables, a toddler clinging to my legs and a 6'2 teenager lurking over my shoulder asking "What's for dinner?" as he eats a bowl of cereal or peanut butter sandwich. Or both.
AuntJone at 2:09PM on 09/15/09
I live alone and am very active and rarely home, so to make sure I have tasty food for the week, I usually cook up a bunch of food on Sunday night which I can eat all week and transform into different meals without having to cook everyday (or that I can take in tupperwares to work) I often have evenings planned on the town and will eat dinner at work that I brought from home instead of commuting home to cook, then heading back out.
I usually cook some vegetable sides, some different starches (pasta & sauce, polenta, rissoto etc.) and a roasted meat. I usually eat the food as it is a couple nights and then start quickly turning the food into different dishes for the rest of the week (add olives, anchovies and capers to a red sauce to turn it into putanessca sauce - meatballs into meatball sub, etc). I also will pick up fresh fish and meats throughout the week now and again to quickly cook that night if I'm in the mood.
Shopping wise, Wednesdays the farmers market comes to the park near me so I stock up on produce then. On Fridays on the way home from work, I'll stop at all my places (butcher, cheese place, baker, etc) and get what I need for my menu and to have in the house. Then every month or so I restock the pantry at a bigger supermarket.
I freeze so many leftovers my freezer is almost it's own restaurant as well.
EliEats at 4:44PM on 09/15/09
Not well this week!
Due to some guests and an unplanned dinner out, we accidentally over-bought. The tragic result was that a 1lb cod fillet went "off" in our fridge while waiting to be consumed and to add insult to injury, we ended up having two and a half hot dogs each for dinner tonight just to get rid of them and their week-old rolls. I feel totally gross now.
yayfood at 9:23PM on 09/15/09
You are all so organized it is amazing! I don't cook every night (I live somewhere that meals are provided) but....when I do cook it is like this.
Wake up in the morning ponder what I am in the mood to cook and eat. Scour recipes online then head off to grocery store usually forgetting to check what I have in the house. Start to cook while trying not to get food on the laptop. Head back to the store to get what I have forgotten. Finish cooking and then enjoy the hell out of it. Spend some time convincing my family to tell me 1. the food was wonderful and 2. I am wonderful for cooking it for them.
Again, I am really amazed at how organized and plan-ahead-y everyone else seems to be!!
kpope at 9:39PM on 09/16/09