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Monday, January 9, 2012

Menu Plan Monday

This is the first week I'm actually posting my weekly meal plan.  I have been planning weekly menus and corresponding grocery lists since we got married over ten years ago...so, although the buzz is out & about, I've been doing it for over a decade.  Just sayin'.  I typically don't sit down and plan this is what we're having for every single night of the week.  Every other Saturday is my grocery day {with the exception of summer vacation, I take the kids in during the day in the middle of the week}.  If I know we have soccer practice or parent-teacher conferences certain nights of the week, I plan something simple.  Other than that, whatever I feel like getting out of the freezer in the morning is what we'll have that particular night for dinner.  Before I head out to the store, we all sit down together & I ask for dinner ideas.  Everyone throws out their favorites, I write them down, and fill in my computer generated template {which is totally categorized for our specific grocery store for more organized shopping - I get chuckles from family and friends each time it's mentioned}!
 That said, I do all my menu planning every two weeks.  I have enough extra food stocked in the pantry & freezer that we rarely need to make a trip to the store in between, maybe a quick stop for milk, but that is it.  I usually make a big meal on Sunday & know what that will be prior to my shopping trip.
I allow for eating out and ordering in & there are several meals we have every other week like clockwork because they're easy and we all like them - ie: breakfast for dinner, soup & sammies, pizza.  And...I'm not going to lie, there are nights when we do have Ramen noodles, Kraft mac & cheese, or frozen pizza...because that's how we roll.  ;)

Here is our menu for the next two weeks {January 9-21, in no particular order}:
* Leftover baked ziti from last week
* Stuffed peppers with mashed potatoes
* Pot roast with potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker
* Stromboli w/ tossed salad {I use frozen bread dough - we stuff them with pepperoni, cheese, ham, sliced green olives, green peppers, bacon, jalapenos, and broccoli}
* Broccoli-cheddar soup with fresh pumpernickel bread
*Homemade mac & cheese with chicken nuggets
*Baked chicken breasts {tossed in olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper & Italian bread crumbs} with a potato & mixed veggies
*Baked pineapple & ham slice w/ fried potatoes & corn
*Breakfast for dinner {any variation of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, pancakes}
*Soup & sandwiches {ham, pepperoni, cheese on fresh deli rolls and either canned or boxed soup}
*Saturday birthday brunch for Daniel - homemade cinnamon  buns {compliments of my mama}, ham & cheese hash browns, and breakfast pizza...served with coffee, OJ, and iced tea

How do you menu plan?  What is your family eating this week?  Hop over to Organizing Junkie & share!

2 comments:

  1. All sounds yummy :-) Going to have to add the grilled pinepple & ham slice to my next grocery list! Here is my menu for the next 2 weeks...

    Sweet & sour port stirfry w/ white rice, all-in-one0saucy pasta, chili & cornbread, stuffed chili, cheese & broccoli potatos (with the hopes that there will be left over chili!), ground chicken burrito skillet, spicy pecan chicken with noodles & satued asparagus (tonight's meal...and it was yummy!!), asian beef stir fry, crispy dijon chicken and green beans with almonds, veggie stuffed peppers, chipped venison sammys with peppers & onions and mac & cheese and finally, cheese quesidillas w/ salsa, cream cheese, green onions & black beans.
    Looking forward to sharing brunch with you guys :-)

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  2. All that sounds yummy! I need to get some of your recipes!!! Can't wait for the weekend, either!!! :)

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