(A meal we had on our staycation...hamburgers, sauteed lemon asparagus, grilled red potatoes and ice cream for dessert-yes it tasted as good as it looked! :)
Seriously. Every mom I have talked to and even those I haven't, but who have posted on FB have been in a menu planning slump. I was talking with Beth and she said it was a 'national' issue. :) Her sister in law in CO even emailed asking for a few favorite recipes so that she could get on the ball making more then leftovers for dinner.
At the Hime home we are struggling too. I talked this over recently with Justin who said there was an easy fix. Easy? Really?--let me hear it! (The easy part is saying I can do better the hard part is actually cooking and planning! But he did rattle off about 20 recipes that I could add to the weekly menu)... and then finished off with this statement,
"it's not about making what sounds good...it's about making what is on the menu that you know is healthy, good and satisfying."
This simple statement got me thinking...yes, if I am always thinking, 'what sounds good to eat' I find it is 4:00 and I haven't stated dinner yet. But if I have a recipe on the calender that I know is yummy I can prepare during naps and then have it ready to go around supper time.
So with that in mind I am going to once again sit down and plan our next few meals. I am determined to love my family by cooking well!
If you all have things that you are doing to help with meal planning PLEASE share!
Some ideas-
Mexican: Chimi's, Sloppy Chicken Tacos, Enchiladas, Taco Salad, Fish tacos
Italian: Lady and the Tramp Speg. and Meatballs, Chicken Parm, Spring veggie pasta, crock pot lasagna
American: Hamburgers, Chicken fingers, Hot Subs, Baked Chicken, Pizza, ice cream and popcorn, chicken/tuna/egg salad, cobb (or any) salad, Quiche, breakfast, bar b que beef/chicken, Salmon, pot roast
Asian: Potstickers, Fried Rice, Spring rolls
Side Dishes: peas-steamed, carrots-steamed or baked, potatoes-fries, baked, mashed, grilled, sweet, corn-steamed or whole ear, asparagus-baked or sauteed, squash and onions sauteed, pasta salad, salsa and chips, guac and chips, rice, toast
Mexican: Chimi's, Sloppy Chicken Tacos, Enchiladas, Taco Salad, Fish tacos
Italian: Lady and the Tramp Speg. and Meatballs, Chicken Parm, Spring veggie pasta, crock pot lasagna
American: Hamburgers, Chicken fingers, Hot Subs, Baked Chicken, Pizza, ice cream and popcorn, chicken/tuna/egg salad, cobb (or any) salad, Quiche, breakfast, bar b que beef/chicken, Salmon, pot roast
Asian: Potstickers, Fried Rice, Spring rolls
Side Dishes: peas-steamed, carrots-steamed or baked, potatoes-fries, baked, mashed, grilled, sweet, corn-steamed or whole ear, asparagus-baked or sauteed, squash and onions sauteed, pasta salad, salsa and chips, guac and chips, rice, toast
3 comments:
i think this is a great post, I always bum ideas for dinner off your blog!
Being a student, if I don't do it ahead of time, it doesn't happen- so the crockpot is my best friend! Besides, even if chili doesn't sound amazing to make in the morning, by the time I come home from class and smell the aroma, my mind has been changed!
Also, I don't beat myself up if I can't think of something to make.. I usually do that once a week and that is our "on the fly out to eat night" financially we can't afford to do it more than once a week- but there are several affordable healthy eat out options that are just a nice break for me during this season (subway, an idian take out, and having a good coupon book on hand for bogo entrees[there is one for raleigh, and I always pack augustine's dinner when we go out to eat so we aren't paying for his]). I think it is also nice to ask for Shaun's help with dinner when I am in a slump- usually it is once a week when I ask, and he'll cook the meat and i'll prepare the veggies (this makes dinner-prep fun). Or he'll make breakfast for dinner. Or he'll suggest something fun like popcorn or yogurt with fruit and honey.
I think the biggest deal is to avoid high expectations for dinner but still enable ourselves to eat healthy. that's my two cents for what it is worth- definitely going to try these. You should create a recipe index on your blog so I can click it and all the posts about food come up so when I am in a real slump I'll know where to go!
im rambling... thanks for this Gi!
I've been assigning meal types to each night. Like chicken, beef, grill, crockpot, easy, soup etc. Then I pick two recipes for each type and plan a two week menu. This is then repeated two times during the month. If I was on top of it I'd have a freezer cooking day to make up as much of it ahead of time. If not, it's still great to have the whole month pretty much planned out before it starts!!
Oh and keeping a running list of favorites that fit in each category makes it easy to refer back to when creating the monthly meal plan.
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