Menu Planning

Let me tell you what my evening schedule looks like this week. Let's see....first we'll go to a baseball game, then we'll go to another baseball game, and after that we'll go to yet another baseball game.  That schedule will repeat itself over and over for the next few months. Except there will be even more baseball squeezed in as spring and summer wear on. 

As we endure enjoy this hectic time, my menu plans will lose variety and gain simplicity. I'll cook less and buy more pizza and subs. Saving my sanity will become a priority and a constant struggle. Hopefully this week's meals will fit our schedule and feed my family well. 

Here's this week's menu plan:

Breakfasts around our house tend to be a fend-for-yourself affair. I try to keep a wide enough selection of items on hand that the kids can either fix for themselves or can fix with minimal help. Also, since my husband works a job with odd hours, every meal is not a "family meal". When Dad is at work, I try to keep things simple to save time and my sanity (well, whatever sanity I have left by dinner time.). I've marked our "family meals" with an asterisk (*).

BREAKFAST
Leftover pancakes
Cereal
Pop Tarts (awful, huh?)
Oatmeal
Eggs
Toast
Yogurt
Smoothies
Fruit

LUNCH
Sandwiches
Cheese, lunchmeat, crackers
Boiled eggs
Mac and cheese
Fish sticks
Leftovers
Fruit
Veggies and dip

DINNER
*Tacos
Pasta with garlic and olive oil, salad
*Chili (crock pot)
Quesadillas, leftover soups, veggie soup
Hot dogs, chili, salad
Homemade pizza
*Burritos, salad

Be sure to check out more menu ideas over at Menu Plan Monday.

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I haven't posted my weekly meals in forever because I've just been so busy lazy. Yep, that's the truth of it. But we have eaten meals (in case you're wondering), and I have written out a menu (most weeks). I even forced myself to make a monthly menu plan for March. I didn't follow it exactly, but it did help keep me on the right track.

Here's this week's menu plan:

Breakfasts around our house tend to be a fend-for-yourself affair. I try to keep a wide enough selection of items on hand that the kids can either fix for themselves or can fix with minimal help. Also, since my husband works a job with odd hours, every meal is not a "family meal". When Dad is at work, I try to keep things simple to save time and my sanity (well, whatever sanity I have left by dinner time.). I've marked our "family meals" with an asterisk (*).

BREAKFAST
Leftover pancakes
Homemade granola
Pumpkin muffins
Cereal
Pop Tarts (horrible, right?)
Oatmeal
Eggs
Homemade bread
Toast
Yogurt
Fruit

LUNCH
*Pressed sandwiches
*Hot dogs, chips, veggies
Sandwiches
Mac & cheese
Quesadillas
Cheese, lunchmeat, crackers
Boiled eggs
Leftovers
Fruit
Veggies and dip

DINNER
*Salad with chicken, homemade Greek dressing
Pancakes, homemade syrup, homemade applesauce
Stir fry
*Black bean soup, cornbread, salad
Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread with cheese, salad
Leftovers
*Kebobs, rice pilaf

So, have you been making a weekly menu plan or simply taking it a day at a time? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Be sure to check out more menu ideas over at Menu Plan Monday.

I'm not particularly creative or gifted when it comes to menu planning. I quickly run out of ideas, and I tend to make the same foods again and again. We always survive, but I don't usually feel much pride when I look at the list of meals I've come up with.

This week is a little different. Just a little different, but I'll take what I can get.

I didn't have any new or exciting ideas, but I did plan for some favorites. And the very best part of this menu is the fact that I'm doing the old "cook once, eat twice" thing. Sure, it sort of happened by accident, but I'll take all the credit anyway.

Here's this week's menu plan:

Breakfasts around our house tend to be a fend-for-yourself affair. I try to keep a wide enough selection of items on hand that the kids can either fix for themselves or can fix with minimal help. Also, since my husband works a job with odd hours, every meal is not a "family meal". When Dad is at work, I try to keep things simple to save time and my sanity (well, whatever sanity I have left by dinner time.). I've marked our "family meals" with an asterisk (*).

BREAKFAST
Leftover pancakes
Homemade granola
Pumpkin muffins
English muffins
Cereal
Oatmeal
Eggs
Homemade bread
Toast
Yogurt
Fruit

LUNCH
Sandwiches
Cheese, lunchmeat, crackers
Boiled eggs
Leftovers
Fruit
Veggies and dip

DINNER
Quick Chicken, rice pilaf, peas
Black bean soup, cornbread
Wraps (made with leftover Quick Chick), cole slaw
Meatball subs, salad
Spaghetti and meatballs (using the meatballs leftover from subs), garlic bread
Turkey noodle soup
Homemade pizza, chips

Be sure to check out more menu ideas over at Menu Plan Monday.

The holidays always involve unusual schedules for us. This week is especially crazy because my husband has four days off work. That's great! But it also creates a challenge for me when it comes to meal planning.

My husband is rarely home for meals on his work days. That's just life in the restaurant biz. So when we have lots of family meals that need prepared, I have to work a little harder than normal. It's a small price to pay compared to the enjoyment of having my hubby around.

The biggest challenge this week is figuring out healthy meals to fill in the blanks on my menu plan. We're trying to get in better shape, but I'm not so good at coming up with creative meals that aren't full of fat, carbs, and calories. I'm hoping that our scheduled menu items will be a hit....without hitting our waistlines.

Here's this week's menu plan:

Breakfasts around our house tend to be a fend-for-yourself affair. I try to keep a wide enough selection of items on hand that the kids can either fix for themselves or can fix with minimal help. Also, since my husband works a job with odd hours, every meal is not a "family meal". When Dad is at work, I try to keep things simple to save time and my sanity (well, whatever sanity I have left by dinner time.). I've marked our "family meals" with an asterisk (*).

BREAKFAST
Leftover pancakes
Homemade granola
Pumpkin muffins
Cereal
Oatmeal
English muffins
Eggs
Homemade bread
Toast
Yogurt
Fruit

LUNCH
*Pressed sandwiches
Sandwiches
Cheese, lunchmeat, crackers
Boiled eggs
Chicken nuggets
Leftovers
Fruit
Veggies and dip

DINNER
*Navy Bean Soup, bread, salad
Sausage gravy and biscuits, fruit salad
*Quick Chicken, rice, salad
*Chicken fajitas, chips, homemade salsa
Spaghetti and meat sauce, garlic bread, salad
*Homemade pizza
Pancakes, homemade syrup, applesauce, smoothies

Be sure to check out more menu ideas over at Menu Plan Monday.

Do you have a busy week? We would love to hear about it!

I had a great holiday week and weekend with my family. I did a whole lot of nothing. Gotta love that. Now it's time to get back to the normal schedule and flow of life around here. I wish that was easy for me, but it's not.

The full refrigerator and plenty of Christmas sale shopping kept me out of the grocery store, which makes for a nice break. It also makes for an unusual mix of odds and ends to try to transform into meals and snacks. I was tempted to ignore menu planning this week. I considered just winging it.

Bad idea.

Instead, I got out my monthly menu plan, peeked into the freezer, and figured out a few things I could throw together for my family (after I make a very quick stop at the store). I'm sure I'll be thankful for a meal plan as the week goes along, especially since I'm also trying to catch up on laundry, put up Christmas decorations, finish the weekly cleaning, make my calendar.......

Here's this week's menu plan:

Breakfasts around our house tend to be a fend-for-yourself affair. I try to keep a wide enough selection of items on hand that the kids can either fix for themselves or can fix with minimal help. Also, since my husband works a job with odd hours, every meal is not a "family meal". When Dad is at work, I try to keep things simple to save time and my sanity (well, whatever sanity I have left by dinner time.). I've marked our "family meals" with an asterisk (*).

BREAKFAST
Leftover pancakes
Homemade granola
English muffins
Pumpkin muffins
Cereal
Oatmeal
Eggs
Homemade bread
Toast
Yogurt
Fruit

LUNCH
*Pressed sandwiches
Sandwiches
Cheese, lunchmeat, crackers
Boiled eggs
Chicken nuggets
Leftovers
Fruit
Veggies and dip

DINNER
Baked rigatoni with meat sauce, salad
Turkey pot pie, salad
*Broiled chicken, rice pilaf, roasted cauliflower, salad
*Tacos or taco salad
Hot dogs, fruit salad
Homemade pizza, veggies

Be sure to check out more menu ideas over at Menu Plan Monday.