This is something I am supposed to do.
Every so often, I get efficient and plan a week's menus, but most of the time my menu planning is a haphazard, last-minute affair jumbled out of whatever is in the fridge and pantry, recipes I have seen and food I have eaten, energy and time costs, and the all important question of whether my family will eat the food. Sadly, this last is the biggest problem. My husband can't eat seafood, can't or won't eat beans, won't eat anything spicy, and prefers not to eat anything outside his comfort zone. My son will eat plain pasta, pizza, fried chicken, steak, burgers, and peanut butter sandwiches. I don't think I left anything out of that list. My daughter is pretty easy; she will try most things and enjoy many. However, she has a strong bias against soup, my absolute favorite food to cook and eat. Me, I like everything except lima beans and cottage cheese, and I'm not sure about the lima beans.
However, if Flo is to be thrifty, she must plan menus. Here's what's up for the next few days:
Tonight (my children's half birthday): Steak, baked potatoes, salad, and probably half a cake. :-)
Tomorrow: Chicken Stroganoff with fetuccine (from the Cheap, Fast, Good! cookbook), using up the on-sale split chicken breasts I poached on Saturday (the broth was used in a cauliflower-cheese soup)
Next: Fish Creole with rice, same cookbook, using up some of the tilapia that has been in the freezer a while
Saturday: Beef goulash (using up some frozen beef cubes), noodles, green beans
Sunday: Seashells with tuna and Dijon cream from the Cheap...! cookbook again
My son will eat only the steak and plain fetuccine from this list, so I will give him hamburgers or peanut butter sandwiches on the other nights. :-(
I will let you, my millions of loyal fans, know how all these things turn out and whether I have the stamina to keep planning.
I tend to meal plan on Sundays as well. This gives me a chance to review what's in my larder and to plan my grocery shopping. I like to shop more on a daily basis rather than a weekly basis as that gives me a chance to adjust my plans.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is the pickiest one of our lot. He complains about any sugar in any food . . . including naturally sweet foods like sweet potatoes! My kids won't touch seafood.
I do try to cook smart carb. I try to avoid refined sugars and use honey, molasses and maple syrup more than white/brown sugar. I plan three "big" meals a week rather than one for each day. Some days we have leftovers, some days we don't.
I call Fridays "Junk Food Friday" as I'm willing to use frozen items (although, I try to still keep it all-natural). However, I'm known to pick up frozen pizzas on junk food day!
I'm really enjoying my big-to-me American kitchen!
And I'm enjoying the fact that you're in an American time zone! :-)
ReplyDeleteHow do you manage shopping on a daily basis? Although having said that, I realize I am often in the supermarket three times a week.