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Meal plans? Who does them?

cnd1979

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How many of you actually type a meal plan weekly? Do you include lunch and dinner? I know I could dramatically help my budget for "take out" if I planned better. I have time to cook, just not a lot of recipes.
So tell me about your weekly plan, do you hold onto them and just throw that same plan back into rotation in a few weeks?
It is a resolution I made to try this this year. Any info is greatly appreciated. Favorite recipes...even better! I love crock pot recipes.:stir:
 
Yes, I do a meal plan. I usually do one week at a time, only for dinner, with Sunday being "multiple meal cook day." On Sunday, we usually cook a roast or something that we can get 3-5 more meals out of. Yesterday, we did lamb stew with some left over meat, and then used the sauce to make a shephard's pie with left over beef that we will eat p later this week.

I wouldn't say I reuse the same meal plans, as it is very dependent on what's on sale, but we usually have tacos/mexican one or two nights, chicken one night, etc.
 
Well, I don't necessarily "type" a meal plan, but I do make one generally every week. Just for dinners. It helps alot, especially since I've got a start on a "stockpile" from all these great deals!! Plus, most of my meat, etc is frozen rock-solid by this super-freezer that we have...takes a couple of days to thaw! Plus, planning ahead lets me see that I am doing a variety (i.e. meat, chicken, pork, turkey, etc) because if the boys had their way, it would be beef & potatoes every night... actually, no veggie, no sides, just BEEF!
I use allrecipes.com often, as you can search for recipes just using ingredients. I also have a great 30-minute meal cookbook from america's test kitchen that has some good stuff in it.
Try searching for crockpot365.com for crockpot recipes!
 
Yup, I sketch one out. Try not to have chicken every.single.night but it is hard since we don't really do red meat.

Example - last week was spaghetti with turkey meatballs, grilled chicken over salad, bunless turkey burgers and yesterday I made 2 kinds of chili. DH and I will do leftovers, the kids not so much - that chili will be dinner again tonight and the kids can have grilled cheese or something.
 
On Sunday DH and I will talk about the upcoming week. What we have a taste for or if we feel like going/ordering out. I will try and meal plan for the week with what is on sale and what we have on hand.

I also like ALLRECIPES.com and I like the Food Network.

We are really casual and easy some nights we will hot dogs, nachos, sloppy joe's, breaded chicken sandwiches. On Sunday I make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce (enough for 2 meals) eat that night and freeze for following week. I like to make fajita's( New Harbor marinade) and found a great chicken enchilada recipe(that I tweaked) on Campbells.com. We eat pizza at least once a week( frozen, homemade, or take out) Now I make soups, stews and casseroles. I try and make fish or seafood every week. In the summer we grill out a ton.

Our boys are 1 and 3 so that gives me some breathing room. If I make noodles and grapes they act like it is the best meal.
 
Allrecipes is AWESOME...... have found so many great meals through there!

As far as planning goes, I have in the past. I found a printup for free online that made it easy. Maybe google it if you're looking for something already laid out for you.

This post has made me want to start up again! Thanks:)
 
I fly by the seat of my pants! I think about what we have in the house that needs to be used and combine it with what's cheap produce wise at the store and kind of keep that in mind for the week.

For instance, bought the Perdue Italian Short cuts yesterday....realized I have half a bottle of alfredo sauce in the fridge that needed to be used so combined both with a couple of bags of Steamfresh Pasta in the freezer for a quick dinner. Was not what I orginally had planned for dinner...but made more sense.

I tried being all organized and making a game plan for an entire week...but it just didn't work .... 2-3 days out is the best I can come up with!
 
On Sunday DH and I will talk about the upcoming week. What we have a taste for or if we feel like going/ordering out. I will try and meal plan for the week with what is on sale and what we have on hand.

I also like ALLRECIPES.com and I like the Food Network.

We are really casual and easy some nights we will hot dogs, nachos, sloppy joe's, breaded chicken sandwiches. On Sunday I make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce (enough for 2 meals) eat that night and freeze for following week. I like to make fajita's( New Harbor marinade) and found a great chicken enchilada recipe(that I tweaked) on Campbells.com. We eat pizza at least once a week( frozen, homemade, or take out) Now I make soups, stews and casseroles. I try and make fish or seafood every week. In the summer we grill out a ton.

Our boys are 1 and 3 so that gives me some breathing room. If I make noodles and grapes they act like it is the best meal.

Can I get that enchilada recipe? I've always wanted to try that. Can you freeze it?

My problem is my husband never wants what is planned or he's not hungry... My 2 year old won't eat anything. I work full-time, so I need EASY!
 
I am much more relaxed when I have a meal plan laid out for the week.
I look to see what I have on hand and how busy we will be that night while I am planning. Basketball nights are quick meals, nights when just the little kids are home and then regular nights.
I try not to repeat more than once every few weeks. Friday is always pizza night. Sundays that we are not busy are usually more complicated recipes that we don't have often (lasagne, my moms infamous dumplings, etc) Tuesdays my older kids are with their dad and the little kids are more adventurous without the older kids saying eeewwww......Thursdays are usually pot roast/pork roast/pulled pork in the crockpot.
When I don't have a plan laid out I spend my entire day wondering what I am going to make for dinner and that is ridiculous. Its just one meal.....
 
I do it and base it on what's on sale that week or what's in the freezer. I have a stockpile too, but if roasting chickens are .79 a pound, I will buy some and have those one night. IF we have leftovers, I'll use that to make chicken noodle soup. I also have a leftover night. I usually have a night of breakfast food, eggs and bacon or waffles, etc.

So I plan from Thursday to Wednesday. I look at the calendar and figure out when I will be driving a lot after school and those days I make a roast that I can put in the oven earlier or something that cooks quickly. I like to throw stuff in the oven and be done with it. I also try to have nicer meals on the weekend when we aren't in a hurry.

I use allrecipes and other cookbooks. I have a recipe binder that I made. I bought dividers somewhere and then I have the recipes in there that are our favorite and others are marked in cookbooks.

My kids do not like crockpot food, so on that front I have limited opportunities.
 
I have a real good Chicken Enchilada recipe that I got in a mag years ago, we love it. It calls for Salsa Verde.....I will post the recipe when I get home.
 
I don't make an "in-depth" plan, but I do plan what our dinners will be for the week on Saturday night/Sunday.

I plan around our meat. (DH must have a meat for it to be considered a meal :lol: ) I have a dry erase board that I write all meat we put in the various freezers to make sure I eat it before it goes bad or I don't forget about it. I look at this board and pick meats for the week.

We also have a monthly family calendar on the fridge that list appointments, events, committments, etc. I look at this to determine if I need to cook a quick meal, if I should cook a large enough meal the previous day to guarantee leftovers, etc. And then put meals in a specific date based on all of the above.
 
I might think about 1 or 2 dishes to make for the week and pick up the matching ingredients while I am out and about (if I dont have it on hand). But usually I am thinking about whats for dinner the next night as I am taking my last bite of the current dinner...lol

I make this Enchilada recipe from Kraftrecipes.com....I actually just pulled it from my recipe file to make it this week =)...all I need to buy is some healthy tortillas and a green pepper and I am good to go

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-enchiladas-52136.aspx

2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1 green pepper, chopped


4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed


1/2 cup Salsa, divided


8 flour tortillas (6 inch)


1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


1 Tbsp. milk


Make It




HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix chicken, peppers, cream cheese and 1/4 cup salsa in saucepan; cook on low heat until cre.am cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.
SPOON 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, in lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside. Cook VELVEETA and milk in saucepan on low heat until VELVEETA is completely melted, stirring frequently. Pour over enchiladas; cover with foil.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining salsa
 
Yes I do plan to make a meal. :bowing: I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time too. I just make a "normal" meal for DH. My boys are picky and don't eat regular dinners and DH gets home late....too late for me to eat dinner with him so I pick and nibble all day. So I make a couple bigger meals during the week and DH eats the leftovers the other nights since it goes far with just him eating it.

Here's a recipe I've posted before:
Here's the white chicken enchillada recipe that DH just loves:

1/2 stick butter
1 C. chopped onion (do not skimp on the onion....if you don't like to bite bits then cook it down, but use lots.....great flavor)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 flour
1 C. chicken broth (I tend to use a whole can)
1/2 package cream cheese (this is where the taste comes from! Sometimes though just a few T. is enough)
2 C. shredded Mexican cheese divided (or whatever you like)
1 C. chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1/2 can (4 oz.) diced mild green chiles (recipe called for the whole can, but that's too much for us)
1/2 C. diced pimientos (I skip this)
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro (I skip this too)
3/4 C. prepared salsa (I skip this too lol)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 baking dish

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is tender (I cook the onion first and for a long time like 1/2 hour on low so it's mushy then add that jarred minced garlic at the end because it burns quick and warm through). Add flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream cheese; stir until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese, chicken, chiles and pimientos.

3. Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up; place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Pour remaining mixture over enchilladas; sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese.

4. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with salsa.

This recipe came from Taste of Home's Easy Mexican cook book. ;)

Lately I've also been making rice and adding it to the mixture to bulk it up. DH likes rice in anything it can be added to.

Latest thing, I've been putting corn in there too. Basically stuff them with whatever you like. Oh and I've also mixed in a handful of chopped spinach to give some color and vitamins. You can really do anything with this recipe. The more extras you add in, you just might need more broth.
 
I have lots of meal menus. They are from:

Chili's
Outback Steakhouse
Frankly YOURS
Village Tavern

Etc. I'm not really a meal planner but i do make a great chili from the Wendy's recipe.
 
My house is officially..... Fend for yourselves. I am eating healthy, they are not... So there is corn dogs, french bread pizza, enchilladas, tacitos, etc in the freezer...

DS is easy..... He likes grapes, apples, celery, carrots, crackers, pretzles, string cheese, toast, PLAIN pasta.... So he does not fend for himself, but his food is thrown on a plate in a matter of a minute.
 
I don't really do a meal plan but I do plan out my meals for the week (or maybe even 10 days) depending on:
1) what I currently have in the freezer and pantry
2) what might be on sale that week
3) what our schedule is like that week.

My DH is a total food snob. Eating hot dogs or sloppy Joes for dinner just would not fly in this house. I would say 80-90% of our meals are made from scratch and the only thing that would be ready-made might be GG frozen veggies and that's only b/c the fresh produce at the store looked crappy and/or was ridiculously priced that week. I really don't like eating the frozen, ready-made stuff ... it's usually too high in fat and sodium and it doesn't taste very good, so I'd rather just skip it. I do give chicken nuggets and fish sticks to my kids occasionally though ... on those nights when we have fish or lamb chops or something similar, they just won't eat it so I have to have a fallback dinner for them.

One of my resolutions this year was to cook ahead of time and eat later. Sometimes you hear it referred to as "Cook once and eat twice" but that's not exactly what I do. That refers more to this:
http://food.unl.edu/web/fnh/eat-twice
which is making one meal and revamping it for dinner the next night.

What I try to do is cook when I have time (usually weekends) and if I'm making a dish anyway, I double the recipe and have it ready for a future meal.

A few weeks ago when TGT had the free/cheap bread, I bought several loaves, made it into single serving sizes garlic loaves, and froze them all. Now I have ready made garlic bread (no preservatives) for at least the next 12 Italian dinners that we have. When I make meatloaf, I always make 2 and freeze one of them. When I make sweet and sour meatballs, I always double the recipe and make 4lbs instead of 2lbs. When I make baked mostaccioli, I double it and freeze a dinner. When I make rack of lamb, I marinate a 2nd rack and freeze it so that it only needs to be thawed and cooked at a later time. I've made big pots of soup and frozen them in single servings as well. My logic is that I'm taking the time out to make XYZ anyway, why not double the recipe, invest a few extra minutes, and have a ready-made dinner to go for some future date?

So on those nights when I don't know what to make or I'm not feeling well or something, I can just pull out MY home-made and pre-made baked mostaccioli and garlic bread and I don't need to worry about what's for dinner. I also don't need to order pizza or Chinese and have to fork out 25 or 30 bucks that I regret spending the next day b/c I was unmotivated to cook the night before! :lol:

ETA: Forgot to add that I too love Allrecipes.com. I love to try out new recipes and read the comments and know beforehand that I might want to use less salt or butter or change it in some small way. I have a gazillion cookbooks but it's not the same as typing in an ingredient list and having 5 recipes pop up w/ those same ingredients KWIM.
 
I have lots of meal menus. They are from:

Chili's
Outback Steakhouse
Frankly YOURS
Village Tavern

Etc. I'm not really a meal planner but i do make a great chili from the Wendy's recipe.

You can make a killer resvervation! :roll:
 
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