Weekly Menu and Groceries. What's your game plan?

[hoops5]

It's another Sunday and another work week/school week coming up. Hopefully it's a normal week full of all the extracurricular activities, practices and games.

 

I struggle each week to come up with a game plan for the weekly family menu and subsequent grocery list. Thought I would check with our BGP families for suggestions.

 

What do you do? Do you cook one or two meals then have leftovers? Are there certain nights that you do carry-out versus cook? Do you have a set menu?

 

Please share your suggestions here.

[LCDAWGS19]

I'm single...I PA basketball, and coach softball. The crock pot is my friend. 2 or 3 meals a week and eat on them all week. Make a list of what I need before I go to the store.

[mcpapa]

With just two of us in the house, today's dinners often double as tomorrow's lunches. Even when we go out to eat.

 

We have two refrigerators and a deep freeze, as well as two cupboards full of cans, pasta, rice, etc. Many of our trips to Kroger(s) are for pet food, pop, milk, perishables.

 

When wife is home for the summer from school (who knows WHEN that will be), she makes a weekly menu.

[Lawnboy13]

We have grilled chicken, pork roast, salmon/trout, homemade beef vegetable, BLT's, once a week with the usual assortment of vegetables (broccoli, green beans, red and green peppers, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes. One night I will also make omelettes w/tomatoes, peppers, onions, ham, diced chicken or turkey, swiss & cheddar cheese....nothing better than breakfast for dinner.

 

However, with softball season approaching this menu gets severely altered. :lol2:

[mcpapa]

Oysters marked down at Kroger(s) today. The wife fries them in cracker meal and they are fantastic. They will be on the menu quite soon, papa stated with high confidence.

[kyyank]

Always keep it simple. Big meal Sunday.This is followed by chicken in oven, a shepherds pie, spaghetti with sauce made on weekend, french dip from crock pot, oven pork chops, chicken with cheese mushroom soup bake. Lot of ways to do chicken btw. Throw in an every man for himself and take out every Friday.

[mcpapa]

Always keep it simple. Big meal Sunday.This is followed by chicken in oven, a shepherds pie, spaghetti with sauce made on weekend, french dip from crock pot, oven pork chops, chicken with cheese mushroom soup bake. Lot of ways to do chicken btw. Throw in an every man for himself and take out every Friday.

 

My mom must have cooked chicken a hundred ways. Still economical. Chicken cacciatore, chicken parmesan, chicken marsala, chicken and noodles, chicken a la king, chicken pot pie/shepherd's pie, chicken Kiev, chicken cordon bleu, chicken tetrazinni, chicken enchiladas. Even ol' papa makes a killer chicken salad using rotisserie chicken, Duke's mayonnaise, onion, white grapes, pecans and celery. Celery optional.

 

Not to mention good old fried chicken.

 

One great thing about the wife (well, there's more than one) is that we NEVER get in a "meal rut".

[gold sunrise]

It's another Sunday and another work week/school week coming up. Hopefully it's a normal week full of all the extracurricular activities, practices and games.

 

I struggle each week to come up with a game plan for the weekly family menu and subsequent grocery list. Thought I would check with our BGP families for suggestions.

 

What do you do? Do you cook one or two meals then have leftovers? Are there certain nights that you do carry-out versus cook? Do you have a set menu?

 

Please share your suggestions here.

 

I am retired so my situation is different. I do check the weekly specials on Sunday for Meijers and that helps me plan my menus. I also check Krogers on the net on Tuesday. Also I have 2 upright freezers, 2 side-by-sides and 1 chest freezer that are all full. I cook a big supper every weekday, we hardly ever eat out or eat fast food. I will also check for discounted meats and veggies at Krogers and they will run some good specials. Aspargus is on sale this week at Meijers so we are having that Tomorrow night along with Baked Cod fish, on sale last week at Kroger, and homemade mac and cheese. Then I have a Dr apt in Lexington on Tuesday, so I will make Chili and put in the crock pot before I leave the house. We will have grilled cheese adn fresh fruit salad. Also Districts start this week so I want something easy to fix and clean up so I can either attend the games or listen on the net and give updates.

 

 

Wed. I have planned Blue cheese burgers, they have a special of ground chuck every Tuesday at the Fresh Market in Lexington for 2.99 lb. I won't buy it anywhere else .Best I have ever eaten. Along with that we will most likely have loaded FF and snow peas.

 

Thursday I have planned Pulled pork, from a roast I got on sale at Kroger last week and put in the freezer. I will cook this in my crock pot. Along with baked beans and corn I froze last summer. So If I get to go to District finals, supper will be cooked for my son when he gets in from work.

 

Friday I have planned Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuit, gravy and home grown canned green beans.

 

Saturday I will fix a big breakfast and then my son and I plan on going to UK game......so we actually do plan on eating out that night. My husband is in Florida so I have been fixing things my son and I like. We will eat leftovers, but my husband....WILL NOT.

 

Don't know if this helped much, as everyone's lifestyle is different as are their family routines. One thing I can say is that I am a fugal shopper and try to buy things when they are on sale , but at the same time I don't skimp on the food we eat either.

[JDEaston]

Oysters marked down at Kroger(s) today. The wife fries them in cracker meal and they are fantastic. They will be on the menu quite soon' date=' papa stated with high confidence.[/quote']

 

Stop it..

[nees1212]

The wife menu plans about 3 weeks out. The meals revolve around the kids' schedules. If they have practice during the week, it's an easy crockpot meal (easy meaning no big side dishes) or something that we can cook quickly (quesadillas, grill cheese, etc). If they don't have practice, I can take the time to cook something. If there is a game around dinner time on Saturday, we'll pick something up while we're out. One thing is always a certain, Taco Tuesdays. We always have a variation of tacos on Tuesdays.

[hoops5]

The wife menu plans about 3 weeks out. The meals revolve around the kids' schedules. If they have practice during the week, it's an easy crockpot meal (easy meaning no big side dishes) or something that we can cook quickly (quesadillas, grill cheese, etc). If they don't have practice, I can take the time to cook something. If there is a game around dinner time on Saturday, we'll pick something up while we're out. One thing is always a certain, Taco Tuesdays. We always have a variation of tacos on Tuesdays.

I like the Taco Tuesday thing. We usually have tacos about once a week or so. Chicken tenders either grilled or fried is a another weekly event. Pizza, either homemade, frozen or carry-out happens once a week. With Lent, Fridays will be fish---either a fish fry or fish sticks and grilled fish at home. Spaghetti is another regular event.

 

I like Lawnboy13's suggestion of breakfast night. My kids would go for some eggs and bacon anytime.

 

I would love to try some different stuff, but my kids just won't eat new and different stuff, so it's a wasted effort.

[nkypete]

Most of the discussion has been about dinner menus. I have found lunch at work to be very challenging unless I take control of it. There are fewer, inexpensive, but good places to eat in downtown Cincinnati near my building. If I am lazy and don't pack something (instead falling in the "sleep a few extra minutes" trap), I usually end up spending more and eating more than I should. If I don't pack a traditional sandwich/chips/fruit lunch, I'll take my shaker and ingredients for a protein shake. I'll bring some string cheese, nuts, and yogurt for snacks in between. I'll take the extra time to go walking or to workout in our company gym. Maybe I can lose a few pounds along the way.

[75center]

We keep the freezer and pantry well stocked. Go out to breakfast very early on Saturday then hit the grocery before the crowds. Usually are only picking up bread, milk, fruit and vegetables. We often do a couple meals in the crock pots on Sunday so we can throw them together quickly during the week.

[BirdBrain]

Wish we did better at our house, but we find ourselves in the gym 4 - 6 nights a week during basketball with softball quickly following for another 3 - 4 nights a week.

 

I've eaten more hot dogs and pizza in the last 3 months than anyone should have to, with the alternative being that you end up eating a full meal really late at night.

 

I think this weather has a lot to do with the meal plan. We trend toward the comfort food meals with heavy carbs, we then probably overeat...

 

I wish we could get onto a meal plan at the BB nest, but we seem to do all right winging it...:up:

[Lawnboy13]

Wish we did better at our house, but we find ourselves in the gym 4 - 6 nights a week during basketball with softball quickly following for another 3 - 4 nights a week.

 

I've eaten more hot dogs and pizza in the last 3 months than anyone should have to, with the alternative being that you end up eating a full meal really late at night.

 

I think this weather has a lot to do with the meal plan. We trend toward the comfort food meals with heavy carbs, we then probably overeat...

 

I wish we could get onto a meal plan at the BB nest, but we seem to do all right winging it...:up:

 

Crack the whip on Mrs. BirdBrain, with all you do it's the least she could do.....she SHOULD have a warm meal waiting for her man every night.