Meal Planning for Our Household

In yesterday's Small Successes comments, ViolinMama asked about my 4-week meal plan, so I thought I'd share it w/ you. (BTW - She is going to be homeschooling this fall & has started a second blog to highlight their adventures. Check it out - A Rosey Outlook Adventure: Homeschooling)

The first thing I did was make a list of the main dishes most of us like. I do have one extremely picky eater, but I've decided that if he doesn't like what we're having, he can make himself a PB&J sandwich or have a bowl of cereal. Next, I took a blank calendar page & started plugging in the food, making sure that there were not two chickens in a row or two pastas in a row.

So, the following is what is on our schedule for one month of main dishes.

Week One
Sunday - Quiche
Monday - Quesidillas
Tuesday - Kielbasa
Wednesday - Meatloaf
Thursday - Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
Friday - Subs
Saturday - Pizza

Week Two
Sunday - Stir Fry
Monday - Chicken Nuggets or Patties
Tuesday - Pasta
Wednesday - Turkey Noodle Casserole
Thursday - Spaghetti w/ Beans & Broccoli (no sauce)
Friday - Chicken Wraps
Saturday - Pizza

Week Three
Sunday - Roast
Monday - Tostadas or Tacos
Tuesday - Baked Chicken
Wednesday - Ham Steak
Thursday - Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
Friday - Subs
Saturday - Pizza

Week Four
Sunday - Stir Fry
Monday - Taco Pie
Tuesday - Pasta
Wednesday - Burgers
Thursday - Pork Schnitzel
Friday - Ham w/ Beans & Rice
Saturday - Pizza

One of the first things you probably noticed is that pizza is listed for every Saturday. This is for Casinodad's benefit! I work all day Saturday, so having either a frozen pizza or a roll of pizza dough in the fridge makes things easier for him.

Also, there are a couple meals that occur every other week. The Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole is a favorite around here, so I made sure to put it on twice. Other things can be varied: Pasta might be spaghetti, rigatoni, or lasagna. The stir fry may be w/ chicken, pork, or steak & the veggies will be different each time. Quiche could be spinach or bacon or both. Subs one week might include turkey, salami, & cheese while the next time might be ham & cheese. So, even though the meals are planned for each week, there is a lot of flexibility.

I make my shopping list once a week, depending on what we already have on hand & what we'll need for the next week's meals. I also make sure to have a variety of veggies & fruits for side dishes, plenty of lunch & breakfast items (mac & cheese, hot dogs, PB&J, cheese tortillas, cereals, bagels, eggs, bacon, etc.)

This plan may not be perfect 100% healthy, but over the past few weeks, I've found that it works for us. As we move into fall & winter, I'll probably tweak a few things here & there to include soups, chili, & other comfort foods.

If any of the above meals sounds good to you, let me know & I'd be more than happy to pass on the recipe.