Planning meals??

[Aurora63]

How far in advance do you plan meals, specifically dinner?? For the life of me, I can't seem to plan more than a day or two in advance. I'm very busy at work, so it would help if I'd get better at this, but most of the time my DH and I stare blankly at each other, saying, "What do you want to eat? I dunno, what do you want?" Like a bad commercial!

So, do you plan dinners in advance, how far in advance, and what kinds of intricate meals are you planning (read: prep time of ten minutes or less! I am no gourmet!)

Please help! The madness must stop!

 

[pearlieq]

If it works for some people, great, but it's not for me. How am I supposed to know if I'm going to want spaghetti next Thursday?

What we do is I make a list of all of the meals I can make out of what we have on hand and then I post it on the fridge. DH and I look at it together and decide what we want for dinner the next night. When something is used up, we cross it off the list and I update the whole thing on the weekends.

 

[CharmCityGirl]

I recently tried one of the meal preparation places (not sure what to call it!) called Let's Dish. It was wonderful! No more standing around and asking each other what you want for dinner at 6:30PM. Just pull one out of the freezer the night before to thaw and then cook it up when you get home from work the next day. The cooking instructions were easy to follow. Another just opened around me too called, My Girlfriend's Kitchen. I think I might give it a try next.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I make a list of 5-6 meals and make the grocery list off that. So, when I get home, we know we have 5-6 meals we can choose from.

I do not want to plan each day's meal. The night before, we usually decide what we want (so we can thaw it in time if frozen) Or the next day at work we'll decide what we want.

When we run out of meals, I know it's time to hit the grocery store again =)

 

[RunDanceSkate]

We had everyone make of list of meals they liked and marked their favs. We then created a list of 28 meals, everything from storebought lasanga with garlic bread and ceasar salsd to fahitas, something like pot roast counts as 2 meals, pot roast then beef stew. We put favs on the list more then once. I shop for two weeks at a time and buy everything for 14meals. We then put those 14 meals onto the calendar, if we eat out, we move that meal to the next open day and I buy only 13 meals. Meals are flexible and anyone can move them around but it has to be before I pull frozen stuff out of the freezer. I no longer use my chest freezer just my side by side and everything fits.

We did it to save money by budgeting better, also because we have so little storage space in this kitchen that I can't have extra canned goods or 8 kinds of cereal. It was a shock the first time at the end of two weeks when I saw how bare our cupboards and fridge were. For the first 2 weeks I planned around what we already had on hand in the house. If we ever are unable to make it to the grocery store for the buying trip we are in trouble because we will starve. Luckily we have several stores within walking distance that I could send DS to to pick up a meal and there is always pizza delivery. I have shared my list with a few friends and they subbed in their own fav meals and started doing it too.

I also have a cleaner fridge and cupboard because when they are basically empty I can easily wipe them out.

Cindy

 

[hopemax]

We go to the store on Sundays and before we go, we figure out what we want for meals that week and then make the shopping list. Usually we will eat out/order in one night, and DH is usually out Friday nights so that leaves 5 meals. I try to split it with things that are easy and things that are more complicated. I have started looking at the sale papers on Wednesday and see what is on sale, and that usually determines our meals for the week too.

 

[suzimar57]

our meal schedule doesn't vary much:

monday: chicken
tuesday: steak
wednesday: spaghetti
thursday: meatloaf
friday: baked ziti or macaroni & cheese
saturday: order chinese or pizza
sunday: spaghetti

(yes - we eat a lot of pasta - my DH doesn't like "change", so this is the way it is, pretty much, the past 10+ years, except for christmas - then i make a turkey - boring, huh?)

 

[disykat]

If it works for some people, great, but it's not for me. How am I supposed to know if I'm going to want spaghetti next Thursday?

What we do is I make a list of all of the meals I can make out of what we have on hand and then I post it on the fridge. DH and I look at it together and decide what we want for dinner the next night. When something is used up, we cross it off the list and I update the whole thing on the weekends.

This is exactly what I do. When the list is mostly crossed off then I know it's time to sit down and plan some meals so I can do another grocery trip.

 

[Beth76]

I recently tried one of the meal preparation places (not sure what to call it!) called Let's Dish. It was wonderful! No more standing around and asking each other what you want for dinner at 6:30PM. Just pull one out of the freezer the night before to thaw and then cook it up when you get home from work the next day. The cooking instructions were easy to follow. Another just opened around me too called, My Girlfriend's Kitchen. I think I might give it a try next.

Haha! As soon as I saw this thread I said to myself "That's it I am going to go to Meal Makers." My friend and I have been talking about doing this for over a year and we've never done it.

We have a Meal Makers right by our house and within 15 minutes we have like another 3-4 of those types of places.

OP, some easy things for me is to get the big bags of frozen food from Sam's. One of my favorites is the Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia. They cook from frozen in about 20 minutes. So easy, and I don't have to worry about defrosting something or getting it started on time. And I try to have a bunch of frozen veggie things on hand. I know fresh is better, but frozen is easier and doesn't go bad.

 

[funhouse8]

I usually look in the cookbook or go online allrecipes.com is get and find some meals I would like to make. Nothing to differcult. My DD give me Rachel Rays meals in 30 min for 365 days and I'm enjoying this. I buy everything I need for the week, We usually will also have one take out. I make a list and purchase everything needed for that week. I decide day by day which meal I want to make that day. This works for me better then just going into the supermarket without a plan. If I happen to see something different I want to make while I'm there I just change it up a little bit.

 

[princess pooh]

I plan out our meals for the week and do the grocery shopping over the weekend. I'm usually dead tired by the time I get home from work so it helps that everything is planned out already. Also, I don't think I could stand going to the grocery store more than once a week.

I also keep stuff like frozen shrimp and veggies in the freezer in case I'm too tired to cook.

 

[holycow]

Aurora....you sound just like me! Except after 26 years I have to say I am just burnt out on planning meals.


Everyone has great ideas thanks!~

 

[AKL_Megs]

If it works for some people, great, but it's not for me. How am I supposed to know if I'm going to want spaghetti next Thursday?

What we do is I make a list of all of the meals I can make out of what we have on hand and then I post it on the fridge. DH and I look at it together and decide what we want for dinner the next night. When something is used up, we cross it off the list and I update the whole thing on the weekends.

That's pretty much what I do, but DF only gets to choose what he feels like if he is HOME (he gets off work before me) when I get home from work and start cooking, otherwise, I choose myself (because I'm not waiting...).

 

[PixiePop]

We plan our meals for the week. We do not schedule a set meal for each night, it just depends on how we feel and our schedule.

 

[L107ANGEL]

I usually look in the cookbook or go online allrecipes.com is get and find some meals I would like to make. Nothing to differcult. My DD give me Rachel Rays meals in 30 min for 365 days and I'm enjoying this. I buy everything I need for the week, We usually will also have one take out. I make a list and purchase everything needed for that week. I decide day by day which meal I want to make that day. This works for me better then just going into the supermarket without a plan. If I happen to see something different I want to make while I'm there I just change it up a little bit.

Do you love this???? I think I may ask for it for mothers day!

 

[luv2nascar]

I usually buy 1 weeks worth at a time. Just get all the ingredients and decide what I have time for and what we are hungry for each night. If I don't use it I freeze the meat etc. it works for me. I can't stand what do you want I don't know what do you want. I also plan for meals with what's on sale that week. So my menu is usually flexible.

 

[Saphire]

Talking with co-workers at lunch, I discovered I was only one of two people to plan the menu in advance! Everyone else at the table had no idea what was for dinner on that evening or the next. Several mentioned the thought stated above by pearlieg..."what if you don't feel like spaghetti?" I guess I am so used to planning my menu one week in advance, I am just used to obeying it and liking whats on there, lol!
I sit down with cookbooks or look online (allrecipes.com) for ideas, I also like The Food Network and have tried many Rachael Ray and Ina Garten recipes. I make the menu for the week, while looking in the store circular to list the items on sale. I usually have to use the calendar too, because some nights have different things going on, etc, so I plan accordingly. The whole thing takes one hour, BUT here are the benefits:

1) I don't have to think about what to make each and every day.
2) I don't have to go to the store to buy it. (I shop once a week)
3) We hardly ever buy fast food because I have a plan.
4) I keep the budget low because my menu is created from the sale items.

I am pretty surprised that I am in the minority, because I think my way makes it easier, and saves time! Good Luck.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Hello, I"m the anal retentive meal planner. I shop and plan for meals for 2 weeks at a time. I have a medium size dry erase board in the kitchen and list out the meals on each day for about 2 weeks and that is also writing in that we eat out on the weekends at least 2x.

If I know in my personal upcoming schedule that I won't be home until at least 7pm, then it's something getting thrown in the crockpot usually. If I'm trying something new that Matt wouldn't be sure how to cook, I have the recipe and everything needed in the receipe out on the counter in case he gets home before I do.

If I decide that we aren't in the spaghetti mood, I switch that day with something else that I know we have in the freezer. If during the week, Matt and I meet up for dinner then I put that in the calendar and move that meal to another day. I know it seems difficult and time consuming but it makes things alot easier if Matt gets home before me, he doesn't have to ask what would be for dinner.

 

[ducklite]

I usually "plan" a couple meals a week before I go to do my shopping, everything else is a couple of days before. I keep my pantry and freezer well-stocked with things that I buy when they are on sale (my grocery/household supplies bill is less than half of retail!) and I'll pull meat out of the freezer a couple days in advance, but sometimes don't difure out exactly what to do with it until that day.

My favorite "one pan" meals are stir-fry, taco's, anything marinated and cooked on the grill, pot roast in the slow cooker, hearty soups in the slow cooker, and chicken piccata. I do a lot of microwaved veggies and don't serve a starch with my meals most of the time. Just protein and veggies.

Anne

 

[PlutoLuvr]

We plan in three-day "chunks." DH & I were diagnosed with high cholesterol a few years back and went on the Omega Diet, which means little to no processed foods. Our cholesterol's back in check now -- DH's is actually better than "just in check" -- but we love our WOE and how lovely whole foods taste.

I always make a lot of food and freeze portions or ingredients for easy meal-planning of future meals. We find we have two or three "quick stops" to the grocery store from Sunday to Sunday instead of the one big trip on weekends. It's also nice not having to figure out on Saturday or Sunday what to buy for the whole week