I started on my menu planning journey by making a master list of all the things I could think of that my kids eat. Now when I have to make a menu, I will just pull one thing from each section of the list, add sides, and be ready to go off to the store. One of the hardest things- decision making- already done!
Now this isn't a food blog, so I am not going to post recipes or links or how-to's, but I will share our master list with you. I will be adding to it as we try new things and decide if they are "list worthy" or not.
Our basic week goes like this-
Sunday: Breakfast for dinner
Monday: Croc pot meal
Tuesday: Mexican (we use that term pretty loosely)
Wednesday: Italian or pasta (again, pretty flexible definition)
Thursday: Chicken or beef (usually some sort of casserole)
Friday: Pizza night
Saturday: Other, anything that we want to eat that doesn't fit in the above plan
And here is a copy of our "meals my kids will eat" list. Some things are healthier than others. I wish there was more variety in some areas. Some are like that because I just don't know how to make some things. Other areas are smaller or left out because my kids just won't eat some things (like beans). You can tell it is unedited because I left in the things like Hamburger Helper and frozen pizza instead of substituting something more interesting like veggie burgers or roasted asparagus or something. So, keeping the above disclaimers in mind, here is our menu planning list!
Meals my kids eat:
Chicken: Chicken noodle soup; Chicken spaghetti; Chicken taquitos; Chicken enchiladas; Chicken salsa tacos; Grilled chicken; Chicken alfredo; Chicken patty- marinara sauce, bbq sauce, plain; Chicken drumsticks; Creamy chicken pockets w spinach and tomatoes; Mandarin chicken salad; Chicken salad sandwiches; Chicken stove top casserole; Chicken and rice bake; Chicken wraps; Chicken nuggets –scratch or frozen; Chicken tenders – honey bbq, marinara, crackers, cereal, buffalo, frozen; Chicken lasagna- frozen; Chicken breast w seasonings or gravy;
Baked chicken w/seasoning
Mexican: Beef tacos; Chicken salsa tacos; Taco salad; Beef taquitos; Nachos; Beef enchiladas- rolled or layered; Rice and chicken quesadillas; Cheese quesadillas; Bean burritos; Bean dips w Spanish rice; Soft tacos w beef or refried beans; Breakfast burritos; Chicken taquitos; Fajitas- chicken or beef; Homemade tortillas; Taco casserole; Fried bean roll ups; Crescent roll taco ring; Chicken and cheese enchiladas
Italian: Lasagna-scratch; Lasagna roll up; Frozen lasagna- white or red; Spinach pasta toss; Spaghetti; Chicken alfredo; Stuffed shells/manicotti; Chicken gnocchi soup; Chicken Parmesan; Ravioli (frozen); Tortellini (frozen) with red or white sauce; Hamburger helper; Lasagna pasta toss
Pizza: Traditional toppings; Bbq chicken; Chicken alfredo; Cheeseburger; Taco; Can crust balls; Cheese breadsticks; Rolls ups; Calzones; Bread dough roll up or braid; Monkey bread pizza bites; Bread sticks; French bread pizza
Chinese: Stir fry- chicken or beef; Noodles; Fried rice; Teriyaki rice bowl; Frozen meals; Spring rolls;
Beef: Beef and barley stew; No water beef stew; Meat balls-bbq, spaghetti, meatloaf; Meatloaf; Hamburgers; Chili; Sour cream noodle bake; Pot roast; Beef stroganoff; Hamburger stew; Bbq beef sandwiches; Steak; Steak kabobs; Shepherd’s pie; See Italian; See Mexican
Other: Hot dogs- plain, pigs in a blanket, chili dogs, beanie weenie; Corn dog muffins; Fish sticks; Baked potatoes w ham, cheese, broc; Grilled- cheese, turkey, ham, pbj; Chef Boyardee; Canned soup; Soup in bread bowls; Sausage and potatoes; Scalloped or augratin potatoes with ham; Pork chops; Tuna/chicken helper meals; Chef Salad w/ eggs, ham, turkey, cheese; Cheese and crackers plate; Sandwiches- rolls, bread, bagels, pitas, tortillas, waffles, English muffins, croissants
Breakfast: Eggs and veggies and ham crescent braid; Oven pancake; Pumpkin pancakes; Oatmeal apple pancake; Skillet apple pancake; Waffles; Eggs; Potato casserole; Broc ham egg quiche; Crepes; Eggs in a nest; Cinnamon rolls; Scrambled eggs- cheese, ham, sausage, veggies, etc; Fried eggs; Pancakes- fruit in or on top; Rice pudding; Oatmeal; Baked French toast; French toast; Muffins; Coffee cake; Cereal; Frozen waffle sandwiches; Yogurt w fruit and granola; Smoothies; Egg/ham/cheese muffin; Bagels; Biscuits and gravy;
Sides: Hush puppies; Rice a roni; Pasta roni; Mashed potatoes; Smashed potatoes; Steak fries; Sweet potatoes- casserole, fries; Rice- butter, cheese, salsa, etc; Couscous; Gnocchi; Macaroni and cheese- box or scratch; Cottage cheese w fruit; Garlic bread; Rolls; Boxed pasta salad; Mozzarella sticks (frozen); Cheese bites (frozen)
Fruit/Veggie: Steam in bag veggies w/ sauce; Corn on the cob; Steamed fresh or frozen veggies- corn, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, green beans, carrots, cauliflower; Fresh veggies for dipping- celery, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower,peas, cucumber; Zucchini strings; Fried squash or zucchini; Salad- greens, shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, add dressing, cheese, and croutons; Baked apples; Applesauce; Fruit salad; Canned fruit- peaches, pears, oranges, pineapple, etc; Fresh fruit- apples, pears, pineapple, mango, peaches, nectarine, banana, berries, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, kiwi, grapes, plums; Frozen berries in yogurt, cereal, smoothies, pancakes, or just eaten; Fruit or veggie kabobs w/ dip.
Now you know more than you ever wanted to about our family's eating habits. It is a start right?
Here is our menu for this week.
M- chicken spaghetti, salad, bread (Pioneer Woman Cookbook)
T- Taco Salad, fruit or melon wedges (Taco Supreme from Mels Kitchen Cafe)
W- lasagna rolls, salad, bread (copied from a meal brought by my friend Kathryn after I had a baby)
T- hamburgers, curly fries, fruit salad
F- pineapple chicken sandwiches or corn dog muffins (idea from my friend Sue)
S- beef and barley stew for church picnic (recipe ripped from a parenting magazine years ago) (and I'm really nervous about this one, I usually sign up to bring watermelon or cupcakes, things I can't mess up)
S- French toast bites
So far, one week into my meal planning adventures, and I am doing well. Grocery store this morning took an hour and 15 minutes, but I figure that is good enough for having all 4 kids with me. And I spent $165, with $200 the before discount total. Could have done better saving. Next time.
Showing posts with label Dinner Diaries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinner Diaries. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Menu Ideas
One of the areas I really wanted to get back on track and organized was our eating habits and more specifically my cooking habits. I always fall off the wagon in various degrees when we come upon a crisis. We end up eating out or prepacked processed food way too much, and our budget and health suffers for it.
My latest excuse list for why I haven't been planning and cooking regular, healthy, and inexpensive meals:
Child birth
Moving
Husband working late
Babysitting extra kids
Summer vacation
Not bad, right? Except it started 6 months ago and now it is time to get thing back on track.
This area is a challenge for me for several reasons.
First of all, I hate grocery shopping. It is one of my most dreaded homemaker chores. I tend to put it off as long as possible, and when I do go I try to shop for as long as possible. This tends to result in a cart overflowing with food, accompanied by a crying child or two, who have been shopping for too long and told "no" one time too many times.
After surviving the trip through the check out, loading and unloading the car, and putting it all away, I am $200 poorer and have to figure out where to store 2 weeks worth of milk. I cook it and serve it and my kids eat it (sometimes) and about two weeks later we are again out of food. So I have to do it all over again- with nothing at all to show for the previous week's effort. In my task/result oriented brain, this is a huge waste of my time and resources. So we order a pizza and call it dinner and I don't have to worry about it.
The other reason is that I have never considered myself a good cook. My husbands always replies that he has always eaten what I put in front of him, that I have never served him something "inedible." Since this is coming from a man who had to eat mystery meat and poop mushroom goulash in Russia for two years of his life, and was happy living off ramen noodles and tater tots when we met, I don't really think his opinion counts. My 6 year old who gags on grreen beans or the 9 year old who bursts into tears at the sight of chili, those opinions matter. Because the whole reason I am cooking is to make food that they will eat. So I have had to do some teaching myself how to cook, with the help of some food blgs and some friends. My mom did her best, but I seemed to have tuned out everything but how to make spaghetti for 15 people (but my toddler hates spaghetti) and chocolate chip cookies (sorry Mom, someone else is going to have to carry on your cooking legacy).
Finally, I hate having to decide what to make. I often find myself staring into the cupboards at the rows of cans and boxes and wondering what in the world I can do with tomatoes and pasta and frozen chicken that will turn it into something healthy that my kids will eat, in less time than it takes for the baby to wake up from her nap. I usually come up pretty short.
So I have challenged myself to turn meal planning, shopping and cooking into something I can view as productive, enjoyable, and worthwhile. And if the food is good enough for my kids, helps me lose some baby weight, and makes dad happy, that would be great too!
I developed three measurable goals for myself, to satisfy that task-oriented college girl who still demands to be heard once in a while:
1. Make a menu plan. A week of planned meals that I will have the ingredients to prepare, planned around our schedule to I will also have time to prepare them. Croc pots and salads on days we will be out late, more elaborate meals on our stay at home days, and try a few new things to expand our list of meals. And I won't have to stare at the fridge and wonder what to make, I will already know.
2. Make grocery shopping a happy time. Ok, maybe happy will be a stretch, but I think I can make it more enjoyable. Challenge myself to get in and out in an hour instead of two or three, to save a certain percent by shopping sales or using coupons. I will not become obsessed with couponing but am willing to adjust things to use the food that is on sale. My starting goal is 30% off at the checkout with sales or coupon discounts.
3. Cook good food. I am going to try one new recipe each week untilI have a solid stash of go-to meals that are yummy to everyone and easy for me to make. Food blogs and tutorials to the rescue. My kids are pretty good at trying at least a bite or two of new foods, and I rarely force them to eat things I know they hate. Limiting take out to once a pay period (because I am also realistic) and increasing our fruit and veggie servings to two at each meal plus snacks should also help us to feel healthier and maybe even shed a few pounds.
So there it is. My three steps to better meals. Next, my attempts at menu planning!
My latest excuse list for why I haven't been planning and cooking regular, healthy, and inexpensive meals:
Child birth
Moving
Husband working late
Babysitting extra kids
Summer vacation
Not bad, right? Except it started 6 months ago and now it is time to get thing back on track.
This area is a challenge for me for several reasons.
First of all, I hate grocery shopping. It is one of my most dreaded homemaker chores. I tend to put it off as long as possible, and when I do go I try to shop for as long as possible. This tends to result in a cart overflowing with food, accompanied by a crying child or two, who have been shopping for too long and told "no" one time too many times.
After surviving the trip through the check out, loading and unloading the car, and putting it all away, I am $200 poorer and have to figure out where to store 2 weeks worth of milk. I cook it and serve it and my kids eat it (sometimes) and about two weeks later we are again out of food. So I have to do it all over again- with nothing at all to show for the previous week's effort. In my task/result oriented brain, this is a huge waste of my time and resources. So we order a pizza and call it dinner and I don't have to worry about it.
The other reason is that I have never considered myself a good cook. My husbands always replies that he has always eaten what I put in front of him, that I have never served him something "inedible." Since this is coming from a man who had to eat mystery meat and poop mushroom goulash in Russia for two years of his life, and was happy living off ramen noodles and tater tots when we met, I don't really think his opinion counts. My 6 year old who gags on grreen beans or the 9 year old who bursts into tears at the sight of chili, those opinions matter. Because the whole reason I am cooking is to make food that they will eat. So I have had to do some teaching myself how to cook, with the help of some food blgs and some friends. My mom did her best, but I seemed to have tuned out everything but how to make spaghetti for 15 people (but my toddler hates spaghetti) and chocolate chip cookies (sorry Mom, someone else is going to have to carry on your cooking legacy).
Finally, I hate having to decide what to make. I often find myself staring into the cupboards at the rows of cans and boxes and wondering what in the world I can do with tomatoes and pasta and frozen chicken that will turn it into something healthy that my kids will eat, in less time than it takes for the baby to wake up from her nap. I usually come up pretty short.
So I have challenged myself to turn meal planning, shopping and cooking into something I can view as productive, enjoyable, and worthwhile. And if the food is good enough for my kids, helps me lose some baby weight, and makes dad happy, that would be great too!
I developed three measurable goals for myself, to satisfy that task-oriented college girl who still demands to be heard once in a while:
1. Make a menu plan. A week of planned meals that I will have the ingredients to prepare, planned around our schedule to I will also have time to prepare them. Croc pots and salads on days we will be out late, more elaborate meals on our stay at home days, and try a few new things to expand our list of meals. And I won't have to stare at the fridge and wonder what to make, I will already know.
2. Make grocery shopping a happy time. Ok, maybe happy will be a stretch, but I think I can make it more enjoyable. Challenge myself to get in and out in an hour instead of two or three, to save a certain percent by shopping sales or using coupons. I will not become obsessed with couponing but am willing to adjust things to use the food that is on sale. My starting goal is 30% off at the checkout with sales or coupon discounts.
3. Cook good food. I am going to try one new recipe each week untilI have a solid stash of go-to meals that are yummy to everyone and easy for me to make. Food blogs and tutorials to the rescue. My kids are pretty good at trying at least a bite or two of new foods, and I rarely force them to eat things I know they hate. Limiting take out to once a pay period (because I am also realistic) and increasing our fruit and veggie servings to two at each meal plus snacks should also help us to feel healthier and maybe even shed a few pounds.
So there it is. My three steps to better meals. Next, my attempts at menu planning!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Hits and Misses
Weekly Menu check.
Hits:
frozen ravioli with garden-style sauce, salad
tacos, applesauce, carrots
garlic bread sticks
apple dumplings
KFC, potatoes, melon,
chic-fil-a in between pool and movies
burgers, veggies with dip, peaches
rigatoni spaghetti with cheese
mini taco pizza- corn tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese quesadillas, with the name changed so the guest would eat it.
Misses:
chicken and gnocchi soup- too thick, odd taste, possibly the onions? Was ok with thinned broth.
coleslaw
fried zucchini strings- they may be fried crisp, salted, and tossed with parm cheese, but they are still green! Mike and I liked them.
On Deck:
pizza rolls (cinnamon rolls with pizza toppings instead of cinnamon sugar and such)
chicken stir fry
breakfast casserole with sausage, eggs, cheese, and veggies
something with ground turkey?
lunch with elders and guests- salad and cookout?
Goal:
get kids to eat more veggies.
Start adding baby food purees to sauces and such?
Hits:
frozen ravioli with garden-style sauce, salad
tacos, applesauce, carrots
garlic bread sticks
apple dumplings
KFC, potatoes, melon,
chic-fil-a in between pool and movies
burgers, veggies with dip, peaches
rigatoni spaghetti with cheese
mini taco pizza- corn tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese quesadillas, with the name changed so the guest would eat it.
Misses:
chicken and gnocchi soup- too thick, odd taste, possibly the onions? Was ok with thinned broth.
coleslaw
fried zucchini strings- they may be fried crisp, salted, and tossed with parm cheese, but they are still green! Mike and I liked them.
On Deck:
pizza rolls (cinnamon rolls with pizza toppings instead of cinnamon sugar and such)
chicken stir fry
breakfast casserole with sausage, eggs, cheese, and veggies
something with ground turkey?
lunch with elders and guests- salad and cookout?
Goal:
get kids to eat more veggies.
Start adding baby food purees to sauces and such?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Two out of three?
One of my goals is to provide healthy meals that my kids actually like. I need a teacher. Or a year-supply of chicken nuggets. Either will work for me. Anyway, this is what we are eating.
Monday- chicken nugget day, with baby carrots and canned fruit. I had no energy and no time. But they ate everything I put in front of them.
Tuesday- chicken alfredo with veggies (one of those microwave in the bag meals). I thought it was going to be a hit. My kids usually love pasta and alfredo sauce. I liked it, Becca liked it, Andrew wouldn't touch it, and Lenna just picked out the pasta. Will have to try it again another night when they aren't so cranky (it was ballet day).
Wednesday- pork chops, rice, peaches, and pizza zucchini boats. I was feeling proud that I had made a "real" dinner. Lenna tried everything, then made herself a sandwich. Andrew ate everything but the zucchini then finished with a bowl of cereal. Becca loves rice by the handful and cheesy zucchini. Lenna was cranky, she usually eats all of that stuff. Thought for sure calling zucchini a pizza boat would sell it, but they wouldn't even touch it.
Thursday- need to make something up to do with frozen chicken breast or ground beef, preferably in the croc-pot. Thinking meatballs. They usually eat those.
Friday- dinner with daddy. I feel pressure to produce a meal worthy of adult consumption. Will let you know how it goes. Chinese chicken stir fry? Grilled something? Stand-by taco salad?
Saturday- picnic at the pool one last time. PB&J's all around.
Sunday- breakfast for dinner day. Waffles or apple pancakes. Leaning towards pancakes.
Monday- chicken nugget day, with baby carrots and canned fruit. I had no energy and no time. But they ate everything I put in front of them.
Tuesday- chicken alfredo with veggies (one of those microwave in the bag meals). I thought it was going to be a hit. My kids usually love pasta and alfredo sauce. I liked it, Becca liked it, Andrew wouldn't touch it, and Lenna just picked out the pasta. Will have to try it again another night when they aren't so cranky (it was ballet day).
Wednesday- pork chops, rice, peaches, and pizza zucchini boats. I was feeling proud that I had made a "real" dinner. Lenna tried everything, then made herself a sandwich. Andrew ate everything but the zucchini then finished with a bowl of cereal. Becca loves rice by the handful and cheesy zucchini. Lenna was cranky, she usually eats all of that stuff. Thought for sure calling zucchini a pizza boat would sell it, but they wouldn't even touch it.
Thursday- need to make something up to do with frozen chicken breast or ground beef, preferably in the croc-pot. Thinking meatballs. They usually eat those.
Friday- dinner with daddy. I feel pressure to produce a meal worthy of adult consumption. Will let you know how it goes. Chinese chicken stir fry? Grilled something? Stand-by taco salad?
Saturday- picnic at the pool one last time. PB&J's all around.
Sunday- breakfast for dinner day. Waffles or apple pancakes. Leaning towards pancakes.
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