Welcome to the first Menu Plan Monday of NaBloPoMo 2016! I’ve been planning our menu a week at a time for almost 15 years, and I’ve posted 89 pages of Menu Plan Monday posts here since 2007, which may lead you to wonder why I sometimes struggle to figure out what to put on said menu plan when I sit down to put it together. That struggle to remember what meals we’ve enjoyed is one of the reasons I keep writing these posts. It’s great to have them to reference when I’m stuck for ideas.
Planning our meals 7 days at a time also helps with our budget, because having a grocery list keeps us from making too many impulse buys. I used to pore over local grocery store sales ads when I made the menu plan, which really maximized the budget. I haven’t taken the time to do that lately, but I do occasionally swap things out on the fly if there’s a good sale going on. I also try to take advantage of things such as the Buy Two, Get Three Free sales that Harris Teeter frequently offers (see: ““How Far Will $64 Go at Harris Teeter”) to stash meats and veggies away in the freezer for leaner days.
Our family is in a very busy season right now, so our meals are mostly things that are very simple and quick to put together these days. Here’s what we’re having this week:
- Monday: Tacos
- Pete wanted to go to his favorite taco spot for dinner tonight, and it’s his birthday so that’s what we’re gonna do.
- Tuesday: Thai Chicken Curry Soup
- This is the first dish that caught my eye from Freddie Prinze Jr.’s “Back to the Kitchen.” It was too hot here to make it last week, but it should be cool enough for soup this week. I love Thai curries, so I’m pretty excited about this one.
- Wednesday: ???
- Rockford and I are going out for the evening. My in-laws and He Who Would Be The Brother-in-Law will be at home dining with the children.
- Thursday: Quesadillas
- Like tacos, but flat.
- Friday: Probably cheeseburgers
Hungry for more? Check out the Menu Plan Monday linkup at OrgJunkie.
I love it. I need to get back into posting our menus! We realized last night that for about 3 months, we have been doing a slow cooker rotisserie almost once a week. It’s so simple and everyone likes it. (Plus, it can be used for additional meals.)
And I totally get you on the busy season. I feel like we’re just coming out of a busy season (October) and we’re heading into another one with the holidays. Slow down, life!
I’ve been posting weekly menus for years, too. We may not adhere to them 100% some weeks but it sure is nice to have a plan in mind. That Thai Chicken Curry Soup sounds delicious!
I followed you here from I’m an Organizing Junkie. I’d love to have you visit me and check out my menu for the week: http://lifewithdee.com/menu-monday-november-7-2016/
Like tacos but flat just about killed me. HA!
I really need to do more of this.