January 2011 Meal Plan 1

We've been doing well with our meal plan so far. We started last Wednesday, so it was a bit before 2011. Here is our two week plan (so I only have to shop once).

Wednesday: Swiss Steak
Thursday: Beef Stew & Chicken w/ Wild Rice Soup
Friday (New Year's Eve): Shrimp
Saturday: Left over soup

Sunday: Ham
Monday: Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
Tuesday: Mexican Enchilada Casserole
Wednesday: Hamburgers
Thursday: Pork Roast
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Roasted Chicken

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup
Monday: Chicken Enchiladas
Tuesday: Meatloaf
Wednesday: Dinner @ church
Thursday: Potato Soup
Friday: Pizza

Currently, I am just planning out the main dish for dinner. As time goes on, I want to begin adding sides. We usually eat left overs for lunches.

I have a lot of soup in the menu as we live in the upper-midwest so this is an extremely COLD time of the year. Soup is great to help feel warm! During the warmer months I'll be able to add more grilled meals.

I am also trying to incorporate some meal time rituals, like Friday night pizza. Hopefully everyone enjoys it!

Project 1: Meal Planning

To help you understand why meal planning is stressful is me, here is a typical weeknight in my family:

I generally work 8-5, then pick up a child or two. By the time I get home, it is between 5:45 and 6 pm. If I have to begin preparing a meal, it is often 7 pm before we eat. By the time we clean up after dinner, it is time for baths and bed for the kids. On nights like this, I don't get a chance to spend quality time with my family.

No plan for dinner causes me anxiety. Just the thought of adding a grocery store stop to my trip home raises my blood pressure. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that meal planning would be a great solution for this.

I see shopping as a real time-waster. Every trip to the grocery store, Target, etc is time that I could be spending on something more important. To spend my time more intentionally...I am going to make a bi-weekly meal plan (with a goal of moving to a monthly meal plan), so I can do most of my shopping in one trip. I'm sure I'll likely have to stop by the grocery store for some milk, bread, veggies or fruit between my main trips, but it is a start.

Some of the criteria that I am working with:

• My husband isn't much of a cook, but he can put a meal in the oven or whip up a mean meatloaf or goulash. I need to tap into this more.
• He's also a bit picky and has a fish allergy.
• I try to make most of our meals from scratch and eliminate processed food.
• We eat a lot of beef. My husband grew up on a farm that raises cattle, so we get a 1/2 beef each year. However, I'd like to reduce the number of meals that consist of red meat.
• After watching Food, Inc. The scene of chickens that can't walk really stuck with me. So we don't eat many chicken breasts. Instead, we get whole chickens from a Hutterite colony.
• I would love to have a weekly meal routine like Simple Mom. Note to self: Either Dr. Oz or Dr. Weil recommended one meal including cooked tomato sauce, be sure to include this.
• Since I also want to declutter, I'd want to begin with using the food that is currently in our cupboards and freezers.

Off to work I go on my meal plan...