One of the first things I do on Mondays is make a menu and a grocery list. It’s a helpful habit to get into and I encourage you to do the same if you don’t currently plan a weekly menu. It doesn’t have to be a Monday. Pick the day of the week that works best for you, but do give it a try.
Our menu for this week is
Monday
leftovers
coleslaw
We have leftover BBQ ribs, a few hamburgers, and some taco meat. All of which needs to be used. Monday is generally DH’s busiest day of the week and I can’t depend on a regular dinner time on Mondays, so I try to have something easy, something DD and I can go ahead and eat without making it an ordeal to have something for DH later. Leftovers fit the bill. Other usual Monday night meals are hamburgers, sloppy joes, tacos, etc.
Tuesday
chicken and noodles
salad
asparagus
corn (corn on the cob if I can get it, frozen otherwise)
I try to think “a green one and a yellow one” when deciding on veggies for a meal.
Wednesday
sloppy joes on whole wheat buns
veggies and dip
DD has music lessons after school and supper needs to be quick and easy, something I can fix in a hurry or have ready ahead of time. Wednesday is also DH’s day off, so time is at a premium, especially this time of year when we want to be outside in the garden, not inside fixing dinner.
Thursday
tilapia
coleslaw
peas
corn
salad
I put the fish in a single layer on a baking pan lined with no-stick foil sprayed with cooking spray.
Drizzle the fish with lemon juice if you like, or add some to the Parmesan/mayo mixture.
Mix 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese and 3 T. light mayonnaise and spread on fish.
Mix 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs, 1 T. basil, 1 T. oregano, 1 tsp. dry onion flakes, salt/pepper and sprinkle it over the fish.
Bake at 400*F for 10-15 minutes, depending on how many fillets you are using and how thick they are.
Friday
spaghetti with tomato sauce
salad
stir-fried sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes (tomatoes are added at the last minute)
corn on the cob
garlic bread
I might make meatballs for myself. DH and DD don’t care for them, but I do. The easy, easy (and yummy!), four ingredient recipe I use is in this post.
Saturday is always leftovers.
Sunday is Mother’s Day. That means DH will grill.
pork steaks because I love them
salad
baked potatoes
veggies / dip
corn
There are a lot of blogs that talk about Menu Monday and the importance of making a weekly menu. You can google “menu monday” and come up with lots of sites for browsing for ideas.
I’m an Organizing Junkie has some useful information you might enjoy reading. At the end of each Menu Plan Monday post, she has links to many other blogs with their own menus for the particular week you are looking at. Lots of idea fodder there.
You can also google “menu planning” for more helpful sites. But don’t spend all your time browsing ideas. Write something down for your own menu! Having a menu in place does so much for making your week easier. You know ahead of time what you’re having, you have the ingredients on hand because you’ve already done your shopping, you can plan for healthier and better balanced meals, you don’t have to run to the store at the last minute wondering what to fix for supper (saves money!)…there are many benefits to planning ahead!
~~Rhonda