I can't possibly be a good mom, tote around a growing baby in my tummy, keep the house clean, home school the kids, stay on top of the laundry, write my blog, tell myself jokes, take naps AND still be expected to come up with what we are having for dinner every single day around here.
I'll admit it. I have completely stopped using my VERY OWN meal planning sheet that I created and then try to sell to other people in my everydayMOM planner.
But you know what? I got that thing out, and it was pretty darned helpful, I must admit.
I would love to say that after watching Julie and Julia I was inspired to create some truly gourmet dinners for our family. But actually, I'm striving for bland.
I decided that instead of planning out a whole month's worth of menus, we are going to eat the same exact thing every week. That's right. Every Monday, for example, we are having taco salad. Fridays are home-made pizza.
Same goes for lunches. If it's Tuesday, you better believe we are having chicken nuggets, pumpkin muffins and corn.
We are going to try this for one month until everyone in this family knows that Thursday is pot roast. And maybe, just maybe, if I can master seven lunches and seven dinners without ever wondering what we are going to eat next, we can start having something else once in a while.
So, speak now, my dear family, or hold your peace for one month. Here's what's for lunch and dinner (don't laugh!):
Sunday
Lunch: BLTs, fruit, yogurt
Dinner: Sloppy Joe sandwiches, chips, green beans
Monday
Lunch: Pizza, carrots and applesauce
Dinner: Taco salad, refried beans
Tuesday
Lunch: chicken nuggets, pumpkin muffins, corn
Dinner: Chicken in the crock pot, rice and steamed broccoli (I have a feeling my husband will have to work late on Tuesdays.)
Wednesday
Lunch: Sandwich wraps (tortilla with cream cheese, ham, cheese and whatever else you like... lettuce, avocado wrapped up and then sliced), fruit, cottage cheese
Dinner: Pasta with marinara or al fredo sauce, (grilled zucchini and tomatoes for me), garlic bread
Thursday
Lunch: Tomato soup, crackers, grilled cheese
Dinner: Pot roast in crock pot with potatoes and carrots, rolls
Friday
Lunch: Plain pasta, bagels with cream cheese, veggies
Dinner: Homemade pizza, salad
Saturday
Lunch: Hamburgers on grill or fish sticks, cantaloupe, baked beans
Dinner: Biscuits and gravy (I love breakfast for dinner!)
fruit
Snacks:
apples, pears, mandarin oranges, grapes, bananas
carrots, green pepper, cucumber slices
cheese sticks, vanilla yogurt with mix-ins
bagels, English muffins, Nutrigrain bars
There you have it. That's what's for dinner. And lunch. And snack.
Whew. Now I don't have to think.
Please feel free to send me your ideas for next month. We might need a new rotation!
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5 comments:
That's excellent! Sometimes thnking about what to fix for dinner is worse than thinking about going to your next mammogram! Seriously! And my family has gotten into a bad habit in which they cannot ever like the same thing at the same time! I like your plan. I like it a lot!
:)Lynn
Woo hoo! Welcome to the world of Friday night pizza night! I kid you not, having one day off every week from having to think up a meal is liberating. I can only imagine how free you'll be with all 7 already planned out.
I have been secretly trying to get my husband to come around to the "week of meals" plan. I am getting there. I also took it a step further. I ordered my groceries from peapod this week. I figure if I get the week of food down to the same thing every week. I can just re-order the same food every week. It may not be the cheapest way to go about it, but I think it would be by far the easiest.
My plan is already going SO WELL!
Emily... just like you said, I need the same ingredients every week! So, I could buy a month's worth of ground beef, as well as a month's worth of the canned goods.
Since it's always the same, it's going to be so easy to go shopping when I run out of something!
My kids are really getting into it. They want to know each day what we will be having and they have been reading my chart to see what's coming next.
Finally, my husband was able to easily make dinner tonight because it was all written out for him.
We'll see how it goes in a couple of weeks when everyone is tired of eating the same things... but honestly, this is pretty much the same stuff we eat all the time anyway!
What? I'm not the only one who says, "I don't even know what is happening in 5 minutes. How do you expect me to know what is for dinner?" 5 times a week. I've thought of this plan often. Maybe it is time to implement it finally. I can't wait until the kids are old enough for me to say, "I don't know what's for dinner. Surprise me!"
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