Menu and Recipes

What is for dinner?  Click on a week menu below and you can find some of our favorite Menus and Recipes.

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This Week. . .

This week. . .

Re-motivated

Last night I went to a wonderful Relief Society meeting about meal planning.  I love meeting together with other women and hearing their ideas.  Here is my plan for the week:

Menu Planning- 5 Simple Steps to More Organized Meal Plans

Recently I have had a few friends ask me about meal planning.  Simply put, this is what  I do:

1.  Find all your favorite recipes and organize them in a way that works for you.

I chose to use a binder.  I only put recipes in that I have cooked several times and I know my family loves.  In a perfect world each recipe would be beautifully type, but I just had my oldest daughter help me hole punch my recipes and put them in.

2.  Choose a theme for each night.  

This is an idea that I learned from the "Food Nanny,"  (look at her website, it is a great resource)  This is a great way to narrow your search for each day.

Our themes are:
Sunday- Crock-pot
Monday- Chicken
Tuesday- Italian
Wednesday- Meatless or Seafood
Thursday- Mexican
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday-  Beef

3.  I prefer to divide my recipes in my binder into different categories for quick menu planning.  

Yes, it is true, some meals that are crock-pot are also chicken.  I just choose which group I want to store it in.

4.  Write out your plan.  

Menu Planning takes time.  For many years, each week I sat down and planned my menu.  I slowly transition to planning my menu every 10 days and then every 2 weeks.  Now I plan for 3 months at a time.  It is nice to have the plan set up.  I just type what is for dinner on my google calendar that  I do all of my planning on.  When something comes up or I need to change what we are having for dinner it is easy for me to move that nights plan to another day.  There are only a couple of repeat dinners in a 3 month time period.   I love to have a variety of healthy meals.

5.  Write out a shopping list.

I plan for 3 months at a time.  I go to Sam's Club at the beginning of each month and buy things that we will need that month: cans of chicken broth, diced tomatoes, frozen chicken, diapers. . . Each week I write out a menu for what I need to get at the grocery store that week.  In an ideal world I would only go to the grocery store every other week, but we always run out of produce, milk, or someone needs a birthday present for a party or a special treat for school, so I end up at the grocery store every week.

Three Months of Meals

I am planning my next three months of menus.  Here is what meals I am planning to make.  I keep my calendar on the computer and each day says what we are having for dinner.  I plan to have meals in the freezer for busy days that I don't end up having time to cook.  


Sunday is Crock Pot Night:
Asian Honey Chicken
Beef Stroganoff
Deluxe Baked Chicken
Italian Vegetable Soup
Chicken Salad
Chimichangus x 2 (I plan to make an extra pan for the freezer)
Crock-Pot Chili
Roast Beef, Potatoes, Carrots
Tai Turkey and Noodles
Vidalia Onion Chicken
Warm Chicken, Cranberry, and Walnut Salad




Monday is Chicken Night:
BBQ Chicken
Chicken Azteca x 2 (I'll make enough for a second meal.  This is also a Crock-Pot meal.)
Chicken Divan x 2
Chicken Bundles
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Tenders
Parmesan Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken


Tuesday is Italian Night:
Lasagna x 2
Pesto (make extra Pesto sauce for Pizza or another meal)
Tortilini
Italian Vegetable Soup
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Bow Tie Pasta and Cherry Tomatos
Vegetable Lasagna
Spaghetti and Creamy Cheese Sauce
Pasta and Quick Tomato Sauce
Fetticini Alfredo with Shrimp
Tuscan Minestrone Soup


Wednesday is Meatless or Seafood Night:
Crock-Pot Bean Soup
Boca Burgers
Clam Chowder
White Chili
Classic Tuna Melt
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Crock Pot Corn Chowder
Seven Layer Salad pg. 416
Chef Salad
Deluxe Mac and Cheese


Thursday is Mexican Night:
Chicken Enchiladas x 2
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tacos 
Bean, Corn, and Cheese Burritos
Fish Tacos
Bean and Beef Enchiladas
Tostados


Friday is Pizza Night:  
(I make a homemade pizza crust using whole wheat flour.  I like this recipe best.)


Three Cheese Pesto Pizza
Pepperoni Pizza
Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza
Vegetable Pizza
Alfredo Chicken Pizza
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Margarita Pizza
Pita Pizza
Calzones
Taco Pizza
Cesar Salad Pizza


Saturday is Beef Night:
Beef Stroganoff
Cheeseburger Buns
Cincinnati Chili
Hamburgers
Easy Southwest Stroganoff
Sweet and Hearty Beef Stew
Beef Stew
Rice Casserole