Menus for the week

[Anonymous]

For those of you who do menu planning, what is your typical menu for the week? I'm curious as to how many meals are completely made from scratch versus supplemented with some prepared foods from Trader Joe's etc. I've been feeling bad lately b/c I'm pregnant and do not have the energy to cook complete meals. Today we had a Rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods and I made some roasted asparagus. Tomorrow, I plan to make spaghetti and use Trader Joe's sauce and frozen TRK meatballs. We usually eat out on the weekends so I feel like I should make homecooked meals on the weekday and maybe I just need some inspiration for fresh, fast weeknight meals.

[Anonymous]

This is what we had so far this week:

Mon: redskins special pizza
Tue: Maple walnut chicken with rice (30 min rachel ray)
Wed: Chicken chilli
Thur: grilled steak & cheese califlower gratin (I know I completely ruined the califlower
Fri: leftover steak salad
wknd - eat out or make something that takes a LONG time to prepare/cook

I usually make my own, but I also use a lot of potato au-gratins from the box, frozen veggies if I don't feel like going to the store. You're pregnant - take the shortcuts.

[Anonymous]

This week has been:

Sunday: Red beans and rice (from a box) with spicy turkey sausage and a salad
Monday: Grilled steak, baked potatoes, steamed artichokes
Tuesday: Had a meeting, made quesadillas with leftover steak and had fruit on the side
Wednesday: Chicken breast and spinach in Indian simmer sauce over couscous.
Tonight: probably pasta but not sure yet.

I usually have a little more elaborate dinners and especially sides but this has been a busy week. I like to cook, but do use some prepared foods as pieces of meals like simmer sauces, BBQ sauce, etc. Definitely when you are pregnant take it easy on yourself and do what is manageable for you. I also like to use the crockpot sometimes or make something that is cooked one night and eaten the next like a soup or stew.

[Anonymous]

Our menu this week:

Monday - Homemade fish sticks with Indian-style rice and steamed green beans (rice was frozen, from Trader Joe's)
Tuesday - Cheese tortellini w/green salad
Wednesday - Marinated boneless chicken on the grill with (leftover) roasted potatoes, spinach salad, & carrots (the kids aren't into spinach)
Thursday - Salmon cakes with broccoli and baguette
Tonight - Glazed pork, with rice and salad http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000479082

I have a recipe binder dedicated to weeknight meals that I add to from time to time. Each Sunday DH and I look through it and figure out what we are having that week. When possible I pre-make things (e.g. on Sunday I'll make two baked zitis and freeze one) to make things easier later in the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our menu this week:

Monday - Homemade fish sticks with Indian-style rice and steamed green beans (rice was frozen, from Trader Joe's)
Tuesday - Cheese tortellini w/green salad
Wednesday - Marinated boneless chicken on the grill with (leftover) roasted potatoes, spinach salad, & carrots (the kids aren't into spinach)
Thursday - Salmon cakes with broccoli and baguette
Tonight - Glazed pork, with rice and salad http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000479082

I have a recipe binder dedicated to weeknight meals that I add to from time to time. Each Sunday DH and I look through it and figure out what we are having that week. When possible I pre-make things (e.g. on Sunday I'll make two baked zitis and freeze one) to make things easier later in the week.

The homemade fish sticks sound delicious!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our menu this week:

Monday - Homemade fish sticks with Indian-style rice and steamed green beans (rice was frozen, from Trader Joe's)
Tuesday - Cheese tortellini w/green salad
Wednesday - Marinated boneless chicken on the grill with (leftover) roasted potatoes, spinach salad, & carrots (the kids aren't into spinach)
Thursday - Salmon cakes with broccoli and baguette
Tonight - Glazed pork, with rice and salad http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000479082

I have a recipe binder dedicated to weeknight meals that I add to from time to time. Each Sunday DH and I look through it and figure out what we are having that week. When possible I pre-make things (e.g. on Sunday I'll make two baked zitis and freeze one) to make things easier later in the week.

The homemade fish sticks sound delicious!

We use this recipe:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001144146

But instead of using their coating (too time-consuming), I do Panko bread crumbs w/garlic powder mixed in.

[Anonymous]

I have a bunch of recipes that I cycle through, and I'll add to the list when I feel like experimenting. I usually try to make the main course from scratch, and then throw in simple/prepared stuff to round it out. Tonight we're having baked tilapia from-scratch, with grocery-store baguette and steam-in-the-bag veggies.

Other things that are regularly on the list:
Fajitas
roast chicken w/ microwave-baked potatoes
lasagna w/ grocery-store italian bread
greek nachos
pot pie
quiche

There's more but I can't think of it now.

[Anonymous]

Each Sunday DH and I look through it and figure out what we are having that week.

Jealous. My DH's contribution to mealtime planning and preparation is to walk in the door at 6:30 or 7:00 and shout "what's for dinner?"

[Anonymous]

Also jealous, these meals sound delicious, but I know my daughters would reject them immediately.

[Anonymous]

Sun: dinner out with FIL
Mon: baked ziti
Tonight: turkey pot pie
Wed: (fake) crab quiche
Thurs: sweet and sour chicken stir fry
Fri: weekend guests

I have 2 DDs - 2 and 1. I put food on their plates. they either eat it or they dont. If they are still asking for food, I'll offer yogurt or some creese and crackers and fruit. If they dont ask, they dont have dinner. they eat well during the day and snack on our commute home, so I dont worry too much.

[Anonymous]

We barbequed on the weekend and had lots of extras so here is my menu so far:
Mo: breaded, panfried catfish with roasted zucchini
Tu: left-over grilled chicken and califlower seared in butter
We: garlic shrimp with brocoli
Th: black bean soup, chesadillas
Fr
I make all of the above from scratch (well the black beans come from a can)

[Anonymous]

My level of cooking (versus easy food) varies depending on the week - how stressed I have been - if I think I will get stuck at work or at a school activity- and if we have other activities planned. I go for "decently healthy" versus a strict organic, low-sodium, no perservatvies or processed food approach (kudos to those who have the energy).

This week - my theme is "use the crap I have in the freezer or pantry"

- Black Bean Tacos, rice, and frozen corn
- Fish sticks and baked fries or mac and cheese.
- Chicken stir-fry (frozen chicken) with fresh veggies and one of the asian frozen snacks in the freezer
- Vietemese Chicken and carrots in the crockpot and rice
- Soup, salad and cut up veggies (soup was in the freezer).

And I add fresh cut up fruit each night- or use fresh until I can no longer find good fresh affordable fruit.

Other weeks, I'll do some more time-consuming meals, but I always try to throw in one super-easy one - so I don't go insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Each Sunday DH and I look through it and figure out what we are having that week.

Jealous. My DH's contribution to mealtime planning and preparation is to walk in the door at 6:30 or 7:00 and shout "what's for dinner?"

Mine comes home later, asks what I made and then decides if it is good enough for him to eat. Makes me feel so good to see him pull out a can of soup

[Anonymous]

Mon: chicken thighs in Indian simmer sauces, rice, naan bread from Trader Joes, cut up fresh fruit.

Tues: from scratch roasted chicken, roasted potatoes and carrots, salad and apples for DC.

Weds: baked rack of lamb, different type of fresh salad, ready-bake biscuits from Trader Joes. Fresh fruit for DC.

Thurs: tuna fish sandwiches, apples, kefir to drink.

Friday: homemade pizza night with ready-made Trader Joe's sauce but from-scratch dough. Make pesto in blender for pizza topping. Crumbled sausage from Whole Foods. Yet another salad, hopefully using different kinds of greens.


weekend: eat out, Chinese, Japanese and Mediteranean style to get food types we never cook at home. Such as seaweed, falafel, tabouleh, etc. There's pretty much no chance I will ever prepare tabouleh from scratch, or seaweed salad, so I make a point to always get that stuff outside the home.

[Anonymous]

Mon. - soup (healthy choice) and leftover salad from Sun. night - husband working PM
Tues. - I've got stuffed cabbage casserole in crock pot, and mashed potatoes (instant) (hope it's good, never made it before)
Wed. - leftovers (probably) - husband working PM
Thurs. - chicken cord en bleu, green beans, pasta side dish (from a mix)
Fri. - eating out, going out of town.