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[quote=Anonymous]OP, in order to plan meals your family will enjoy we need to start with a few basic questions:

1) Do you like eating meat and if so, what kinds? How about fish? Are you more vegetarian so that you'd prefer to build your meals around other protein sources? Do you eat dairy and eggs? Any food allergies or special dietary requirements needing consideration? Do you have young kids and require kid-friendly meals?

2) How important is budget? Can you splurge on expensive cuts of beef once in a while? Are you okay with some convenience foods that cost a bit more but make life easier? For instance, there are items like frozen precooked rice or frozen meal starters that simplify meal prep but cost more than buying a big bag of rice or chopping up all vegetables and a whole chicken for soup or stew.

3) Do you know how to cook? Have you ever followed a recipe? Do you want really simple stuff like pasta or chicken or are you open to trying slightly more difficult prepartions. There are tons of recipes available online. Literally, you can google chicken dishes, find something appealing, then make your grocery list from this.

4) Are you okay with shopping more than once a week for fresh produce and maybe meat/fish, or do you want to shop less often? This will determine in part how many staple items you need to keep on hand in your freezer or pantry. Things like pasta, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, etc.

Once you've answered these questions it will be easier to come up with a shopping game plan. What we usually do is plan dinners Sunday through Thursday. Friday is usually pizza, pasta or catch as catch can. Saturday is dinner out. So that's roughly 5 dinners to plan, plus food for lunches/breakfasts. In a typical week I might buy:

eggs
milk
whole grain sliced bread
block of cheddar cheese
bag of grated cheese 
bag of tortillas
hummus
peanut butter
bag of field greens lettuce or prewashed romaine
fresh tomatoes and cucumbers
onions
potatoes of some variety (idaho, redskin, sweet, etc)
yogurts
apples, bananas and other seasonal fruit (whatever looks good and is on sale)
Oatmeal
cold cereal
protein bars/cereal bars
Orange juice

From the above I have the makings of most lunches and breakfasts. Then I plan my dinners -- protein, starch and vegetables.

Lastly, I buy some "fun" items for snacks. Could be more fruit, some mixed nuts, a package of cookies from the bakery aisle, pretzels, ice cream or frozen yogurt. Done![/quote]

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