Today was lemon chicken with raw carrots (neither DH or I like the taste of cooked carrots) and leftover mac and cheese for DS (13 months)

Wednesday - Caesar salad, filet cooked on the cast iron skillet with rosemary butter, twice baked potatoes, cheesecake for dessert (friend coming over for dinner). DS will probably have leftover chicken and some potatoes and tomatoes

Thursday - Leftover steak and caesar salad (eyes are always to big for the stomach). Whatever DS is in the mood for..probably pasta with cheese and lentils

Friday - Fajitas/quesadillas

Saturday - going out

Sunday - who knows. I think DH is going to a friend's house for the football game so DS and I will either get some take out or just eat whatever is around the house. Weekends tend to be a no cook/do whatever type deal unless we are having guests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny I am on budget but still don't plan in advance. My freezer/pantry are always stocked with the basics..chicken/ground meat or turkey/veggies/pasta etc . That way I can fo almost anything basic on the fly. Sunday (when I shop) I do something that requires a specifc ingrediant etc...but basically I always stock up on good sales and just use what I have.

I think that's great that works for you. But I found when I didn't plan, it just stressed me out. It would even distract me at work (as I was getting ready to leave). And I was always thinking "if only I had x, y, or z, I could make this." I found planning to be hard at first, but now I can't even imagine how NOT to plan.

Works that way for me too.

Anonymous wrote:It's weird to plan out meals in advance.
I decide the day of.

I don't think it's weird, but I do day off as well. For me, it's fresher, less waste and easier to think day of.

Anonymous wrote:Funny I am on budget but still don't plan in advance. My freezer/pantry are always stocked with the basics..chicken/ground meat or turkey/veggies/pasta etc . That way I can fo almost anything basic on the fly. Sunday (when I shop) I do something that requires a specifc ingrediant etc...but basically I always stock up on good sales and just use what I have.

I think that's great that works for you. But I found when I didn't plan, it just stressed me out. It would even distract me at work (as I was getting ready to leave). And I was always thinking "if only I had x, y, or z, I could make this." I found planning to be hard at first, but now I can't even imagine how NOT to plan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No idea. I put a frozen protein the fridge the night before to defrost. Prepare the next day as desired with a fresh veg and sometimes with a starch, sometimes no starch.

If nothing is defrosted, then it's eggs or something cobbled together.

"Cooking with depth?" LOL. Yeah, I'm not going to be roasting spices and crushing them with a mortar and pestle at 7 PM on a Monday. But with a pantry full of spices, plus lemons, onion, and garlic, just about anything is tasty enough for a quick weeknight meal.

So you know the night before what you will be in the mood for the next day but you don't know 2 days before. Odd.

you're talking to different posters

Like the pasta salad thread. Btw, I like pasta salad and I plan my meals out in advance

Anonymous wrote:This is my first week trying to plan our meals and it is a lot harder than I thought. Kudos to you men and women who do this on a regular.

Do you use a spreadsheet or planner? I want to be sure that I'm not replicating the same meal too often and that I'm shopping for what's on sale but its time consuming! Please tell me it gets easier and faster

The first few weeks are the hardest. But after that, it makes life so much easier. Start with a simple list of things you tend to make (or can make or would like to make). I plan out the week in a list, but on my good weeks, I then put it into a calendar print out so I can write anything I need to do the night before or morning of to get ready (ex. pull chicken out of freezer to thaw, set up crockpot).

I admit, I don't follow sales that much (because grocery store near us is often sold out of sale items anyways), but I have found it best to find recipes that are in season. For example, I once had a recipe that had a red pepper in it. Some times of year this is affordable, other times they are $5 a pop. I had to drop my plan while at the grocery store. We do lots of fresh veggies, so staying in season really helps.

I sit down every Saturday and plan out the meals. I try to throw in a few easy ones, especially on nights I know I will be pressed for time, and if possible, try to use the ones earlier in the week that make the most leftovers (so I use them up at lunch).

I think its best to start with meals you are used to - so fine if you repeat often. Then gradually try a new recipe or two. Always good to have a back up plan (something frozen you can heat up quickly) in case the recipe goes very wrong.

When I know I am making larger meals (like crockpot meals) I plan a night for leftovers. If for some reason there's not enough, I just do take out or something from the freezer that night.

Anonymous wrote:
I'm the egg roll poster. This recipe is a pretty good approximation of what I do, although I generally use whatever I have on hand: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baked-egg-rolls


Oh YUM We will be doing this very soon!
I wonder how they would be if I made the filling and rolled them the night before?
Or made the filling, rolled, then froze, and baked from frozen...

I can't believe I never thought of baking them! Voila, I have a new kitchen-sink, throw-all-the-leftovers-in recipe (I think). Thanks PP!

I haven't tried rolling ahead of time, but they reheat really well if you bake them in advance. I've been meaning to do a big batch and them freeze them pre-cooked. I actually think they are a bit better when I warm them back up in the toaster oven - they get a little crispier on the outside than they do when I make them fresh. I'm looking forward to lunch today

Oh, and I had a couple leftover wrappers last night and improvised an awesome dessert - wrap up a slice of banana and a few chocolate chips then dust with powdered sugar once baked. Delicious!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No idea. I put a frozen protein the fridge the night before to defrost. Prepare the next day as desired with a fresh veg and sometimes with a starch, sometimes no starch.

If nothing is defrosted, then it's eggs or something cobbled together.

"Cooking with depth?" LOL. Yeah, I'm not going to be roasting spices and crushing them with a mortar and pestle at 7 PM on a Monday. But with a pantry full of spices, plus lemons, onion, and garlic, just about anything is tasty enough for a quick weeknight meal.

So you know the night before what you will be in the mood for the next day but you don't know 2 days before. Odd.

you're talking to different posters

Wow...the rare instance of a Food forum thread devolving into bitchiness.

I haven't been home for a while but need to get my act together.

I prefer to shop once and planning lets me do that. Sometimes I get really detailed other times.not. It depends on the week.

I'm gathering ideas here - thanks!

Anonymous wrote:No idea. I put a frozen protein the fridge the night before to defrost. Prepare the next day as desired with a fresh veg and sometimes with a starch, sometimes no starch.

If nothing is defrosted, then it's eggs or something cobbled together.

"Cooking with depth?" LOL. Yeah, I'm not going to be roasting spices and crushing them with a mortar and pestle at 7 PM on a Monday. But with a pantry full of spices, plus lemons, onion, and garlic, just about anything is tasty enough for a quick weeknight meal.

So you know the night before what you will be in the mood for the next day but you don't know 2 days before. Odd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's weird to plan out meals in advance.
I decide the day of.

Oh. Do you have a full time paying job and young kids who need to eat right on time? Didn't think so.

Yes, it's not that hard. My kids are in middle school now but I have always done this.

Enjoy your convenience foods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's weird to plan out meals in advance.
I decide the day of.

Oh. Do you have a full time paying job and young kids who need to eat right on time? Didn't think so.

Yes, it's not that hard. My kids are in middle school now but I have always done this.

Anonymous wrote:No idea. I put a frozen protein the fridge the night before to defrost. Prepare the next day as desired with a fresh veg and sometimes with a starch, sometimes no starch.

If nothing is defrosted, then it's eggs or something cobbled together.

"Cooking with depth?" LOL. Yeah, I'm not going to be roasting spices and crushing them with a mortar and pestle at 7 PM on a Monday. But with a pantry full of spices, plus lemons, onion, and garlic, just about anything is tasty enough for a quick weeknight meal.

I use an electric spice grinder.

Cooking dinner at 7PM? Wow. I'm just about to start mine. By 7PM we'll be playing spades or rummy.

Anonymous wrote:It's weird to plan out meals in advance.
I decide the day of.

Oh. Do you have a full time paying job and young kids who need to eat right on time? Didn't think so.