Monday, September 8, 2008

Menu Monday

I'm going to try something new for the blog starting with today, Menu Monday. Each Monday I will post our weekly menu plan and at least one recipe.

I have a meal type assigned to each day of the week that goes like this:
Sunday - Beef
Monday - Italian
Tuesday - Chicken
Wednesday - Mexican
Thursday - Pork
Friday - Fish
Saturday - Sandwiches

Then I have a list of meals (at least 4) for each meal type. I try to throw in one new recipe a week in order to expand upon my go-to meals. I always have a Digorno pizza for those nights I just don't want to cook and kid friendly things (chicken nuggets, mini corn dogs, etc) in case the kids don't like what I'm making. I don't always stick to the food assigned that day. It just makes planning easier when I organize it that way. And if we end up eating out, the planned meal just rolls to the next week.

On Monday I inventory my pantry, refer, and freezer to make my shopping list. For now I pick meals for the week and add the necessary ingredients to my basic list (which is also a spreadsheet on the computer). I'm working on stocking up so that all possible ingredients are in the house and I just have to replace what we ate the week before, but that's a work in progress.

This weeks menu is as follows:
Mon - Raviolis, Texas Toast, Green Salad
Tue - Alice Springs Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Wed - Nachos
Thu - Pork Chops, Fried Potatoes, Green Beans
Fri - Shrimp Scampi, Linguine, Green Salad
Saturday - Teriyaki Chicken Burgers, Pasta Salad
Sunday - Stroganoff, Green Beans, Biscuits

For the featured recipe I'm just going to start at the top.

You'll get a kick out of how much I rely on pre-packaged foods. =) For raviolis I simply buy a bag of them (or two, 1 cheese and 1 beef) and Texas Toast from the frozen foods section, a jar of spaghetti sauce, a bag of salad, and a bottle of dressing. Preheat oven, boil some water, plop in the raviolis, cover and reduce heat, let simmer for about 7 min, drain water, add sauce, put Texas Toast in oven for 7 min, open bagged salad, place in bowls, top with dressing, wah-lah!

4 comments:

Thompson Family said...

So do you mind if I copy your menu??? :-)

Heather said...

Of course not! But, you'll have to share any of your favorites I don't have so I can add to it. =) I've even shared my shopping list in the past. My dear friend Kerri was using it (modified for her family of course) and only shopping once a month :o! That's what I aspire to!

Becca said...

How do you make your Alice Springs Chicken? I love it at Outback! My friends do a calendar monthly and share it. It's a great way to try new things. I hate the same ol' food.

Heather said...

OMG, It's super easy! Take your chicken breast and marinate them honey mustard dressing overnight. You can also make the marinade using dijon mustard, honey and lemon juice, but I'm all about shortcuts! Set aside some sauce for later too. While you grill the chicken, fry up some bacon, sliced some colby-jack cheese, and cut up some mushrooms (or used the sliced canned ones). When the chicken is done top it with sauce, bacon, mushrooms and cheese. Warm just long enough to let the cheese melt. That's it! You can also fry it in a skillet with oil to sear it, top it, and then bake it covered with foil for 7-10 minutes if you don't want to grill it.