Meal Planning 101

I have been doing meal planning for years. Back when I was single, I had a job in our church to be the Emergency Preparedness Specialist. They had this great fair and I was assigned to do a booth on meal planning. I took it to heart. From that day forward, I have been doing meal planning. As I got married and had a family, I've discovered how much this helps me to save. It obviously doesn't cover everything, like chocolate cravings that must be given into, but it has cut back our grocery bill and reduces the number of trips to the grocery store, thus saving me even more money! It also gives me the added benefit of knowing what I'm making for dinner and getting to try some really fun recipes.

I start my weekly menu out on a Monday. Monday is always the day I go grocery shopping. I ALWAYS go shopping on Monday. Have I stressed that enough? Having it set for the same day every week helps me to stay on track with our grocery shopping and our spending. Lots of people choose to do grocery shopping on a monthly basis. For me, this doesn't really work. What happens if a family party comes up or you have to take a meal to someone and there isn't any wiggle room? Or what if I had some leftovers from the week before? Doing it once a week allows me to adjust my menu and my grocery list for those changes. I do, however, do all of my menu planning for the whole month at one time. I also print off any recipes that aren't in my cookbook and attach them to my menu for the week they will be used. That way, I always know where to find them and I have them right there when I need to make out my grocery shopping list. Also, I try to buy a lot of our staples when they go on a really great deal. Last week, hamburger was on sale for $1.69 at a local store, so I purchased 30 pounds and had the meat department freezer wrap it for me. Now I don't have to worry about it for several months.


Monday-
Breakfast: Cold cereal, apple juice,
Lunch: Sandwiches, fruit and veggie
Dinner: Sour Cream Chicken, Broccoli, green salad,

Tuesday-
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, toast, milk
Lunch: Sandwiches, fruit & veggie, cheese stick
Dinner: Meatball Casserole, corn, green salad

Wednesday-
Breakfast: Oatmeal, milk, fruit (we had raisins to make a smiley face in our oatmeal)
Lunch: Chicken nuggets, apple slices, milk
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas (I always have the option of either tortillas or a fajita salad depending on my mood!)

Thursday-
Breakfast: Cold cereal, orange juice
Lunch: Sandwiches, veggie and fruit
Dinner: Copycat Mexican Restaurant Chicken and black beans, salad

Friday-
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, milk
Lunch: Mac and cheese, hot dogs, and veggie
Dinner: Strogonoff w/rice, green salad, cauliflower

Saturday-
Breakfast: Pancakes, milk, and fruit
Lunch: Sandwiches, fruit and veggies
Dinner: Leftovers w/salad (or our date night!)

Sunday-
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, milk, toast, and fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Dinner at my parents house (Yay for Mom's Chirizo meatloaf!)


Sour Cream Chicken
Chicken Breasts (or tenders. I find the chicken tenders better for my kiddo!)
4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2-4 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. bread crumbs
2 c. sour cream
4 tsp celery salt
3 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix sour cream, worcestershire, celery salt, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts in sauce turning to coat. Let marinate several hours or overnight. Roll chicken in bread crumbs. Drizzle 1/4 c. melted butter or margarine over top. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over. Drizzle additional 1/4 c. butter over other side and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Meatball Casserole
1/2 lb. pork sausage 1/8 tsp pepper 1/3 c. evaporated milk
1 lb. hamburger 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 lg. onion, diced
Shape into meat balls. Brown, cover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Place in casserole dish. Combine:
1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup evaporated milk 1/2 c. water
Heat until steaming. Pour over meat balls.
Biscuits:
1 1/3 c. flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt 1/3 c. shortening 1 egg
1/3 c. evaporated milk 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening, add egg and milk. Knead on floured board 10 times. Roll out to 12 inch square. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Roll up and cut into 8 slices. Place on top of the meatballs. Place in 400 oven for 20-25 minutes.

Fajitas
Chicken, cut into strips green peppers, sliced
Onion, thinly sliced
Brown chicken, cooking thoroughly. Add green peppers and onions. Add fajita seasoning (or taco seasoning, depending on what you like or have on hand).
Serve with sour cream and cheese with flour tortillas or salad.

Strogonoff
1/2 cube margarine or butter 1/2 chopped onion
1 round steak, cut into strips
Brown steak in butter then add onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add:
3 pkgs brown gravy mix 3 cups water
Simmer 15 minutes then add:
1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp ground ginger
Simmer 10-15 minutes, turn down heat and let sit on low heat for 30 minutes. Boil egg noodles or rice. Add 1/2 c. to 3/4 c. sour cream to sauce and mix. Serve sauce over hot noodles or rice.

Copycat Mexican Restaurant Chicken
5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast 1 T. cumin
1 small bottle zesty Italian dressing 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of liquids and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. I make this as a salad or you can make it like burritos.

When I am making my grocery list, I go through my cupboards and see what I have on hand before shopping. I buy a lot of things by the case when on sale so my grocery list may be very different than yours. Also, take into account if your family likes to have dessert during the week. We usually have dessert for Family Home Evening on Monday nights and then usually at least one night during the weekend. So, decide what you want to make ahead of time or ensure that you have your family favorites on hand. I am by no means an expert. But I have fun making my meal plans and seeing what my family likes. I keep my menus in a folder for the next time I make a menu and mark down what my family liked. Good luck in your own family menu planning.