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Mom's Menu
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"What's for dinner?" The question came at 4:30 p.m. I had 60 minutes to have my answer on the table.
Options were limited. Most meats I had on hand were frozen -- no time to thaw and cook. I thumbed through my favorite recipes, quickly realizing that I was missing at least one key ingredient for each. My stock of frozen leftovers was depleted, as were the funds necessary for takeout. Thanks to a dozen eggs, the evening was saved, and we had breakfast for dinner.
That night I announced that I wanted more variety in our dinners, and in some cases, I wanted more nutrition. But what I wanted most of all was a plan.
It's not that I don't think of dinner until 4:30 p.m. every night. Many days, I can proudly point to a slow cooker warming on the counter at 10 a.m. And some days, having not seen the inside of the kitchen since breakfast, I can go in the freezer and pull out chili, lasagna rolls, or taco meat that I had the foresight to prepare in double on a quieter day. Still, we were in a rut, eating the same five or six meals in a weekly rotation.
I asked my family for their favorite dinner choices and found new inspirations on FamilyFun's Month of Meals. Then I printed a blank calendar page for a whole month and used our list to fill the days.
On nights I already knew would be hectic, I planned meals that would be ready when we walked in the door, and designated a few of those as "carry-out" nights. I added fish (something new), and was shocked at how much my girls enjoyed it.
I like the structure my calendar provides. At a glance, I know how to stock my refrigerator and pantry. Since I've planned for a month, I can take advantage of sales earlier than if I planned only a week at a time. And having a whole month to consider ensures a bit more variety in our menu.
The added bonus -- now my family checks the calendar instead of asking, "What's for dinner?"
Member Comments On…
Mom's Menu
I loved the old idea of monthly menu planning (something back to the 60's that my mom used to try but doesn't "cook" anymore:) So was thrilled when I saw the Month of Menus already planned for me! Every day sounded great but I quickly got disillusioned when I realized there was no easy way to pull up the daily recipes & print or save them except individually! Thats 3 recipes X 30 days & another 3 hits for print, save add to shopping list. I spent over an hour & only got 3 days worth. Stopped because I didn't have all day for this type of menu planning. Like her make your own calendar w/ family favorites & maybe I'll add in 1 or 2 new recipes. Who thinks home cooking is ever easy?!:)
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I don't do Month of Meals, but I do something similar. With handicapped girls and a husband who is frequently on call not to mention "working" myself as a volunteer, our schedule is very busy. I have a white board where I put down what meats are in the freezer under each category (fish, poultry, port, meat, etc.). On the calendar, I put the name of the individual who is responsible for taking the meat out of the freezer for that evening. Before we can get up from the table, that person must pull out the meat and put it in our "defrost place" in the fridge. Then it is up to me to make the following day. Oh, if the person who chooses forgets, they need to come up with a meal for the family (which may be as easy as cold cereal). This takes the pressure off of Mom and makes everyone have a responsibility in getting a meal on the table.
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I've done a variation of the "Month of Menu's" I did basically a months worth of dinners, but by season. So I have 4 months, but they are broken down by season with pot roast in winter, salads in summer, etc... I repeat the 30 day menu 3 times for the season, then switch to the next season. So far it has worked for me.
I am also a huge fan of double recipes and putting one in the freezer. With items like taco meat or sloppy joes, I just make huge batches when burger is on sale and freeze it. It has really been handy!
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I have found an easy way to do menus. I write down everything that our family likes, then I break it into categories (Mexican, Italian, Soup, American, Chicken) you get the picture. Then I just stagger these things through the month. It keeps me from duplicating and I end up with about 3 months worth of menus with a few days included to try new things. I have found that it saves me a lot of money too.
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We have been using a month of menus for years! To make it more family friendly and less taxing on Mom's brain- I ask each family member to give me a minimum of 5 menus that they want included. They will help prepare this meal so they have special time with either my husband or myself- whoever is on kitchen detail that night. As they get older, they take on more responsibility of preparing the meal and actually making sure we have all the ingredients or that they are on are shopping list. They also help with looking for coupons- so it is a good learning experience all around.
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