Dinner Menu's HELP!

Posted: Mon, Feb 20 2012, 5:25 pm Post subject: Dinner Menu's HELP!

How does 1 plan a dinner menu for the week? I cant seem to do that for the life of mine!
I usually plan wht to make for dinner when I get home from work.. I dont have kids so its just DH and myself but it would be so much easier to have a menu..
so how do I do that?
do you buy all ing on Sun for the week?
I sometimes run to grocery b4 coming home to get the ings then put something quick together.. but its so hard.. would love a menu..
TIA

Posted: Mon, Feb 20 2012, 5:36 pm Post subject: re: Dinner Menu's HELP!

I can't speak for the rest and I don't really make a menu plan, but I did these past 2 weeks. The reason why I made the menu was because my kids were home and we were doing camp mommy, so since I had to decide what to do, I did that as well. First I made a list of different foods that my kids like and a side to go with it then I decided what to have when, but decided for two days at a time. I also shopped for two days at a time, but that's what I was able to do, so that's what I did. I also had to do lunch Mad

.

How I thought of what to make, I thought, chicken, meat, fish, egg and then went from there. Also from chicken, top, bottom, chopped, meat, steak, roast, chopped, etc.. Get my drift?
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Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48223

You need to do what works for you. If your dh likes to shop, let him. If it's up to you, then do so at a convenient time.

As for the menu, you must have a budget, right? Think of a variety of healthful foods and rotate them.

For us, this means Monday milchigs. Thursdays are leftovers.

Sundays I cook meaty unless I go out and then we eat Shabbos leftovers. Tuesdays I go to the fish store or it's chicken cutlets, depending.

See what I mean ?

Posted: Mon, Feb 20 2012, 5:46 pm Post subject: re: Dinner Menu's HELP!

When do you usually shop for the week? Is it Wednesday? If so, then you need to have your menu planned for the next week the day before, on Tuesday.

Decide on a menu on Tuesday and prepare shopping list then.
Shop of Wednesday and clean and put away all meat/poultry.
Keep the menu on the fridge so that you know what to take out of the freezer each night to defrost.
Cook each night accordingly.

Good luck.
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Posted: Mon, Feb 20 2012, 5:48 pm Post subject: re: Dinner Menu's HELP!

To be honest we eat very simple dinners during the week. It's most likely soup, pasta, rice, some kind of grilled or fried fish, some kind of casserole or pie. Leftover features prominently (this is something you don't have to plan or prepare). Often it's one-pot casserole that has some fish and veggies, like pasta with salmond and broccoli, or fried rice with veggie sausages, eggs and green peas.

As for grocery shopping, I do some items at the beginning of the week (Sun or Mon) if I can get it cheaper and know it won't spoil. Ditto for some fruits that need to be ripened. I also make a shopping list which gets gradually crossed.

Silver Member Joined: Mar 28 2011 Posts: 546

if u make a menu do u stick to it? never works for me I change my mind 10 x till I really
decide what to make Smile

Posted: Mon, Feb 20 2012, 6:33 pm Post subject: re: Dinner Menu's HELP!

I also change my mind fairly often; the advantage of planning a menu is that if I don't come up with a better idea, I have something already planned.

Posted: Mon, Feb 20 2012, 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: re: Dinner Menu's HELP!

Diamond Member Joined: Dec 18 2005 Posts: 3039

I try to stick to menu's, I really do, but I always change my mind to suit my mood. also, I find its not possible to shop only once/week, cant keep the produce fresh and plentiful that way. and when I'm in the store I tend to buy what whets my appetite and then cook that for dinner.
If I had the time I'd shop every day.

Beginner Joined: Dec 28 2010 Posts: 4

I made on a paper columns with chicken ideas, side dishes, soups, dairy dishes, and some entrees ideas. when I have it written it's much easier to see what I need from grocery.

Diamond Member Joined: Jan 14 2011 Posts: 2813

besides for helping me make less trips to the grocery store, making weekly menus helps me budget and reduces waste. I like to do my main grocery shopping on thursday, so I start with a shabbos menu, write a menu for the week through wednesday. thursday night is a simple dinner, usually unplanned and based on whatever I bought at the grocery store. sunday is always leftovers from shabbos. as an example of the rest of the week: monday chicken and rice with salad, tuesday meatballs and spagetti, wednesday vegetable soup (good for using all the leftover vegetables from the week) and spinach bourekas. thursday usually ends up being dairy or fish, because thats the day I shop. chocolate is on the menu every day Smile

Silver Member Joined: Feb 24 2011 Posts: 684

I found that I couldnt menu plan and shop only once a week. so I menu plan on sunday nights for that weeks supper and shop on monday and then shop thursday for shabbos.
ill write down on my fridge that weeks suppers..ex- mon-turkey burgers+rice+ stir fry
ill do that for the whole week..and get all the ing..
then thursday, I think of what to make for shabbos( assuming well have leftovers for sudnay) and go shopping thursday
I find that when I am really organized and only go to the store twice everything runs smoothly

Posted: Thu, Mar 01 2012, 3:36 pm Post subject: Re: re: Dinner Menu's HELP!