Weekly Menu Ideas

vyanez0986

Hello! I am currently on a weight loss journey with my husband. I have found that setting up a weekly menu helps to keep us both on track with our meals. It also helps making dinner easier because I am not looking in the fridge trying to figure out what I am going to make. Using this menu and setting it up on Sunday evening has helped me lose 40 pounds so far. This also helps with my picky eater, because she can see ahead of time what is being cooked and not throwing a fit at dinner time. (Im a you eat what I cook or don't eat mom....sorry)
Does anyone else use a menu? If so, what type of foods do you make? Does it make it easier for you too?

janejellyroll

I make a weekly meal plan every Sunday. I combine picking meals and making a shopping list. It allows me to coordinate meals with my husband (he cooks for himself, but we like it when our meals fit the same "theme") and gives me a chance to plan for my macro- and micronutrient needs for the week.

I love to cook a wide variety of things so I usually begin with pulling down some cookbooks from the shelf and picking out meals that I've previously flagged as wanting to cook and throwing in some recipes that I know from previous experience that I already like. Here are some recipes I am making this week: Vanilla Almond Smoothie Bowl, Beet and Green Apple Smoothie, Cauliflower Pesto Soup, Stuffed Shells Puttanesca, Caldo Verde with Crumbled Tempeh, and Spicy Vegan Sausage and Bean Chili.

I don't think I could make it without menu planning. I'd probably have cereal or popcorn for dinner every night if I didn't pre-plan.

Sabine_Stroehm

I don't, but think it can be helpful, definitely. One thing we DO do, is hubs and I each make 1-2 meals on Sunday that can give us lunches or diners for a few days during the week.

bwogilvie

My wife and I sit down on the weekend and draw up a weekly dinner menu and grocery list, then go shopping. We divide up the work at meals: I cook and she eats! Seriously, I do 95% of the cooking and she does more of the other household chores. We do a variety of foods; I've created 178 recipes on MFP over the last 3 years. This week's menu:

* Saturday: dinner out while traveling
* Sunday: lentil and brown rice soup with salad and cheeses
* Monday: vegetarian tacos with caramelized onions, wilted spinach, goat cheese, and salsa
* Tuesday: pasta with sage-butter and ham sauce, followed by a green salad
* Wednesday: tabouleh with diced tomatoes, cucumber, and chickpeas
* Thursday: several Indian-inspired curries (cauliflower, mushrooms and green beans, and tuna, perhaps also a bean dish if I feel like it)
* Friday: dinner out to celebrate my wife's birthday
* Saturday and Sunday: either leftovers or whatever we plan Saturday morning.

My wife doesn't like to eat the same thing two days in a row, so when we plan leftovers, it's for 3-4 days later. Or we freeze them for those times when things are really busy in our lives, or to have healthy food to take to friends who are in a crisis. I think we could eat for nearly two weeks on the home-cooked food we have in our basement freezer.

tiffkittyw

We eat the same dinners every week on a set schedule. It makes grocery shopping super easy. With that said, I hate cooking so my meals are all quick and easy:
Monday- Chicken Burritos
Tuesday- Eggs for dinner night
Wednesday- Tostadas
Thursday- Bean pasta and garlic bread
Friday- Snacks for dinner night (nuts, cheese, yogurt) Soon I am going to change this dinner to chili and cheese baked potatoes.
Saturday- Eat out (reason why we keep Friday dinner light), but we gave this up for a few weeks since we're so close to goal weight.
Sunday- Pita pizza

We love all of our dinners and don't look at it as a diet, it's sustainable for life.

vyanez0986

OMG!! I love some of these meals you all cook! I am going to need to write some down and try them out. Always looking for new meals to make. Baked chicken, veggies and rice can get boring after awhile! lol

ashleyjongepier

I loosely meal plan, and prep a few things for times when I don't feel like cooking which is often in the summer.

Mon- lettuce wrapped beef burgers and corn on the cob
Tues- tacos (prepped and froze the meat)
Wed- out of town
thurs - turkey meatballs and pasta bean salad
fri- bbq chicken breast with salad (baked potatoes for SO, sweet potato rounds for moi)
sat- sandwhiches and watermelon
Sun - left overs or choose your own adventure.

kommodevaran

Yes! And I love to meal plan! I got a lot of help in here actually, to work out a rotation of dinner themes through the week. I make pretty simple stuff - once a week something different, that can be a new dish I've wanted to try; this gives me a good rythm and balances routine and ease with variety and novelty nicely.

Mondays - Soup+dessert, or casserole
Tuesdays - Pork chop or chicken wings/thigh - sweet potato mash or barley - peas or beans
Wednesdays - Leftovers from Monday
Thursdays - Salmon - rice - peas or beans, or herring - mashed potatoes - onions
Fridays - Whatever; can be an old favorite that doesn't fit other category, or something new, takeaway, or readymeal
Saturdays - Pancakes or cheese on toast and raw vegetables
Sundays - Lamb or beef or ham - mashed potatoes or corn - asparagus, parsnips, brussel sprouts or artichoke
Of course I will adjust to real life and the plan isn't set in stone.

I've started to take pictures of my meals and post them here

mrspaws91

I make a menu each week, often 2 weeks at a time.
Sunday - brats on the grill with corn on the cob, raw veggie platter, baked beans (this week's indulgence meal)
Monday - hobo dinners (I put out ground beef, chicken with potatoes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, peas, onion, apple, and a variety of seasonings and each person makes their own in a foil packet).
Tuesday - taco night. I put out the seasoned ground beef and a spread of taco toppings and each can make their own. I will make a taco salad for myself.
Wednesday - pork tenderloin with broccoli, green salad and broccoli rice au gratin ( I'll skip the rice, but dh and the kids will eat it).
Thursday - stuffed steak rolls, zucchini tots, cauliflower and green salad https://www.buzzfeed.com/alvinzhou/here-is-how-you-roll-up-steak-and-make-a-totally-delicious-m?utm_term=.uklRxAX7r#.ohZPrlzmq
Friday - dijon chicken thighs and carrots, green salad
Saturday - Asian lettuce wraps
Sunday - lasagna, garlic bread and green salad

Phrick

I used to plan meals. I found it to be a soothing ritual and it made dinner time so much easier! I've only stopped recently because I had surgery and I'm not in charge of cooking for now. I miss it, strange as that may sound. I have a recipe file of hundreds of options many of which I haven't had the opportunity to try yet.

RAinWA

I menu plan a week in advance not only for dinner but also our breakfasts and lunches. My husband can't cook and I work full-time+ so if I didn't we'd be eating canned soup every night and I'd be buying my lunches!

I find it really helpful to shop and cook in batches. We have a freezer stocked with portioned out soups, meats, chili, etc.

And I love new recipes - I read cookbooks like other people read novels.

emmadonaldson95

I make a meal plan for the week by looking about online, cooking my general stuff, flicking through my cookbooks. I've recently started blogging my dinners with quick easy diet recipes. http://skinnybitch.wordpress.com
Also strongly recommend skinny taste website and the body coach on facebook! Hope those 3 help you find plenty stuff.
I've also started writing a full shopping list of what i need for my meal plans which has saved me so much money on supermarket random purchases.

Lounmoun

vyanez0986 wrote: »

Does anyone else use a menu? If so, what type of foods do you make? Does it make it easier for you too?

I plan 28 different dinners at a time... so 4 weeks at a time. I have been planning meals for a long time because of financial reasons. It is easier to stick to my budget if I plan meals.
Has it helped with weight loss? Maybe. I do prelog my whole day every morning so knowing what I will eat makes doing that easier.
We eat lots of different foods at my house. More chicken than beef because it is cheaper. Beans/lentils, rice, pasta, potatoes. Very little fish/seafood. Generally we have soup once a week. For May my family decided to eat meatless dinners although we are not vegetarians.
I post my dinner plans and recipes on my blog. https://lounmoun.wordpress.com/

skinnyforhi

I would meal plan but my husband likes to be more spontaneous and he often doesn't know when he will be home until very late in the day. I shop for my breakfasts and snacks. I also make sure to always keep items on hand to make a healthy pasta or stir fry (45 minutes to prepare) or canned soup and salad ingredients (5-10 minutes to prepare). This way we can be spontaneous, but I also have supplies for at least 2 or 3 healthy meal options if that doesn't work out. Nothing is really wasted because pasta and rice are not perishable and the veggies I keep on hand can usually go in whatever he plans that's different. My lunches are often leftovers. So I basically have plans and contingencies . The system isn't perfect, but it's a good compromise that respects my other half and still allows me to reach my goals.

dlkfox

My family's schedule is all over the place. My meal planning is based on what is on sale at the market when I shop. I tend to cook meats, rice, pasta in big batches and refrigerated that can be warmed up and put with frozen veggies on the fly for anyone who needs lunch at school/work or needs something before they are running off to do the next thing. This way there are always healthy, home cooked options for everyone. This style of "planning" saves us money and is better nutrition. Little to none goes to waste.

vivmom2014

Every so often I'll map out the week w/ dinners. Usually I have an intimate knowledge of what's in my refrigerator - I keep it kind of sparse - and I have a grocery store habit, so food purchases (particularly produce) are happening frequently.

A typical week...
Monday: Moroccan Garbanzo Bean Stew
Tues: Sweet Potato Black Bean wraps
Wed.: Chili, Lime & Cumin Cod w/ Caesar salad
Thurs: Spinach Stuffed Shells
Fri: Corn Fritters & Chunky Tomato Red Pepper Soup

A lot of Friday nights we do pizza from Dominos - I get the thin crust w/ light white sauce and vegetables. It is sooooooo delicious!!