How do you come up with a weekly menu?

ejb245

I've decided that one of the easiest ways for me to be better about what I'm eating is to come up with a weekly menu and stick with it so I'm not just rooting around in the fridge. For those of you that plan out your week, how do you come up with your menus? Do you just look at your pantry and plan or do you use a website that comes up with menus? There are just so many choices, that I'm at a stand still.

Thanks for any help!

snookumss

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mrmanmeat

I've decided that one of the easiest ways for me to be better about what I'm eating is to come up with a weekly menu and stick with it so I'm not just rooting around in the fridge. For those of you that plan out your week, how do you come up with your menus? Do you just look at your pantry and plan or do you use a website that comes up with menus? There are just so many choices, that I'm at a stand still.

Thanks for any help!

I come up with it on my own. I do look around and find different recipes to try, etc.

I make a grocery list, then make a meal plan down to snacks/etc.

My protein usually consists of steak (once a week) chicken (a lot) salmon (1-2 times) and another fish. I also have tuna during the daytime sometimes.

a lot of fruits & veggies. Broccoli is a staple. Banana's too.

PrincessGlitterTush

I work them out based on what I can spend per week. Then I sit and see what I have available already and start planning. I tend to plan rice based meals for lunches so I make it all on a Sunday and freeze them for the week. And dinners are max 15 minutes to prepare. Like pasta, or a wrap or something quick. And I always have lots of snacks to choose from.

Justjoshin

I check my pantry, think through what I had last week, and try to change it up.

Oatmeal for breakfast every morning. I just change up what I add, almond butter, walnuts, natty peanutbutter, protein powder, fruit, etc.

Lunch is either leftover dinners, protein shake, tuna, salad + protein, eggwhites, or a chicken breast and good carb.

I usually roast a chicken one day during the week. That turns into usually 2-3 different meals. (Chicken tacos. stir fry, etc)
Fish 1-2 nights
Steak one night
Pasta here and there
Homemade Pizza on Fridays or weekends
Now that its fall, I'll make soups/chilis in crockpot so that I have a few extra meals either as leftovers that week, or to freeze.

I keep frozen veggies in the freezer to add to things (see chicken stir fry above)
Always have fresh fruit and veggies on hand as well.

I change it up, I get bored if I go more than a few days just eatting the same thing.

JulieBoBoo

I usually start out looking at my pantry and seeing what I already have. I also sit one or two of my favourite cookbooks for ideas/inspiration.

Then I look at my week and mark out which days I need to pre-make supper (nights when the girls have Tae Kwon Do) and nights when I have extra time because we have no activities planned. I also make sure to plan the less time consuming meals for weeknights so I have more attention to help the girls with their homework and leave the more intricate meals for Saturday and Sunday.

Once I have done this, I start with plugging in one or two of the standard stew/ casserole meals (chili, spaghetti, cottage pie, chicken stew, chicken caccitore, stir fry, beef stroganoff, etc) we have on a regular basis into the nights that they will work easily. Then I look at my recipe book and pick a recipe or two to try out on the weekend. Then I plan the super easy meals for the nights when I know I will be rushed (this is usually the standard grilled/broiled/boiled/sauteed meat + turnip/potatoes/sweet potatoes/squash + grilled veggies or salad).

Once I've done that, I plug in the lunches for the days after I'm sure I'll have leftovers (usually after a stew/casserole meal) and then plan sandwiches/quesadillas/soup/omelets/etc. for those lunches when leftovers from the night before are iffy.

I don't plan breakfasts but I do plan on making 1-2 types of muffins, 1-2 types of cookies and 1-2 types of cake/crumble/betty desserts per week as I try not to buy all pre-packaged snacks for my family so I plug in the ingredients for those into my grocery list as well.

This is what my meal planning generally looks like:
http://jaabeemom.blogspot.com/2010/03/notebook.html

hperowl

I usually like to try a few new recipes a week just to keep things from getting boring so I scout web sites (skinnytaste.com is my fav) and then I make a shopping list. If you're really into cooking, you might want to have one day a week where you cook several meals and then they're ready for the rest of the week (I have a friend who does this)

koosdel

The butler is rather creative. He does all of the little people things like shopping and cooking.

BackwoodsMom

I'm going to try emealz.com on recommendation from a friend. Lots of options but having meals planned and a variety of main dishes will help me to not cave into what's easy, which is usually not the healthiest. Also, a shopping list is included with each week's menu plan. $15 for 3 months. You get a new menu/shopping list each week.

ejb245

Thanks everyone. I'm going to look around and see if I can come up with some one-person menu plans with leftover potential.

cramernh

honestly.. I dont do a menu weekly...If you can commit to a weekly menu and knowing each and every day, you are having this, this and that... then great... but, you never know what life throws your way.... like being called into work because someone called out, being stuck in traffic and you get home three hours later, etc...

The day I grocery shop, is the same day I do bulk cooking for many things: meatballs, individual meatloaves, weigh-measure ground beef for burgers, whole pork loins broken down, chickens and turkeys are cut in half, roasted and then broken down further for soup stocks, homemade marinara, soup, all meats are broken down, and either season-rubbed, marinating in homemade marinades, portioned out in separate bags so all I have to do is take out one bag that is perfect to use for a meal.

When I come home, all I really have to do is work with the thawed protein and/or stocks, prep up the veggies and make a starch for my husband.... sometimes, I work better on-the-fly making a meal rather than committing to a preset weekly menu...

Ocarina

I really need one of these websites. Me and my husband are on a very limited income since he works full time and I haven't worked in almost two years. I start 20 hours a week soon at ironically another grocery store but I swear by WalMart. Mainly because it's so easy and popular to log the food and the prices are unbeatable. I've gotten us down to $90 a week but it still is bugging me because it can be cheaper. So I'm thinking about one of these meal planners as they aren't going to cost an arm and a leg. PLUS, we are so tired of eating boring old meat + veggie sides or what we call "ghetto spaghetti". Anyways, thanks for the reminder!! I'm checking out Foodonthetable.com right now.

gollygoshkers

The only menu item that I plan for the week is dinner. I usually have the same thing for snacks, breakfast and lunch. I usually start my day off with a Chocolate or Greenberry Shakeology. It's jam packed with vitamins and other essential nutrients that I need for the day.
The morning is usually rush rush rush go go go so having a Shakeology in the morning ensures that I get some kind of nutrition in my belly. It also helps curb my appetite and tides me over until my next meal.

If I do get hungry I always have a granola bar, apple, or banana in my bag or at my desk to munch on. Then there's lunch which can be anything from a salad to a sandwich. Then in the afternoon I snack again with whatever healthy snack I have around nuts, fruit, carrots, etc and that tides me over until dinner where I have another Shakeology and a light dinner. Ideas from dinner come throughout the day. Someone will mention something that they had for lunch and I would look up the recipe and see if I can make it at home. If nothing inspires me then I would think about what I have in my fridge and pantry and come up with an entree from there.

Trillian73

Lately I've been sitting down with a couple of my healthy cookbooks and planning stuff that looks interesting. I make up my grocery list as I look through the books and write down the page numbers and the book name so I know how to find the recipes again later in the week. For lunches I often either buy a pre-cooked whole chicken at the deli or if I have time I'll roast one myself to use for sandwiches and salads, chicken tacos, etc. for later in the week as well. Then I buy lots of fruit and other healthy snacks, make sure I have enough lunches for the kids too, as they've started bringing their lunches to school now most days too. As I'm going through the cookbooks, I try to select recipes that require some ingredients that I know I already have on hand too.

Then, if life gets in the way during the week and I don't end up making something, I try to freeze what I can to make sure it doesn't spoil before I can get to it.

Ocarina

I have to say that Emealz is better then the one I was checking out earlier. It does so much more for you and is cheaper then FoodontheTable.com. After all isn't this about saving money and time? I'm going to sign up for E-Mealz and hope for the best. I can't start until next week but it will be something to look forward to at least.

brynakrauth

I've found it's good to write out your week but to know that there may be days you'll have to deviate from the plan for lunch meetings or dinners out.
If you have a solid weekly plan, it makes grocery shopping easier and can also help you stay on a budget. You don't have to get super fancy and you shouldn't make it harder than it needs to be.
For example, if I make turkey meatloaf for dinner one night, I use the leftovers on a salad for the next few days until it's all gone.
A few months ago, I adopted the idea that I would not go to the grocery store until I'd eaten what was already in my fridge. I was shocked at how this cut down on trips to the store and saved money. Too often, veggies go old before they get eaten - if you know what I mean.
In any case, I could go on and on about this. But, I highly suggest making a weekly food menu on Sunday's for the following week. Then, do your best to stick to your plan and eat what's in your fridge. Don't make this weight loss thing harder than it needs to be.
Good luck
Bryn

kjannan

I plan a weeks worth of dinners before I do my grocery shopping & because there's only 3 of us at home, most days we have leftovers for lunch the next day.
I bake healthy muffins & biscuits a couple of times a week & I eat a lot of fruit for snacks. I try to add variety to snacks & trawl the net a lot for inspiration.

Planning dinner ahead is such a relief-if I get called into work I know what we're having so I no longer buy takeaways on my way home.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

My grocery list:

chicken
ground turkey (99% lean)
ground beef
fish
veggies
fruits
(I pick up whatever's on sale on in season)

chex
eggs
milk
cheese
rice cakes
gf bread
whatever grains I'm out of
refried beans

godblessourhome

i keep a list of recipes i want to try in a word document (with the location i found the recipe). once a year, i sit down with all my cookbooks, magazines, websites, etc and add them to the list in the document. based on what i have in the freezer and pantry and what is on sale at the grocer, i come up with my menu each week from the list.

one of my favorite food blogs is pneperfectbite.blogspot.com.

next week is going to be:
apricot chicken (apricots are super cheap right now)
spinach, mushroom and feta calzones (have leftover dough that i need to use up)
tomato brunch sandwiches (have tons of tomatoes from the garden)
ravioli with red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes (ravioli is on sale this week)
mini salmon burgers (have a ton of salmon from fishing in canada)
eating out
and leftovers