POLL: Who here plans a menu for the week?

kmcgrath1
kmcgrath1 Posts: 175 Member
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
My DH thinks I'm obsessed because I plan out a menu for the week, he just doesn't realize that not only does it keep me on track BUT it truly helps keeping me in budget at the grocery store so I only buy what I need to make those meals.

Does anyone else go to that kind of detail for planning meals for the week?
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Replies

  • RainbowDream83
    RainbowDream83 Posts: 91
    If it keeps you on track AND helps you keep in budget..
    Why wouldn't you?
    It's not obsessive, it's a smart thing to do :)
  • myshell26
    myshell26 Posts: 113
    I do this as well. Only because I can plan what's on sale, match some coupons up for extra savings and know that I will eat right for the week. The weekends are where I get in trouble. :tongue:
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    I don't go into a lot of detail, but I do plan at least 2 or 3 meals to make from scratch at home, and I list out all the ingredients when we go shopping. I also plan on healthy snacks, like fresh fruit, or veggies to take with me to work.

    I don't think it's weird at all. The best way to eat healthy is to know ahead of time what your options are. I will not pig out on junk food my coworkers are offering me when I know that there is a nice meal at home all planned out.
  • steffiejoe
    steffiejoe Posts: 313 Member
    I have been planning out my weekly lunches for work. I cook up my food on Sundays and put them in tubberware. This saves me time and keeps me on track with eating clean.
  • Strobins05
    Strobins05 Posts: 716
    I do!!! I plan ahead and buy what is needed for the week. On Sundays I precut my veggies for my morning omelets and make my sauces if needed for salads.
  • jwintonyk
    jwintonyk Posts: 40 Member
    We plan dinners only, then buy what we need based on the menu and what's in season...it saves us a ton of money and keeps us on track. For breakfast we tend to keep to the same foods for ease of schedule and lunches are leftovers or salads...
  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,832 Member
    I don't necessarily plan a menu, I just eat the same things during the week. My breakfast, lunch and snacks are generally the exact same every day Mon-Fri. The weekend are where things get a little different. I started this Monday, so I'm hoping I can stick with it throughout the weekend as well.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    i do.

    your dh should be happy that you don't plan for a month, and end up eating foods from the freezer !!! i know people like that !!!
  • justme84x
    justme84x Posts: 66
    i sure do plan!! what better way to keep on track with my eating than to sit down and plan it all out!? That way there is never a time when I don't know what to eat and just grab the closest thing to me cuz I'm hungry!! :)
  • dixonkk
    dixonkk Posts: 5
    We go grocery shopping every Sunday, so on Saturday I plan the menu for the week. That way I won't have to freak out trying to decide what to make for dinner each night and I'll know exactly what to get at the grocery store.
  • Poohsta0
    Poohsta0 Posts: 147 Member
    I have done a menu for years- single parent with two kids budgeting was paramount. Recently, two weeks on MFP, it is also a diet manager!
  • Pams_Shadow
    Pams_Shadow Posts: 233 Member
    I do too! I have for years and years for all the reasons everyone's already listed.
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 748 Member
    I need to, but I don't.
  • kmcgrath1
    kmcgrath1 Posts: 175 Member
    So nice to know I'm not alone with this!
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    I plan dinners only. Breakfast and lunch are easy--we just keep oatmeal, eggs, fruit, carrots, whole wheat and 9grain bread, peanut butter and lunchmeat on hand, and sometimess we change it up with something like a leftover chicken thigh.

    I usually plan 4-5 dinners. Friday is leftover night, and Wednesdays I eat out with my dad, and I have a date night with the boyfriend where we either eat out or cook a special meal together, which he does the shopping for.

    I meal plan so I can shop all at once. I don't need to test my willpower by shopping more than once a week. Every extra stop for an ingredient on a random Tuesday night after work is one more time I have to walk past the potato chip aisle, and that's much harder to do when I'm tired and hungry!
  • MelanieAG05
    MelanieAG05 Posts: 359 Member
    i plan my lunch and the household dinners so i don't go out and buy a load of shopping from which i can only make one meal! it also helps with planning my diet as well!
  • 126sarahw
    126sarahw Posts: 10
    I always plan my menu for the next 3-4 days as it helps me use up food in the fridge (I hate waste) and also keeps me on track, I know what I'm having and stick to it!
  • Kimmer2011
    Kimmer2011 Posts: 569 Member
    I absolutely plan out (for health and budget reasons) for the week, but I don't always stick to it 100%.
  • PennyNickel14
    PennyNickel14 Posts: 749 Member
    I plan the dinners for the week . It really helps me with the lists - There is nothing more infuriating than sitting around and playing the "what do you want for dinner? I don't know what do you want game!" - at my house this is a problem. I always have a meal plan and for breakfasts i pretty much eat baked oatmeal all winter and eggs and salsa all summer. Lunch is usually left overs from the night before.

    It really does help budget and saves a ton of time.
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
    Not me.

    I like to go where my mood takes me given certain boundaries that keep me heading in the right direction.
    If I plan lean chicken on a day when I am in the mood for broiled salmon, guess what?

    I go with the salmon.
  • RyanDanielle5101
    RyanDanielle5101 Posts: 533
    I have always planned meals for the week:). I go to the store every weekend with a list in hand. I cook almost every night and I don't like running to the store for a few items after work. I'd rather get home and get to my workout!! Plus both of my kids always have some type of sports practice and dinner and dishes need to be done by 6 on those days!
  • grapenutSF
    grapenutSF Posts: 648 Member
    I create a weekly menu for dinners. We get a CSA (veggie box from local farm) that has LOTS of veggies, so if I don't plan properly, it's easy for some of that to go to waste. Also helps me be efficient buying groceries and unstressed in the evenings (no "What should we eat?" when everyone's hungry).
  • Amber393
    Amber393 Posts: 472 Member
    i always menu plan, two weeks at a time based on stuff I have in the cupboard and pantry and items on sale at the grocery. I get only what I need on my list and nothing else. It saves time and money!
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    Not me.

    I like to go where my mood takes me given certain boundaries that keep me heading in the right direction.
    If I plan lean chicken on a day when I am in the mood for broiled salmon, guess what?

    I go with the salmon.

    Same here. I don't like confining myself to whatever the plan might be. But I have tried planning my day and that works... sometimes. hehe
  • mkmacf
    mkmacf Posts: 101
    Every pay day, we plan our suppers for two weeks. It is more of a budgeting thing, but it helps with tracking as well because I know what I can eat before supper and stay under calories.
  • SeaSiren1
    SeaSiren1 Posts: 242 Member
    I use the pantry principle for breakfast and lunches and plan dinners a week in advance for shopping purposes. It also helps to keep food from spoiling as I cook with fresh produce most of the time.
  • MzMiller1215
    MzMiller1215 Posts: 633 Member
    I've been doing that for over three years now. It saves us a lot of money and takes the anxiety out of trying to figure out what to cook when I get home from work each day.
  • TamsinEllis
    TamsinEllis Posts: 293
    I don't plan my meals, dinner I eat whatever's easy to throw together and cook since generally by the evening I just want to crawl into bead and sleep, lunches I tend to have salads or salad wraps but never know what I'm putting in there till the last minute just keep lots of yummy stuff in the fridge so I always have options (although I have had baked beans/spaghetti -tinned- and soups for lunch when I want warming up). And breakfast is probably my most 'planned' meal since I'll always have a protein shake, but if I have food as well it will be anything from peanut butter, Marmite and hot homemade rolls to a salad or fish on crackers. So I do kind of plan it since I know roughly when I'll be eating but I always had the options to vary my meals if what I've been eating for the past few days suddenly is about as appealing to me as dirt.
  • Kimbie500
    Kimbie500 Posts: 388 Member
    We plan dinners only, then buy what we need based on the menu and what's in season...it saves us a ton of money and keeps us on track. For breakfast we tend to keep to the same foods for ease of schedule and lunches are leftovers or salads...

    ^^^^ This. I've done this for years. It's so nice to just grab a leftover out of the fridge for lunch and head out to work. Plus, I'm never on my way home wondering WHAT ON EARTH I'm going to cook. Simplifies my life greatly!
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    Yep. I write out a menu and use it do do my grocery shopping. I hang the week's menu on the fridge and my hubby still asks "what's for dinner" or "what are we doing with _____?" lol
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