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trying out meal planning

This week will be my first foray into meal/menu planning.  I spent about 30 minutes this morning checking the local grocery store's circular and looking up some menus.  I will go grocery shopping after work tonight.

Here is my plan:

Monday- tacos

Tuesday-balsamic roast in the crockpot with roasted potatoes and carrots

Wednesday-dinner out with mom

Thursday-pork chop suey over udon noodles

Friday-beer and brown sugar kielbasa and seurkraut

 

How'd I do?  Two meals are crockpot, but I can mix up the dates if I need to.  I also anticipate leftovers for lunch with a number of these meals.  If something changes and we end up with other plans, I have tons of freezer space to fill, and I can pull it out for later.  Also, if any other proteins look good and are on sale tonight, I might grab them to freeze anyway.  That way I will have them available for a later time.

Am I doing this right?

Re: trying out meal planning

  • Sounds delicious! This is how DH and I do it as well. Every Sunday we have a 'weekly planning meeting' where we check in on what our plans are for the week, who's hanging out with friends, etc so we know how many meals we should prepare for. I like to cook some meals up on Sundays when I can, so that dinner will be ready to go when we finish with work and/or the gym.

    We usually end up planning on 3 meals per week, since we will wind up ordering take out/going out at some point during the week, and we plan another day for leftovers. (I cook like an old Italian grandma- I make ginormous meals just for the two of us).
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  • Sounds great.


    DH meals plans at work.  He flat out refuses to meal plan at home.   Not even up for discussion.    Since it's mostly just me eating I have a mental meal plan.   Not very creative since it's hard to cook for just one.

    I do make big batches of pulled pork and meatballs.   Then I vacuum seal and freeze them.  It's a life saver.  






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • Sounds yummy! Another thing I like to do is prep healthy snacks so I can grab and go (so like put together baby carrots and hummus, cut up celery, bag up almonds) etc... this makes it easier for me to avoid the junk I normally would be tempted by!  We also like to (weather permitting) do a bunch of grilling on Sunday, especially veggies and chicken that can be used in a lot of different dishes!

    Great idea to make extras to throw in the freezer.  This is great to do with lasagna, pastas, etc as well!

    It gets easier the more you do it :)
  • Looks awesome! I always try to plan crock pot meals for days I know I'm going to be exhausted, too, so my life is a little easier having dinner already made for that evening. 
  • I mealplanned last week! I just sort of plan for eight because if everyone comes for dinner I have seven (mom, dad, sisters, brother, FI, me) and I never know who might turn up with them. And if not, then that leaves plenty for me to make lunches that I forget when I leave in the morning. -.- (Surprise, I do that every time I make a lunch.)

    We had chili Saturday night and salsa chicken last night. Tonight is FI's and my date night, so it's Fend For Yourself at home, and then tomorrow I'm making stir fry. I ran out of chicken last night though, so I'll have to go get more. I thought there were going to be 8 breasts in the packet for some reason. I'm a dumbutt. 

    We're gonna have tacos for sure next week. I'm going to do recipe research today and tomorrow, do a mock-up plan on Wednesday, and "submit for approval" since this one doesn't like this thing, since I grocery shop on Friday.
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  • l9il9i member
    Third Anniversary 100 Love Its 100 Comments Name Dropper

    this sounds very similar to what we do.  We have started couponing last fall and using Meijer's mperks which has been wonderful!  So we start with looking to see what's on sale for the week, things to stock up on, etc.  After we figure out what we have and what we are getting at the store we plan our meals for the week.  We generally have about 2 leftover days since it's just us.  It works out great because when we get back from the store we know exactly what can be kept out versus repacked and frozen.

    I second the snack prep!  If we get veggies or fruit that need cleaned or cut it must happen right away or they will sit in the fridge because we are too busy to do it when we want a snack in a hurry.  If we do cut and prepare them immediately they always get eaten - it's magic!

  • Luckily, DH is easy when it comes to food. . . he'll try anything.  I just texted him what he was eating this week, in case there was an issue, or anything he wasn't interested in.

    Who freezes in tupperware containers vs. freezer bags?  preference?

    I actually just remembered that I have two frozen homemade chicken pot pies in the fridge. . . . I can try to remember to break them out for Sunday since i work all day, DH can throw them in the oven before I get home.

  • Perfect! We have been doing this for years. Sunday morning I make the planning and shopping list. I always ask DH if there's something we haven't had in a while that he wants. He usually gives one suggestion. Then I come up with the others from our standard set of 10 meals that we like and rotate. We always get double the dinner amount to take it for lunches the next day. We don't buy lunchmeat or other "lunch" items.

    I've gotten so good that I put them on the grocery list in order by aisle, that way we don't get to the end of the store and say "shit we have to go all the way back to get sour cream".

    Here are some of our go-to's :

    shake & bake pork chops with zuchini side

    whole chicken with pasta side

    penne with italian suasage and vodka sauce

    tacos or fajitas

    ranch pork chops in the crockpot

    shepards pie

    chicken legs over rice in the oven

    penne with heavy cream cheese sauce, baked with shimp and breadcrumbs on top

    split breasts in the oven with roasted veggies

    steak & corn on the cob on the grill

    chicken & white rice in a sour cream and white wine sauce

                                                                     

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  • I  have a Food Saver.  I've had it longer then I've known DH.   I think it's worth the cost.  It keeps the food fresher in the freezer.   

    You are able to boil the bags.  I will just take out the meatballs from the freezer and throw them in boiling water.  15-20 mins or so later they are done.  Boil up some water for the pasta.  Quick easy meal.   DH reheats them and throws them on a roll for a sandwich.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • lyndausvi said:
    Sounds great.

    DH meals plans at work.  He flat out refuses to meal plan at home.   Not even up for discussion.    Since it's mostly just me eating I have a mental meal plan.   Not very creative since it's hard to cook for just one.

    I do make big batches of pulled pork and meatballs.   Then I vacuum seal and freeze them.  It's a life saver.  
    I've really wanted to start doing this. What brand do you use? Do you like it?
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  • lyndausvi said:
    Sounds great.

    DH meals plans at work.  He flat out refuses to meal plan at home.   Not even up for discussion.    Since it's mostly just me eating I have a mental meal plan.   Not very creative since it's hard to cook for just one.

    I do make big batches of pulled pork and meatballs.   Then I vacuum seal and freeze them.  It's a life saver.  
    I've really wanted to start doing this. What brand do you use? Do you like it?



    **************SITB ******
     
    See above






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • lyndausvi said:
    I  have a Food Saver.  I've had it longer then I've known DH.   I think it's worth the cost.  It keeps the food fresher in the freezer.   

    You are able to boil the bags.  I will just take out the meatballs from the freezer and throw them in boiling water.  15-20 mins or so later they are done.  Boil up some water for the pasta.  Quick easy meal.   DH reheats them and throws them on a roll for a sandwich.
    We love our Food Saver! We buy the huge bag of chicken breast and divide and vacuum seal. I make a big batch of red sauce and divide that out into portions for two and vacuum seal that. I've cut up peaches and sprinkled with sugar and then spread them out on a baking sheet and set in the freezer, once they are frozen, I'll put them in a vacuum sealed bag. Spreading them out on a sheet first helps them not all stick together once frozen in a huge ball. This is nice if you plan on making a pie or cobbler with them and wish them to remain hole.
    *msstaticfancypants*
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  • lyndausvi said:
    I  have a Food Saver.  I've had it longer then I've known DH.   I think it's worth the cost.  It keeps the food fresher in the freezer.   

    You are able to boil the bags.  I will just take out the meatballs from the freezer and throw them in boiling water.  15-20 mins or so later they are done.  Boil up some water for the pasta.  Quick easy meal.   DH reheats them and throws them on a roll for a sandwich.
    We love our Food Saver! We buy the huge bag of chicken breast and divide and vacuum seal. I make a big batch of red sauce and divide that out into portions for two and vacuum seal that. I've cut up peaches and sprinkled with sugar and then spread them out on a baking sheet and set in the freezer, once they are frozen, I'll put them in a vacuum sealed bag. Spreading them out on a sheet first helps them not all stick together once frozen in a huge ball. This is nice if you plan on making a pie or cobbler with them and wish them to remain hole.
    we do the same with berries.    lay down a layer on a sheet tray.  Freeze them.  Then vacuum seal them for later use.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I meal plan every week. It's the only way to prevent us from going out too much.

    I'll also make big batches of things we love and freeze them for busy nights or better seasons. For instance, I made a huge batch of ratatouille about a month ago. I froze it in baggies that I can defrost when needed. I will serve it as a side dish, throw it into a pasta sauce, etc. I do the same things with quinoa salads, excess roasted veggies, even more overzealous purchases of greenbeans (blanched).

    This is all helpful because it means that I can plan meals around proteins pretty easily. We find ourselves in the rut of serving salads with every dinner. It's boring - and I like salad. It's also handy when everything is out of season or expensive.

    So, for example, the meals for this week are:

    Sunday: pork chops, wild rice salad (freezer), salad
    Monday: beef stew (crockpot)
    Tuesday: spaghetti squash with meatballs (frozen), salad
    Wednesday: chicken tacos

    Because of the wedding on Saturday and associated family dinners, this is a short week that's more heavily reliant on frozen than usual. However, we tend to have a pretty solid combination of fresh and frozen. I tend to prep/freeze most of my own stuff though.
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  • @wandajune6 aaaah you're this weekend! Cheers to you!

                                                                     

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  • Sounds tasty. DH and I meal plan before shopping too. We sit down and figure out how many dinners we will be cooking, decide what we want (we don't assign days to the meals, just make sure there are as many meals as nights we will both be eating at home), and make the grocery list from that. Healthier, easier, and it saves us money (well, less when DH shops, since he tends to add a more impulse grocery buys than I do). We even plan out what snacks we want to get.
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  • falsarafalsara member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary First Answer
    edited October 2014
    I meal plan too. I often ask FI if there is anything in particular that he wants for the week. And we also talk about who is working late on which days, and what his Open Mic schedule looks like. Then I plan out the meals making sure that on the nights that FI makes dinner he has easy recipes/ things he's made before.

     We grocery shop on Saturday and then on Sunday I prep everything for the dinners and put them in plastic boxes that are marked for that day of the week. 

     So last night I cut and and measured all the ingredients that make up Monday's and Tuesday's meals and put them in the tupperware boxes. 

     I find that this helps cut down on the time it takes to make dinner, because I HATE the prep work that goes into making good meals. It also takes away another excuse to not make dinner.

    ETA: Stupid Paragraphs

                                               

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  • lyndausvi said:
    lyndausvi said:
    I  have a Food Saver.  I've had it longer then I've known DH.   I think it's worth the cost.  It keeps the food fresher in the freezer.   

    You are able to boil the bags.  I will just take out the meatballs from the freezer and throw them in boiling water.  15-20 mins or so later they are done.  Boil up some water for the pasta.  Quick easy meal.   DH reheats them and throws them on a roll for a sandwich.
    We love our Food Saver! We buy the huge bag of chicken breast and divide and vacuum seal. I make a big batch of red sauce and divide that out into portions for two and vacuum seal that. I've cut up peaches and sprinkled with sugar and then spread them out on a baking sheet and set in the freezer, once they are frozen, I'll put them in a vacuum sealed bag. Spreading them out on a sheet first helps them not all stick together once frozen in a huge ball. This is nice if you plan on making a pie or cobbler with them and wish them to remain hole.
    we do the same with berries.    lay down a layer on a sheet tray.  Freeze them.  Then vacuum seal them for later use.

    Yeah, my food saver is one of those peel it from my cold, dead hands kind of things.  I love that baby.  We use it all the time and I love that  you can boil in the bags.
  • kmmssg said:
    lyndausvi said:
    lyndausvi said:
    I  have a Food Saver.  I've had it longer then I've known DH.   I think it's worth the cost.  It keeps the food fresher in the freezer.   

    You are able to boil the bags.  I will just take out the meatballs from the freezer and throw them in boiling water.  15-20 mins or so later they are done.  Boil up some water for the pasta.  Quick easy meal.   DH reheats them and throws them on a roll for a sandwich.
    We love our Food Saver! We buy the huge bag of chicken breast and divide and vacuum seal. I make a big batch of red sauce and divide that out into portions for two and vacuum seal that. I've cut up peaches and sprinkled with sugar and then spread them out on a baking sheet and set in the freezer, once they are frozen, I'll put them in a vacuum sealed bag. Spreading them out on a sheet first helps them not all stick together once frozen in a huge ball. This is nice if you plan on making a pie or cobbler with them and wish them to remain hole.
    we do the same with berries.    lay down a layer on a sheet tray.  Freeze them.  Then vacuum seal them for later use.

    Yeah, my food saver is one of those peel it from my cold, dead hands kind of things.  I love that baby.  We use it all the time and I love that  you can boil in the bags.
    I hate reheating things in the microwave.  Boil in the bags is a great way to reheat foods.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • edited October 2014
    kaos16 said: Luckily, DH is easy when it comes to food. . . he'll try anything.  I just texted him what he was eating this week, in case there was an issue, or anything he wasn't interested in.Who freezes in tupperware containers vs. freezer bags?  preference?I actually just remembered that I have two frozen homemade chicken pot pies in the fridge. . . . I can try to remember to break them out for Sunday since i work all day, DH can throw them in the oven before I get home. %$#&@Q%^(%@&* BOXES!
    I much prefer to freeze in bags - they take up so much less space, and I hate having
    just the right size Tupperware stuck in the freezer when I need it for leftovers. Just freeze them flat on a cookie sheet (this is the tricky part, actually having the room to let them freeze flat) and then you can line them up like books. 

    The only exception to this is soup - I get <these cheapy containers> specifically for big batches of soup. 2 cups apiece, microwave and dishwasher safe. I started a "soup swap" with friends where we'll each make 12 cups of soup (or more), get together and taste them all, and portion out five 2-cup containers of our favorites to take home (or more, depending on who made a larger batch). These are perfect.

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  • I love meal planning! 

    Tonight I am making chicken noodle soup-chicken is in the crock pot right now!
    Tomorrow we will have left over soup!
    Wednesday we will have buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes (sounds weird but if you like buffalo it is delish!)
    Thursday I will make blackened chicken alfredo
    Friday- FI and I both have separate weddings to attend
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  • kaos16 said:

    Luckily, DH is easy when it comes to food. . . he'll try anything.  I just texted him what he was eating this week, in case there was an issue, or anything he wasn't interested in.

    Who freezes in tupperware containers vs. freezer bags?  preference?

    I actually just remembered that I have two frozen homemade chicken pot pies in the fridge. . . . I can try to remember to break them out for Sunday since i work all day, DH can throw them in the oven before I get home.


    SITB

    I use freezer bags for everything:leftover chopped herbs, chicken, meats, sauces, stock and even soups! Needs a little dexterity when still maleable but so easy once sealed and stored away. I like tupperwares but they get all "cranky" and crispy and sometimes it's a pain in the butt to open them right away.

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  • kaos16 said:

    Luckily, DH is easy when it comes to food. . . he'll try anything.  I just texted him what he was eating this week, in case there was an issue, or anything he wasn't interested in.

    Who freezes in tupperware containers vs. freezer bags?  preference?

    I actually just remembered that I have two frozen homemade chicken pot pies in the fridge. . . . I can try to remember to break them out for Sunday since i work all day, DH can throw them in the oven before I get home.

    %$#&@Q%^(%@&amp;* BOXES!

    I much prefer to freeze in bags - they take up so much less space, and I hate having just the right size Tupperware stuck in the freezer when I need it for leftovers. Just freeze them flat on a cookie sheet (this is the tricky part, actually having the room to let them freeze flat) and then you can line them up like books. 

    The only exception to this is soup - I get <these cheapy containers> specifically for big batches of soup. 2 cups apiece, microwave and dishwasher safe. I started a "soup swap" with friends where we'll each make 12 cups of soup (or more), get together and taste them all, and portion out five 2-cup containers of our favorites to take home (or more, depending on who made a larger batch). These are perfect.
    My sister and I do soup swaps too. I also love those for dropping off soup with sick friends/family.
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  • smichek said:
    I'm getting into the swing of meal planning myself and that sounds great! I want to update to the fancier crockpot with the shut off timer. I'm gone 7-5 if not later, and none of my crock pot recipes take 10 hours to cook, so I can't crockpot M-F. I typically crockpot a meal of 8-12 servings on Sunday. We eat 2-3 servings fresh, then I fill two tupperware containers. A smaller one to put in the fridge with just 2-3 servings (FI hates eating the same thing more than twice in one week) and a bigger one to freeze. I just put my frozen one from last week in the fridge to thaw so we can have it with my dad tomorrow night or Wednesday for lunch.
    There are crockpots that have a built in timer.  I have also heard of people plugging their crockpots into a timer that you have for houselights. . . . like when you are out of town and want a light to go on at a certain time to trick intruders.  I have yet to try that, but I am looking into it.  For now, I can just go home at lunchtime to set it up. . . . that's what I am doing today actually.
  • kaos16 said:
    smichek said:
    I'm getting into the swing of meal planning myself and that sounds great! I want to update to the fancier crockpot with the shut off timer. I'm gone 7-5 if not later, and none of my crock pot recipes take 10 hours to cook, so I can't crockpot M-F. I typically crockpot a meal of 8-12 servings on Sunday. We eat 2-3 servings fresh, then I fill two tupperware containers. A smaller one to put in the fridge with just 2-3 servings (FI hates eating the same thing more than twice in one week) and a bigger one to freeze. I just put my frozen one from last week in the fridge to thaw so we can have it with my dad tomorrow night or Wednesday for lunch.
    There are crockpots that have a built in timer.  I have also heard of people plugging their crockpots into a timer that you have for houselights. . . . like when you are out of town and want a light to go on at a certain time to trick intruders.  I have yet to try that, but I am looking into it.  For now, I can just go home at lunchtime to set it up. . . . that's what I am doing today actually.
    I've heard of this too, although I haven't done it. I would want to start with frozen ingredients if I did this. I don't think I've ever been around right at the 8 hour mark though... most slow cooker recipes are pretty forgiving if you need to leave them cooking for a few extra hours.

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  • @smichek Do you work close enough to run home and start the crockpot at lunch time? I used to do this all the time. If a recipe said low for 8 hours, I'd do high for 4 hours. Now my new job is 45 minutes away so I can't do that anymore.

                                                                     

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  • I always thought that crockpots went straight to "warm" after the 6 or 8 hours was up. But I guess that's only if you have a crockpot with that perk.

                                               

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  • smichek said:
    jenna8984 said:

    @smichek Do you work close enough to run home and start the crockpot at lunch time? I used to do this all the time. If a recipe said low for 8 hours, I'd do high for 4 hours. Now my new job is 45 minutes away so I can't do that anymore.

    I only get 15-20 minutes for lunch. It's enough time to eat a sandwich and an apple and go pee. Otherwise yeah, I would. Now that I'm thinking of it, FI is off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I could always have him start the crockpot on those days, as long as I let him know beforehand to put X, Y, and Z in the crock pot, plug it in, and turn it on low at X-time. DUUUUUUUUUH Why did I not think of that sooner?????
    You could also put everything in the crock and leave it in the fridge ( if it's removable) in the morning, or throw it all in a ziplock in the morning that he can dump in at lunch if that makes it easier.
  • kaos16 said:
    smichek said:
    jenna8984 said:

    @smichek Do you work close enough to run home and start the crockpot at lunch time? I used to do this all the time. If a recipe said low for 8 hours, I'd do high for 4 hours. Now my new job is 45 minutes away so I can't do that anymore.

    I only get 15-20 minutes for lunch. It's enough time to eat a sandwich and an apple and go pee. Otherwise yeah, I would. Now that I'm thinking of it, FI is off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I could always have him start the crockpot on those days, as long as I let him know beforehand to put X, Y, and Z in the crock pot, plug it in, and turn it on low at X-time. DUUUUUUUUUH Why did I not think of that sooner?????
    You could also put everything in the crock and leave it in the fridge ( if it's removable) in the morning, or throw it all in a ziplock in the morning that he can dump in at lunch if that makes it easier.
    This is what we always do with crock pot meals anyway. Assemble the night before, refrigerate overnight, and whoever's the last one to leave (normally me) puts the crock in the base and turns it on.

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