After not meal planning for the longest time, I decided to give it another try, at the beginning of this month. This is how the first week's meal planning turned out (with changes in bold)
Monday:
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - Sauteed chicken (with onions and tomatoes), boxed rice mix ("stir fry" flavor), broccoli
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Milk rice, seeni sambol (spicy onion relish)
Lunch: Egg salad sandwiches
Dinner - Leftovers from Monday's dinner/egg salad sandwiches
Wednesday:
Brunch: French toastLunch - leftovers (soup, the last of the ground beef mixture, the last piece of chicken, etc.Dinner - Fish (frozen pollock) curry, shredded kale (mallung), dhal, green beans, zucchini chutney leftovers from Monday's dinner; cucumber salad
Thursday:
Lunch - leftovers (milk rice, etc.) Koththu roti (or kottu roti) - cut up flat bread (I used lavash bread) with leftover ground beef mixture, an egg, and spices (curry powder, chili powder, etc.)
Tea: Thin pancakes with sugar and lemon juice
Dinner -Fish (frozen pollock) curry, rice, sauteed shredded Japanese purple mustard greens, dhal
Friday:
Brunch - leftovers (milk rice and fish curry) or fried rice
Dinner - Boxed mac & cheese with tuna, maybe or some of the frozen kufta.
Saturday??? Brunch - leftover mac & cheese
Tea - Sardines on toast
Dinner - Rice, chicken curry, leftover dhal, zucchini chutney
Sunday??? Brunch - pancakes
Dinner - Salmon (sauteed with onions and tomatoes), garlicky green beans (whole green beans sauteed with garlic and soy sauce), with leftover rice (daughter), zucchini chutney
Well, that worked out a lot better than I thought it would, even though things got changed around a little bit!
I feel confident enough to try making a meal plan for the upcoming week, too! We tend to eat brunch more than breakfast and lunch, so, I am planning for brunches and dinners.
Week 2 Meal Plan (2/7 - 2/13):
Monday:
Brunch - Egg salad sandwiches
Dinner - Garden salad - Japanese purple mustard greens, purple mizuna, chard, Japanese spinach, baby beet greens, all from the garden, with bottled salad dressing,
Pork gyoza (potstickers) - appetizer
Leftover salmon and green beans (from Sunday's dinner), sauteed mixed garden greens, rice (daughter wanted something more than the gyoza)
Tuesday
Brunch - Boiled mung beans, with katta sambol
Dinner - Ground turkey laab, stir fried vegetables, rice
Wednesday:
Brunch - Leftover mung beans (if any); toast and scrambled eggs (if not)
Dinner - Assorted leftovers
Thursday:
Brunch - Fried rice
Dinner - Chicken curry, cucumber salad, rice, chutney
Friday:
Brunch - Tuna salad sandwiches
Dinner - Leftovers from Thursday's dinner
Saturday:
Brunch - Sauteed chickpeas
Dinner - Koththu roti
Sunday:
Brunch - Pancakes
Dinner: - Roast pork, vegetables, salad
Not sure if we will keep to the plan or not! But, I've already put the mung beans to soak and the ground turkey is in the fridge, so, tomorrow's meals are more or less certain!
As always, I realize what a blessing it is to be able to have enough food choices to make a meal plan and I am grateful to have plenty of food.
Do you meal plan? Or do you decide as you go? If you meal plan, how well do you follow the plan? Do you stay according to plan or do you tweak it as you go?
Your meal plan looks good, I like how you factor in those leftovers. I do a weekly online shop and try to choose different things for the week ahead and order things for the freezer. Sometimes it is dependent on use by dates so it's more of a decide on the day sort of meal plan.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. We eat leftovers for brunches and snacks, quite often, but, I find it helpful to list them as a planned meal, too. Deciding on the day works, too, especially when one doesn't feel like having what was listed on the meal plan for that day! :)
DeleteI always respect anyone who meal plans. Every time I have tried, it has all gone dreadfully wrong. I love the way that you use leftovers, and you are such a good cook.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. I think it is easier to meal plan for yourself only than for a family, especially if you take their preferences into account! As for leftovers, my daughter is very good about eating leftovers, perhaps even more than I am! Even so, after a few days, I find myself with a fridge full of little bits and pieces, so, I plan for a meal that will use up the leftovers. Or, I freeze things in a container and when the container is full, I make soup!
DeleteI haven't been very good at sticking to my meal plan lately so end up having to eat odd combinations to use up things before they go off! I'm also trying to use up some of the homemade meals and UFOs in the freezer, after which I will get my act together and start planning properly again.
ReplyDeleteThose odd combinations keep mealtimes interesting, don't they? :D I no longer know quite what's in my freezer! Time to do another freezer inventory, I think!
DeleteWe don't meal plan specifically, but in a general way. We find some kind of plan is useful in preventing takeout when we really don't want to.
ReplyDeleteHaving an idea of what we have on hand and can make with that is often the only plan we need! Oh, and remembering to put things out to thaw in time! :D I don't always remember to do that!
DeleteI find my meal plan is always just a suggestion of ways to use mainly what I have on hand, or is some steerage for my grocery list. About the best plan I can make is for dinner. I don't eat breakfast and my lunch is always whatever is left over. I plan 7 meals (including planned take out) but they are never in any order. They just happen when/if they happen!
ReplyDeleteI do like the way you meal plan, Anne, and the built in flexibility. :) I, too, plan my meals around what I have on hand or that week's grocery specials (ground turkey was on sale, this week, so I bought 1 packet for the freezer and 1 to cook this week).
DeleteA good plan. I think I'd be more willing to make a plan if I had someone who would cook it all for us! But somehow we manage to eat reasonably well, although lately a state of panic occasionally sets in before suppertime! Then I remember something suitable. The house is full of food, it's just the cook who is the problem!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. Sounds like you need a new cook! :D Does DH cook?
DeleteAll sounds good Bless! I haven't been menu planning in quite a while either but definitely getting back to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. I've missed your meal planning and all those mouth-watering pictures you'd post! :)
DeleteI always like to hear what you are up to regarding your meals.
ReplyDeleteAnd I see there's a grocery shopping post :)
I don't meal plan in any structural way but I do think ahead about what we will have in order not to waste fresh food.
Thank you, Debra. I do well enough without meal plans, too, and my meal plans are not set in stone, but, it feels good to have something planned out. :)
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