weekly meal planning

[rahimlee54]

Anyone have any decent resources or ideas for weekly meal planning. I usually cook really great food on the weekend and during the week eat cereal and eggs and the like for dinner. I have always done that kind of stuff. Not uncommon is peanut butter and crackers with a cappuccino. My wife is pretty tired of that kind of stuff so I have tried on and off to plan some meals during the week but just dont really care about making them. So if anyone has any tricks or good rules to follow or something I'd like to give it another whirl. I'd like to be able to do most prep work on Sunday night and cook as quickly as possible with the least amount of dishes. I usually work out an hour before dinner which drives the need for minimal cooking and cleaning.

I'll probably just have to suck it up and do the cleaning associated with it. She tried some of those crock pot meals on pintrest and only one was any good, I didn't check out the recipies or techniques as she took the initiative to make everything so I just chopped up the veg and kept my mouth shut. Married for 8 years over here .

Thanks
Jared

 

[jacko9]

Jared, my wife and I take the weekly planning approach. On Monday evening we plan for the next seven days and then go shopping on Tuesday for most of the ingredients. Our planning session takes into account how much is cooked and how to incorporate the leftovers into another meal or two. We have been doing this for several years since our children have moved out on their own and we have gotten pretty good at having good meals with very little clean-up or waste. Oh, and we are going to married 50 years in Dec.

 

[chinacats]

I usually bake bread on Saturdays. While I've got the oven hot I cook a few different things in Dutch ovens and use them throughout the week. This week it's scalloped potatoes, mac (fusilli) and cheese, and a baked chicken. Always have some homemade soup as well. Oh, and have to keep a bowl of fresh cut fruit in the fridge.

Cheers

 

[Jovidah]

What really helps for me is a stocked pantry and a stocked freezer. This way you won't have to shop for everything and you're a lot more flexible. It gives you the opportunity to 'improvise' or turn something mediocre into something at least half interesting. Make sure to focus this on stuff that lasts so you don't waste a lot due to spoilage.

So for example I always have the basic long-lasting vegetables / aromatics like onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, carrots, celery. Then there's the basic dry spices and dried herbs (I know they're not as good as fresh, but it helps to have some backup). I have some good stock / fond around (I actually have some great gelatinous stuff that I just throw in the freezer; you can still scoop it while frozen). Then there's all the dried beans, nuts, potatoes, pastas and stuff like that. It's these little odds and ends that can turn a ****** improvisation into a great meal.

Same with the freezer; I always have all kinds of meat in there (also because I buy at the wholesaler) but the downside is it takes a day of planning ahead. Only exception seems to be bacon; preslice it and freeze in parts and you're good to go. Then I have a whole bunch of simple plain veggies in there; frozen corn, peas, green beans, etc. If necessary they can form a meal, but otherwise they can be used to beef up a meal. If I plan at least a day ahead I can put almost anything I want on the table while only requiring a few things from the store.

I could go on and on, but I guess what I'm trying to say is: stock up and learn how to go from there. I found myself to really get better once I stopped trying to plan every little thing and just got myself a nice basic stock to work from and with which I could just make up stuff on the go. It really makes your shopping a whole lot easier... and a lot less depressing when every single meal doesn't require 10 new ingredients on the list.

 

[aboynamedsuita]

I usually cook in bulk over the weekend and have the majority of the "dirty work" done which makes the hectic weekdays less tedious. For example, I'll pan sear some chicken breasts or steak, and cut into strips for salads for the days ahead. Likewise with dicing cucumber, peppers, etc. Saves having to do cleanup for little onesie-twosie things as you do most of it at once.

 

[WildBoar]

We usually make one or two big dishes on sunday to take us a bit into the week. Something like a roast chicken, pork shoulder, etc. Usually will make a bit of a grain to go with it that will also be okay for a couple more days. In a pinch duing the week, pasta with a premade sauce doesn't take much effort. Just go with something like a Rao's sauce vs a Ragu or Five Brothers.

 

[Mrmnms]

Jared, my wife and I take the weekly planning approach. On Monday evening we plan for the next seven days and then go shopping on Tuesday for most of the ingredients. Our planning session takes into account how much is cooked and how to incorporate the leftovers into another meal or two. We have been doing this for several years since our children have moved out on their own and we have gotten pretty good at having good meals with very little clean-up or waste. Oh, and we are going to married 50 years in Dec.

We should be hanging on every word

 

[jacko9]

We should be hanging on every word

Thank you but my wife and I are pikers compared to my grandmother, she came to America from Austria as a teenager and her and my grandfather built their own house, grew their own food (with the exception of staples like milk and sugar,etc) but the funniest moment was when I brought my new wife to meet her (we lived in another state by then). We were sitting at her table having some breakfast and tea when she asked my wife if she liked stronger tea. My wife trying to be polite said sure but she was shocked when my grandmother gave her the tea bag out of her cup - waste not want not!

 

[Bill13]

Anyone have any decent resources or ideas for weekly meal planning. I usually cook really great food on the weekend and during the week eat cereal and eggs and the like for dinner. I have always done that kind of stuff. Not uncommon is peanut butter and crackers with a cappuccino. My wife is pretty tired of that kind of stuff so I have tried on and off to plan some meals during the week but just dont really care about making them. So if anyone has any tricks or good rules to follow or something I'd like to give it another whirl. I'd like to be able to do most prep work on Sunday night and cook as quickly as possible with the least amount of dishes. I usually work out an hour before dinner which drives the need for minimal cooking and cleaning.

I'll probably just have to suck it up and do the cleaning associated with it. She tried some of those crock pot meals on pintrest and only one was any good, I didn't check out the recipies or techniques as she took the initiative to make everything so I just chopped up the veg and kept my mouth shut. Married for 8 years over here .

Thanks
Jared

The book Slow Cooker Revolution has a lot of good recipes, my wife loves that book.