Menu Planning

So a friend suggested that I should post my menu plans for others to get inspiration from. I make out my plans two weeks at a time, and let me tell you, as I enter into my 3rd week I wonder why I didn't do this sooner.  Does it take a bit of effort at first, you bet! However, the pay off in time thinking about "what's for dinner" tonight has been wonderful!

The first two weeks we stuck pretty close to the plan. One Saturday my husband and kids went to Omaha, so that turned into an eat out night. I switched that meal for the one on Monday I still had to buy most the stuff for.  Another I had to adjust when I didn't read the new recipe well enough and discovered it had to sit 8 hours before cooking.  So instead of Peach Stuffed French Toast, we just had French Toast. There was also a change of plans on the 2nd Friday, and we ate out that night too.  All in all we ate at home, and decent, delicious homemade food more often the last two weeks than we have been.

So here you go...the first two weeks:

Monday: Grilled Cheese and Homemade Tomato Soup (Recipe in Food on the Table AP)
Tuesday: Rosemary Pork Tenderloin (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Wednesday: Boys on their own, Girls eat at church
Thursday: Eat out, Dive Meet
Friday (Valentine's Day): T-Bone Steak, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad with Lemon Dressing, Rice Pudding
Saturday: Husband and kids ate out, mom at left overs
Sunday: French Toast, Hash Browns, Bacon

Monday:  Crescent Burgers, Roasted Garlic Cabbage
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Whiskey Steak, Rice, Roasted Asparagus
Wednesday: Boys on their own, Girls eat at church
Thursday: Jamaican Jerk Turkey (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Fried Honey Banana's
Friday: Eat Out
Saturday: Porcupine Meatballs, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli
Sunday: Birthday dinner at my brother's house

Here is the next two weeks line up:

Monday: Eggplant Parmesan (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), spaghetti noodles, Salad with Italian Herb Dressing, Garlic Toast
Tuesday: Tacos/Nachos, Grilled Zucchini
Wednesday: Boys on their own, Girls eat at church
Thursday: Grilled Chicken, Hungarian Noodles, Easy Pea Salad
Friday: Sausage Ravioli with Alfredo, Grilled Fish (for my son who is not a fan of the Ravioli...the rest of us do not care for fish)
Saturday: Eat Out
Sunday: Hamburger Stroganoff (previously made and frozen), Egg Noodles, Salad with Balsamic dressing

Monday: Dive Potluck, taking Steak with Gravy (Crock Pot Recipe), Rice, Corn State Bake (Corn and Broccoli side dish, check out tasteofhome.com for the recipe)
Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Dijon (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Oriental Cabbage Slaw
Wednesday (Ash Wednesday): Cajun Pot Roast, Rice, Roasted Cauliflower
Thursday: Spicy Onion Burgers (Recipe in Food on the Table AP), Roasted Potatoes
Friday: Broccoli Cheese Soup, Crackers with Meat & Cheese
Saturday: Friends coming for dinner. Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Creole Green Beans, Classic Lemon Bars

Maybe some day I will have time to post my recipes.  I have a lot of them in a great little site, onetsp.com.  Love it!  My kids can easily find my recipes if they want something, even my daughter away in a different state for college.