Simple Menu Planning

This is just a quick rundown of the very successful meal-planning system I have used for years to feed my large family (7 kids ages infant to now grown).

1. I don't plan breakfasts or lunches. They are the same simple options. My great grandparents ate oatmeal every single morning. Every morning. I am not remotely sorry my kids can choose between cereal, eggs and toast, or oatmeal--and any kind of fruit we have. Once a month I may buy graham crackers and/or yogurt (they love graham crackers and milk). On Saturdays when Dad is home I sometimes do pancakes or waffles or breakfast burritos or coffee cake.

Lunches are either 1) leftovers from our dinners (if they don't want it, then they're not hungry), 2) PBJ or PBH with carrots and/or apples or whatever other fruit I have, or 3) bean and rice burritos with cheese and sour cream--I always keep refried beans, a batch of spanish rice, and tortillas on hand. If my kids don't want it, they are not hungry. My five year old won't touch a bean burrito one day, but on another he will eat 4. I'm not remotely concerned about lack of variety. My children have never known true hunger and they are over-fed privileged middle-class Americans. I am teaching them to simplify.

So, I essentially plan for dinners only. My grocery list keeps me stocked on cereal, milk, bread, eggs, oatmeal, fruit, PB, jelly, tortillas, beans, and rice. Then I write my weekly dinner menu, then write the rest of the grocery list from that.

Sundays: Leftovers
Mondays: Pasta night
Tuesday: Sandwich night
Wednesday Mexican night
Thursday: Soup night
Friday: Pizza night
Saturday: Wild card night (like fish or meatloaf or...)

I have a master list of meals in each category. They are meals I can make without a recipe or with a familiar one. They are ones I know my family will eat, within reason. Sometimes I see a fun recipe come up on Facebook--I may throw that on a weekly menu to try it. If we love it, I keep it on my master list.  Here is my list:




PASTA MEALS

• Spaghetti with marinara (optional add in grated squash, zuchini, eggplant, carrots, chopped spinach, ground turkey or beef, italian sausage, or make meatballs
• Fettucine Alfredo (options include with chicken, shrimp, smoked sausage, ham or bacon, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, carrots, zuchini, squash--I change it up)
• Tuna casserole
• Beef Stroganoff
• Lasagna
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Stir-fry with lo-mein noodles or other asian noodle dish
• Ravioli or Tortellini with sauce
• Baked pasta--like shells or ziti or rotini--add in veggies or meat and change up the sauce

**I usually heat up a loaf of italian bread and maybe throw together a spinach salad or a caesar salad kit.

SOUPS

• Chili (vegetarian or with meat)
• Beef Barley
• Chicken & Rice or Chicken Noodle
• Potato Broccoli Cheese
• Baked Potato
• Wedding Soup
• Minestrone (add in meatballs or tortellini or italian sausage or...)
• Navy Bean soup with ham
• Split Pea soup
• Clam Chowder or other seafood bisque
• Tomato Soup

**I usually have biscuits, bread, rolls, or cornbread to go with soup.Grilled cheese goes with the tomato soup of course (my fam loves it when I throw sausage patties in the grilled cheese). Sometimes just cheese and crackers. Sometimes a $2 caesar salad kit.

SANDWICHES

• Meatball Subs
• Philly Cheesesteaks
• Reuben Sandwiches
• Bratwurst or Polish Sausage
• Hot Dogs
• Cheeseburgers/Patty Melts
• Tuna/Tuna Melt
• Fried fish
• Fried or broiled chicken (add in pesto and provolone or BLT)
• Sloppy Joes
• Barbecued beef or chicken
• Cold cuts

**I usually serve a bag of frozen french fries, onion rings, or some chips, or I make roast potatoes, and cook some kind of veggie like canned green beans, frozen peas or corn, and maybe serve some fruit.

MEXICAN

• Burritos or Soft Tacos (if I can find green chiles, I make a batch to smother). Served with refried beans, spanish rice. Filling is usually ground turkey. 
• Shrimp tacos
• Fish Tacos
• Chicken or Steak Fajitas
• Enchiladas (or enchilada "lasagna")
• Nachos
• Mexican "pizzas" (tortillas layered and stacked with beans and fillings then baked and cut into wedges)
• Tostadas

PIZZA NIGHTS

• Homemade pizza
• Stromboli
• Calzones
• Pizza made on french bread or ciabatta
• Frozen or take-out pizza (rare, but a treat)

WILD CARD NIGHTS

• Baked fish with lemon pepper, usually served with brown rice risotto and veggie, or baked or roasted potatoes
• Baked salmon or salmon patties, again with rice and veggie
• Fried fish
• Beef Stew
• Pot roast
• Chicken Fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy
• Meat loaf with baked or mashed potatoes
• Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes 
• Stir fry with beef, chicken, or shrimp and veggies,
• Fried chicken or chicken tenders/nuggets, mashed potatoes and gravy
• Chicken pot pie
• BBQ chicken
• Hot wings
• Chicken noodles with Mashed potatoes (southeastern ohio fave)
• Roast smoked sausage, potatoes and cabbage
• Jambalaya or gumbo (chicken, shrimp, sausage or any combo)
• Roast turkey
• Baked herbed chicken and rice
• Quiche (usually spinach and bacon and/or ham and broccoli)

There you have it! My master list for meal planning. Email or comment if you need recipes. My recipes are simple and not labor intensive for the most part!

Happy planning!