I'm posting my favorite Thanksgiving Menu, along with the recipes today, in case you're looking for inspiration for the upcoming Thanksgiving. (For Canadians, Thanksgiving is on Monday, October 10th.) It's not the cheapest menu you'll find, but it's truly delicious!
Rosemary, Sage & Orange Turkey
Roasted Maple-Cranberry Sauce
Golden Mashed Potatoes
Stove-Top Stuffing (Yes, I use BOXED stuffing because it's what my family likes best! However, if you'd like a homemade version, try the one below. Last year, I found a great cornbread one at Walmart or Superstore. I'll be keeping my eyes out for that same one again. I think it had cranberries in it.)
Traditional Bread Stuffing
Better Pumpkin Pie
Colorful Tossed Salad
Amandine Green Beans (or cooked peas)
Showing posts with label Menu Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Menu Planning. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Step 9: Cook, Eat, Revise
As you go about your week, preparing the meals from your menu plan, you might start to accumulate leftovers. This is another aspect of the family-feeding process that takes time to develop. Leftovers are wonderful.
With practice, you will learn to actually PLAN for leftovers for the purpose of turning them into another meal. Or you might plan leftovers in order to save up some extras in your freezer. For example, whenever I cook chili, I make a gigantic batch on purpose. We have found this to be one meal that improves with time! The first day, we eat the chili as is. The next day, we either just have leftover chili, or I add the chili to pasta or use it to top a baked potato. Then, I freeze all the rest in meal-size portions. I cook once, but we eat up to four times!
If you make something and end up with enough leftovers for one meal, you may choose to just eat that the next day, or another day that week. In which case, you will be ignoring one of the meals on your menu plan. When this happens, just move the “ignored” meal to the NEXT WEEK’S menu plan, and you’ve got a head start!
You might also want to keep a running list of meals you are adding to your freezer.
There might be other circumstances that pop up throughout the week that cause you to stray from your menu plan. This is okay. Just revise your plan and keep track of what you still have on hand.
Just a note: I always keep old menu plans. They are useful when I’m lacking inspiration. I look back on old plans for meal ideas when I just can’t seem to think of anything. You might want to set aside a binder or special notebook or box of some sort for keeping all your menu plans.
Also, the same goes for recipes. As you plan your menus, you may start to incorporate some new recipes. Print them off or write them out and keep them. Organize them. Reuse them! Make notes on them – ingredient substitutions you made, revisions you would try next time, notes about how many servings the recipe actually made, etc.
With practice, you will learn to actually PLAN for leftovers for the purpose of turning them into another meal. Or you might plan leftovers in order to save up some extras in your freezer. For example, whenever I cook chili, I make a gigantic batch on purpose. We have found this to be one meal that improves with time! The first day, we eat the chili as is. The next day, we either just have leftover chili, or I add the chili to pasta or use it to top a baked potato. Then, I freeze all the rest in meal-size portions. I cook once, but we eat up to four times!
If you make something and end up with enough leftovers for one meal, you may choose to just eat that the next day, or another day that week. In which case, you will be ignoring one of the meals on your menu plan. When this happens, just move the “ignored” meal to the NEXT WEEK’S menu plan, and you’ve got a head start!
You might also want to keep a running list of meals you are adding to your freezer.
There might be other circumstances that pop up throughout the week that cause you to stray from your menu plan. This is okay. Just revise your plan and keep track of what you still have on hand.
Just a note: I always keep old menu plans. They are useful when I’m lacking inspiration. I look back on old plans for meal ideas when I just can’t seem to think of anything. You might want to set aside a binder or special notebook or box of some sort for keeping all your menu plans.
Also, the same goes for recipes. As you plan your menus, you may start to incorporate some new recipes. Print them off or write them out and keep them. Organize them. Reuse them! Make notes on them – ingredient substitutions you made, revisions you would try next time, notes about how many servings the recipe actually made, etc.
Step 8: Update Your Inventory
At some point shortly after you have gotten your groceries put away, it would be a good idea to update your inventory. This is not necessary. You can always start back at Step 1 next week, and re-evaluate your inventory using your Master Grocery List. However, if you’re a large family, or have a large stock on hand, it’s never a bad thing to keep track of what you have so that you can make use of it in your menu planning.
If you are not the inventory-keeping-type, my next suggestion is to have a piece of paper or a pad of paper specifically for the purpose of your grocery list ON DISPLAY in your kitchen. The MOMENT you realize you’re running low on something, PUT IT ON THE LIST IMMEDIATELY. If you can keep this list on hand, it will make your menu planning/grocery list process easier next week.
If you are not the inventory-keeping-type, my next suggestion is to have a piece of paper or a pad of paper specifically for the purpose of your grocery list ON DISPLAY in your kitchen. The MOMENT you realize you’re running low on something, PUT IT ON THE LIST IMMEDIATELY. If you can keep this list on hand, it will make your menu planning/grocery list process easier next week.
Step 3: Plan A Menu
The internet has a plethora of menu-planning resources. There are many, many methods of doing this, and with a little bit of research, you can come up with many options and styles of menu-planning. Some plan a menu for a whole month. Some plan for a week or two. Some plan only suppers. Others plan three meals a day plus snacks. Some plan only main dishes. Others plan EVERYTHING, including condiments! With time and practice, you will eventually fall into your own style and method. Be patient with this process and don’t panic if something doesn’t work for you.
My personal recommendation is to start by planning only one week. HOWEVER, plan all three meals each day of the week, and if you’re ambitious, plan your snacks, too.
There are two ways of doing this:
1) Use this menu planner, or choose one from the Menu Planners list on the Links Page. Plan your meals with the specific days in mind. You will end up with a little weekly “calendar” type menu plan.
or
2) Make a list of 7 breakfasts, a list of 7 lunches, a list of 7 suppers, and a list of however many snacks you think you’ll need.
Usually, I do a combination of these two. I use the calendar-type menu planners, but I list snacks separately instead of “scheduling” them. And I don’t stick to the assigned day for the meals. If I have Minestrone Soup planned for lunch on Monday, but for whatever reason we don’t want it then, I shift it around to another day. I switch it up. I allow my menu plan to be flexible.
Once you have your Menu Planner sheet ready, write down any meals you came up with during Step 2. Then, take a look at how many blanks you have left, and plan accordingly.
I find it helpful to write the dates on my Menu Planner. This reminds me of appointments or plans we might have scheduled on specific days. If we are going to be out all of Friday afternoon, I will try to plan a crock-pot meal or reheat a soup or leftovers for supper that night. If I know that we have to leave the house really early on Tuesday morning, I will be sure to plan a quick and easy breakfast that morning (yogurt and granola, for example). This is most important if you’re using the calendar-style menu planner. But even if you are using the list style, it’s helpful to be aware of the need for three crock pot meals this week, or two on-the-run breakfasts, for example.
For now, plan your meals based on what you’re familiar with, what ingredients you have on hand, foods your family likes and is used to, etc. As we continue on with this process, more recipes and menu plans will be added to this site to inspire you, and you will come up with your own faithful plans and recipes.
Practice makes this step easy. It can even be fun. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed. This takes time, but it’s well worth it!
My personal recommendation is to start by planning only one week. HOWEVER, plan all three meals each day of the week, and if you’re ambitious, plan your snacks, too.
There are two ways of doing this:
1) Use this menu planner, or choose one from the Menu Planners list on the Links Page. Plan your meals with the specific days in mind. You will end up with a little weekly “calendar” type menu plan.
or
2) Make a list of 7 breakfasts, a list of 7 lunches, a list of 7 suppers, and a list of however many snacks you think you’ll need.
Usually, I do a combination of these two. I use the calendar-type menu planners, but I list snacks separately instead of “scheduling” them. And I don’t stick to the assigned day for the meals. If I have Minestrone Soup planned for lunch on Monday, but for whatever reason we don’t want it then, I shift it around to another day. I switch it up. I allow my menu plan to be flexible.
Once you have your Menu Planner sheet ready, write down any meals you came up with during Step 2. Then, take a look at how many blanks you have left, and plan accordingly.
I find it helpful to write the dates on my Menu Planner. This reminds me of appointments or plans we might have scheduled on specific days. If we are going to be out all of Friday afternoon, I will try to plan a crock-pot meal or reheat a soup or leftovers for supper that night. If I know that we have to leave the house really early on Tuesday morning, I will be sure to plan a quick and easy breakfast that morning (yogurt and granola, for example). This is most important if you’re using the calendar-style menu planner. But even if you are using the list style, it’s helpful to be aware of the need for three crock pot meals this week, or two on-the-run breakfasts, for example.
For now, plan your meals based on what you’re familiar with, what ingredients you have on hand, foods your family likes and is used to, etc. As we continue on with this process, more recipes and menu plans will be added to this site to inspire you, and you will come up with your own faithful plans and recipes.
Practice makes this step easy. It can even be fun. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed. This takes time, but it’s well worth it!
Step 2: Evaluate Inventory
Once you have taken inventory, you will know exactly what you have on hand. Looking at your list, determine what meals or dishes or snacks you can make without having to buy anything new. For now, just do this from memory, knowing what your family is used to eating. With practice, you will become more creative with this task and come up with whole new dishes on your own, simply by trying to use what you already have on hand.
Depending what your inventory list looks like, you might be surprised to find that you have enough groceries in the house to keep you all fed for the next week. If that’s the case, good for you! That gives you a whole week to plan and prepare for the following week! The more time you have to plan, the better your plan will be!
If your list is a little sparse and you’re having trouble coming up with some meals, my suggestion for you would be to take a look at my Master Grocery List. Print off the Master Grocery List. Cross out anything that you have on your Inventory List. Now, whatever is left would be items that you will want to purchase on your next grocery shopping trip, if at all possible. Depending on your budget, you might need to evaluate what the most essential items are. I cannot do this for you. And don’t worry – with time, you’ll become very good at prioritizing as you learn what ingredients you use the most and as you develop creativity in the kitchen! Also, if you are in the “Sparse Inventory” category, you will want to spend more time on Step 3: Plan A Menu.
Depending what your inventory list looks like, you might be surprised to find that you have enough groceries in the house to keep you all fed for the next week. If that’s the case, good for you! That gives you a whole week to plan and prepare for the following week! The more time you have to plan, the better your plan will be!
If your list is a little sparse and you’re having trouble coming up with some meals, my suggestion for you would be to take a look at my Master Grocery List. Print off the Master Grocery List. Cross out anything that you have on your Inventory List. Now, whatever is left would be items that you will want to purchase on your next grocery shopping trip, if at all possible. Depending on your budget, you might need to evaluate what the most essential items are. I cannot do this for you. And don’t worry – with time, you’ll become very good at prioritizing as you learn what ingredients you use the most and as you develop creativity in the kitchen! Also, if you are in the “Sparse Inventory” category, you will want to spend more time on Step 3: Plan A Menu.
Step 1: Take Inventory
The first step to spending less on healthy groceries is to take inventory. You need to figure out what you already have to work with.
Get a piece of scrap paper or a plain old notebook and a pencil or pen. Go into your kitchen and open your cupboards. List EVERY food product you have in there. If you have half a box of salt, list “Salt – 1/2 box”. Then move to your fridge and do the same thing. Don’t forget to open those drawers and look in the door. If you have storage containers with mystery contents, now is the time to open them up! Be brave! Next, move on to your freezer (don’t forget this door either) and, if you own one, your deep freeze. If you store food anywhere else in the house, be sure to check there, too.
This list is going to be your starting point. It will become a foundation, or a building block upon which you will base all your meal plans and grocery lists for the next few days, weeks or months (depending on what you’ve got in stock).
Below is a copy of my very own personal inventory, as of today. Items marked with ** indicate that I will run out very quickly, so should put that item on my next grocery list, if possible. Items labeled (HM) are things I made from scratch.
GroceryInventory
If this seems like a lot of work to you, be comforted in knowing that I don't do this to such a degree anymore. I have learned to take inventory as I go along over the course of a week and I naturally plan my menus according to what I have on hand. I encourage you to make this list just as you are beginning and learning. It will be a surprising picture to you of what you already have to work with, and how little you actually need to buy at the store in order to come up with a few new meals!
Get a piece of scrap paper or a plain old notebook and a pencil or pen. Go into your kitchen and open your cupboards. List EVERY food product you have in there. If you have half a box of salt, list “Salt – 1/2 box”. Then move to your fridge and do the same thing. Don’t forget to open those drawers and look in the door. If you have storage containers with mystery contents, now is the time to open them up! Be brave! Next, move on to your freezer (don’t forget this door either) and, if you own one, your deep freeze. If you store food anywhere else in the house, be sure to check there, too.
This list is going to be your starting point. It will become a foundation, or a building block upon which you will base all your meal plans and grocery lists for the next few days, weeks or months (depending on what you’ve got in stock).
Below is a copy of my very own personal inventory, as of today. Items marked with ** indicate that I will run out very quickly, so should put that item on my next grocery list, if possible. Items labeled (HM) are things I made from scratch.
GroceryInventory
If this seems like a lot of work to you, be comforted in knowing that I don't do this to such a degree anymore. I have learned to take inventory as I go along over the course of a week and I naturally plan my menus according to what I have on hand. I encourage you to make this list just as you are beginning and learning. It will be a surprising picture to you of what you already have to work with, and how little you actually need to buy at the store in order to come up with a few new meals!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Using Flyers To Plan Your Menu
Flyers can be tricky. Generally speaking, the items advertised on the front and back pages of the flyer are the best deals. Inside the flyer, there are sometimes other sales and good deals, but the front and back pages are the best. Also, flyers often list items with the price, leading you to believe that it’s on sale, when in fact, it’s the same price as it always is! This is one reason why it’s a good idea to keep track of what you’re spending for your usual items. Some people use a price book for this. I have yet to start mine, but I plan to do that in the near future. You can do a search online for pricebooks and come up with a wealth of information.
Anyway, after perusing the flyers and getting a good idea of what will be on sale when I do my grocery shopping, I plan my menu using as many of the sale items as possible. For example, if canned tuna is on sale for a great deal, you can bet we’ll be having tuna sandwiches and probably at least one other tuna meal that week. Also, if you have enough room in your grocery budget, when you come across a really amazing deal, stock up on the item if it’s something you use regularly.
For Canadians, www.flyerland.ca has most of the flyers you would need to plan your grocery shopping wisely. There are all the major grocery store flyers on that website. Make use of them!
Another advantage to keeping tabs on the flyers is that you learn the patterns of the sales. I’ve noticed that many of my regular items are on sale in approximately 6-week cycles. This is helpful because I can then buy 6 weeks worth of the item when it’s on sale, if I have the room in my budget, enabling me to never pay full price for that item. It’s also helpful because I can wait for an item if I know it will be on sale in a week or two. If I’m wanting to buy chicken legs and I know they are on sale in two weeks, I won’t plan meals that use chicken legs until the sale week arrives.
Practice using flyers and save!
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