Do you cringe at the thought of planning a weekly menu? Do you avoid cooking from a plan because you don’t what you’ll be in the mood for that day? Have you tried planning menus and it doesn’t work for you? Then don’t do it. There are other ways to keep your pantry stocked, provide tasty meals for your family and save money at the grocery store.
However, before we go any further, I want to make it clear that I’m not experienced with this type of cooking and “planning”. I do make a menu plan pretty much every single week and I stick to it as closely as my circumstances allow. But if I wasn’t going to make menus anymore, this is what I would do:
1. Make a list of about 10 meals that you and your family enjoy. Then make a list of all the ingredients needed to make those meals and stock your pantry. When it’s time to make dinner, you know you have the ingredients for those meals. You will need a system for replacing the items you use – maybe a list on the refrigerator.
2. Keep your pantry stocked with basics. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are a few items to get you started:
- spaghetti sauce
- different kinds of pasta, including spaghetti
- cheese (slices & grated)
- Milk
- Eggs
- Bread
- Manwich Sloppy Joe Seasoning
- Tuna (if you like it)
- Cream of chicken soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Dry onion soup
- Italian salad dressing
- Bread crumbs
- Spices
- Chicken Bouillon
- Pancake mix & syrup
- Frozen or canned vegetables
- Frozen pizza
- Potatoes
- Chicken
- Beef
- Rice
- Tortillas
- Peanut Butter
When you’re ready to cook, you shouldn’t have any trouble pulling together a meal from your basics. Again, just be sure to replenish what you use.
3. Cook some basics ahead. My sister-in-law, Lori, cooks a crock pot of chicken breasts at the beginning of the week and she and her family eat the chicken all week. (see her interview). The chicken is versatile and they can make a variety of things out of it, including taco salads, wraps, pasta topping. You could also make a big pot of soup or a large casserole and eat that all week.
4. Plan just a few meals. Don’t try to plan seven dinners – just plan a few. At least then you’ll have the ingredients needed for those two or three meals. If you don’t feel like eating those meals, save them for the next week or turn them into something else.
So while I personally think menu planning is the way to go, if that’s not your thing, see if one of these ideas will help you get meals on the table for your family. And if I’ve missed anything, let me know.
Great tips. I try to keep the basics on hand because I don’t like menu planning. I tried it once but I found that most of time, I ended up changing my mind about what I wanted to cook.
Visiting from SITS btw!
Thanks for stopping by. I’m guessing you’re probably good at looking at what you have and putting together a tasty meal. Wish I could do that!! I can’t function without a menu, though. Guess it takes all kinds, huh!
Great ideas. In theory, I love meal planning but in reality it sometimes falls by the wayside. These tips will definitely come in handy. Stopped by from the SITS ShareFest. Happy Saturday.
If you don’t mind meal planning but just run out of time, one trick is to plan a whole month or even two months at a time. Then you don’t have to do it as often. Or you can recycle previous menu plans.
I read about another homemaker who has a couple months worth of menus for each season. That could work, too.
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Visiting from SITS. Hi!
We have such a crazy schedule around my house and an ever-changing budget so we’re terrible about cooking and keeping things stocked. Still, I keep trying because with me losing weight and needing to keep good food in the apartment I keep trying. It beats giving up and going back to overloading on junk food again! =)
Definitely! And a crazy schedule makes it a lot harder. Do you use a crockpot? I love using my crockpot on crazy schedule days. Sometimes all we have to eat is what’s in the crockpot, but it’s better than nothing!
Great tips. I’ve done pretty well at planning, but there are some weeks where I have no inspiration and feel like I’ve made everything already…
I know what you mean. I do make a menu plan most weeks but sometimes I get really sick of it.
Great meal-planning advice. I’m not good at meal planning…hubby likes to be spontaneous and life just doesn’t always cooperate with structure. I like the idea of “stock” items which can be converted into anything.
I’m visiting from the SITS Girls Saturday Sharefest…thanks for a great post.
Thank you so much for stopping by. Yep – sounds like “stock items” are the way to go. I have a friend who likes to plan but her husband likes to be more spontaneous. He’s not always in the mood for what she has planned. Stock works for her.
Great tips! Before I had my son I would menu plan for the entire week and through the weekends. Now I definitely try to have a stock pantry of items for those days when I haven’t made it to the grocery store yet. I also have started to only plan a few days meals at a time, which is a lot less daunting.
Great idea! I forgot about planning for shorter periods of time. Planning two or three meals is much less daunting than five to seven.
Thanks for sharing these tips. I tend to fall into the category where I try to plan but then life happens and we don’t end up following that plan! (stopping by from SITS Girls)
I know what you mean!
This is pretty Much how I plan. It just works better for our family if I know of several meals we have ready to go and then decide by the day, or a few days in advance. It also works extremely well for those who coupon and stockpile. Good job!
Thanks! It was a hard article to write since I don’t cook that way. I watched and learned from people who do!
Thanks for sharing Patty! Good inspiration on a day when I have a million other things I’d rather do than meal plan…like get ready for a new grandbaby!!
But, I also needed to share this info just to clean out and organize my brain..and hopefully it will be a blessing to someone. My BFF Pat McElwain, who went to Heaven in 2007….left behind a wonderful legacy…and part of it was her meal plan on a piece of Steno paper. She’d write 7 different meal options and took her family on a Wal-Mart trip every Friday night with Husband and Kids in tow…and each day she’d scratch off whichever meal she’d make for the day. From her inspiration, I made it even more legalistic, by choosing Chicken on Monday, Beef on Tuesday, Pork on Wed, Turkey on Thurs, Fish on Friday, “Must Go’s on Weekends with Sandwiches and Crockpot Food on Sundays. It worked so well back in the day but I haven’t done it for awhile. Thank You for the inspiration!!
Thanks for the ideas, Joyce. It’s always fun to hear how other people do things.
Did you get your menu made?