Totally failing at this whole meal planning thing...

MTipler22 · August 2013

HELP! I am a SAHM to 2 year old twins and feel like a total failure when it comes to meal planning. I am having such a hard time coming up with breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Lunches and dinners in particular. My twins used to be really good eaters but are now starting to become very picky. Does anyone have a sample meal plan that I could look off of? We are pretty simple eaters... don't like anything too crazy. And we definitely have a strict budget to abide by. Any suggestions/ideas would be great!!! I just want to get organized and have each week planned out. Meal times stress me out and it's time to do something about it

chardonnay24 · August 2013

I don't plan breakfasts or lunches. For breakfast, we usually have any combination pancakes, french toast, regular toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, fruit - whatever I feel like making that day. H brings a sandwich or leftovers and I eat a sandwich, salad, or leftovers. So I just make sure to have peanut butter, jelly, bread, lunch meat, cheese, condiments, salad dressing, and raw veggies on hand. My 2 year old eats a PBJ, macaroni and cheese, tomato soup with noodles, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets or a quesadilla for lunch. I make big batches of the mac and cheese, baked nuggets, and soup and freeze it in little portions for convenience.

I do plan dinner every week but only to the extent that I plan out what we're having and try to have as little waste as possible. We usually have leftovers, which I'll freeze (if it's enough for another dinner) or portion out into tupperware for lunches.

This was our menu this week:

Monday - pineapple grilled pork chops

Tuesday - crockpot chicken taco soup

Wednesday - take out

Thursday - black bean burrito bar

Friday - crockpot herbed chicken (dry rub chicken thighs with paprika, thyme, basil, garlic powder and throw them in with a little broth)

Saturday - eating at my parents'

Sunday - crockpot apple cinnamon pork loin

I use the crockpot a lot, even in the summer, because it's easy to throw some stuff in the crockpot during naptime and then do nothing for several hours. I get most of my recipes from browsing Pinterest and pinning whatever looks good and easy.

Kewii · August 2013

Lurker popping in.

When I first started meal planning I found it helped to keep to a bit of a schedule to make it easier to choose meals.

I usually plan 4 dinners a week.(which works for our busy schedules) Breakfast and lunch are easier (leftovers/cereal/egss/sandwiches/etc)

So for me my basic schedule would look something like this:

Sunday: Veggie
Monday: Chicken
Tuesday: Seafood
Wednesday: Beef
Thursday: Free for all

It just made it easier for me because then I could break down what I was looking for when I looked up recipes. So I might start with picking a chicken dish and once I was done that, I skipped any recipe that was chicken, etc. etc.

You can do whatever kind of meals you want, I choose to do food groups, but I know other people like to do things like Sunday: Pasta, Monday: Salad, etc etc

Also, I like using Skinny Taste for recipes. She's pretty good about saying what was popular with her kid.

Hope this helps.

Lurker popping out.

LatteLady5 · August 2013

NandaB said:

I am an AWESOME meal planner...for about 2 weeks. Lol

Seriously. I go through phases where I rock and then there are weeks like this one where I just don't plan a thing. We've all been sick, without AC and my car is in the shop. We pretty much ate out ever.single.night.

SAHM failure right here. :P

ConnieRob · August 2013

I'm good at meal-planning but mainly because DS has pretty set things that he likes for breakfast and lunch. He can then either eat what DH and I have or can have a sandwich for dinner.I give him options for breakfast and lunch from what we have in the house.

This week:

Breakfast: Cheerios, Eggs and toast, yogurt and fruit or bagel and cream cheese

Lunch: Ham, bologna or PB&J sandwich with carrot sticks, grapes or apple slices a choc chip cookie and juice box or milk ( he started school this week, so this is lunchbox fare).

Dinner: Chef salad, Polynesian pork chops with steamed rice and veg, take out Chinese. chili dogs, ham steaks with fresh green beans and new potatoes.

I try to do one big shopping trip a week and avoid the store unless we run out of something. I'm horrible with impulse buys! I try to stick to a budget of $100 per week and I usually average that over the course of a month.

doublefiesta · August 2013

I've just started meal planning. I use ziplist to store recipes and schedule meals, then I do my grocery shopping on peapod, which is a grocery delivery service. There is a delivery fee ($7 for purchases $100 and over) but it's worth it to us, bc there is no impulse purchasing and saves me a trip to the supermarket.

As for toddlers becoming picky eaters, I have decided that I'm not running a restaurant, so DD can eat what we're eating or go to bed hungry. She's decided she'll eat whatever if I let her sit on my lap and feed her like a baby. Do I wish she sat at the table on her expensive Tripp Trapp high chair? Sure. But she's 2, and I know she won't want to sit in my lap forever. In the meanwhile she's getting lots of nutritious food and developing a great palate. I'm picking my battles here!

nosoup4u · August 2013

We started small, I think I would plan out 3-4 meals at a time. Look through cookbooks you like for ideas, cooking blogs are good too. Now we do a whole week, but like PP have said, only plan for dinner. I usually do one night of take out, one night of egg-based food, and sometimes there's a leftover night. Making extra and freezing meals helps a ton, also, bc you can plan for one made a ahead meal a week. hth

LoriLee14 · August 2013

I also on plan for dinner. Breakfast/lunch are staples or leftover from the night before.

I look on pintrest to get ideas and just pick out 7 dinners (or less if I know we are going somewhere)

I heard to save money, to do a breakfast night.

I have done 2 weeks before but I still have to go and get milk, eggs and produce

mandymack · August 2013

I'm a meal planning expert, I've been doing it for years... I swear I can do it in my sleep.

I have an entire section devoted to it on my blog and post weekly my menu, how I came up with it, how I don't waste anything, and what it all costs my family. You can read it if you like, it's just way too much to type here.

It's definitely a commitment, like working out!

MTipler22 · August 2013

You all rock! Thank you! I am ready to start meal planning. Been on pinterest gathering ideas... tomorrow going to the grocery store. I really do like crockpot meals.... anyone have any that they suggest?! Simple is always good

MTipler22 · August 2013

A.W.E.S.O.M.E blog.... will be looking at it a lot

mandymack · August 2013

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to help people meal plan so please email me, post here any time!

My main tips are to:

1. Check your pantry/fridge/freezer for meals you can make (look through your recipe box, pinterest, magazines, allrecipes.com, etc.) without purchasing anything!

2. When you choose a meal that requires you purchase ingredients, try to make at least 1 meal that will use up the rest so you don't waste. I call it "stretching" ingredients.

3. Always build in a "leftovers, cereal, whatever you can find" night.

4. ALWAYS check for coupons and view the sales circulars for the week so that you are only using ingredients that are a) in season, plentiful, fresh and b) are on sale.

5. Stock up anytime something your family uses frequently and/or that has a good stable shelf life (oils, nuts, cheeses, meats) when on a "buy 1get 1 free" sale as you rarely find a better deal than 50% off.

6. Write out a Master meal list to get ideas from and write your meal plan on a visible calendar so that when planning future weeks' meals you don't repeat too many meals (to avoid boredom).

7. Check your weekly menu in the AM and thaw out whatever you might need before walking out the door so you never have an excuse not to make dinner.

8. When making something labor intensive, make 2 or 3 so you can freezer a meal for future use.

Best of luck!!!

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Totally failing at this whole meal planning thing...

Re: Totally failing at this whole meal planning thing...

eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11

eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11

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