Meal Planning Thread

[Thermomixer]

Yeah - we would need a massive fudge factor built in.  Especially when I suddenly have to go off to meetings/seminars with little warning.

[mama_bel]

I meal plan for our family and things change all the time.  I just swap nights, or if something is defrosted I go ahead and cook it - they can always re-heat it for tomorrow's lunch or dinner.  The meal plan still helps overall!

I am in awe of Quirky's friend who plans for a whole YEAR.  I love her idea, but my calendar would be a scribbled mess swapping meals around etc! :p

I find that our summer menus are quite boring - we eat pasta or potato with salads, curries or stirfries and rice, etc.  We don't seem to eat enough legumes and hardly use the slow cooker or oven.  I think I need to work on this!

[quirkycooking]

My menu's a mess this week, with all the swapping of meals, but at least I have the meals planned loosely, even if I change them around a lot!

[quirkycooking]

Been a bit slack about posting my menu plans here... anyone else planning this week?  I've posted on my blog about how to start menu planning, if anyone's interested: http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/menu-plan-monday-22nd-february.html

Here's my plan for this week:
(our weather's cooled down, so I can have soup again! yay!)

Monday:
(lunch) Tuna sandwiches with spelt bread (TMX)
(dinner) Bean stew (TMX) and cornbread (TMX)

Tuesday:
(lunch) Leftover bean stew & cornbread
(dinner) DF Tuna Mornay casserole x 2 (TMX) (cooked ahead, one for tonight, one for freezer)

Wednesday:
(lunch) Tortillas with tuna & salad
(dinner) Sweet & Sour Beef Stew (TMX) on spelt noodles

Thursday:
(lunch) Soup (TMX - clean out the fridge!) & spelt bread (TMX)
(dinner) Fish (coated in cornmeal, shallow fried) & baked potatoes & salad

Friday:
(lunch) Tuna tomato gf pasta (TMX)
(dinner) Chicken curry & rice (TMX)

Saturday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes (crockpot) & leftover curry
(dinner) Steak/burgers, mashed potato & steamed veges (both cooked in TMX)

Sunday:
(lunch) Crockpot corned beef with leftover veges
(dinner) Spelt bread rolls (TMX) & leftovers

[Thermomixer]

Is there a spare bed - easier to come oveer than trying to produce a menu plan like this. 

In exchange I can do a class for the kids in how to castrate cats  if that is OK 

[quirkycooking]

Ha ha!  The kids might find that interesting!! 

[Meagan]

ROFL TMXer you are so funny 

[brazen20au]

now that someone found this thread i am giving it a HUGE bump as i am starting 30 hours o work a week next week and will need to be more organised!

i'm thinking on a friday (my day off) i will meal plan, then the shopping can be done fri/sat/sun. i'll have a meal planning folder which i can put all the recipes for the week in so that dh can start dinner if he's home first

i also want to download the living cookbook software to try to make it easier to get myself organised

[judydawn]

Good luck with the new job Karen

[quirkycooking]

Hope it goes well for you, Karen!  I know it really helps me to have meals planned ahead, especially on busy weeks like this one!!

[brazen20au]

i cooked a double batch of beef strog / paprika tonight, so i could stash on ein the freezer - ti's great being organised - until the kids refuse to eat it lol *sigh*

[quirkycooking]

Oh you poor thing!  Been there too! 

[brazen20au]

glad it's not just me!

and just noticed my sig says my rora is 3yo when she's actually 4 and 5 months, oops! lol

[Very Happy Jan]

Good luck with the new job Karen. The couple of weeks I've been organised enough to plan meals we ate well and my shopping was less expensive.

[cookie1]

Great news about the new job Karen. Things may seem hectic for a while but it will all settle down soon enough, especially with the help of your TMX. Congratulations.