Three Little Jewells

Menu Planning

Here’s a copy of an email I wrote to someone who was requesting some help with learning how to plan menus.    I’ve made a few additional notes/changes to the email for the purposes of posting here.

J-
It was nice to visit with you last week.  I hope you had a good Christmas- we certainly did!

Here’s the website for Hillbilly Housewife:  (website with lots of good recipes, menus, etc.)
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/

I had another thought about menu planning that I didn’t think to pass on to you when we were visiting.  Something else I do is have “set” meals on certain nights.  So, for us, this is what it looks like:

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner- always pancakes or french toast or waffles with bacon, fruit and toast.

Monday: Open

Tuesday: Mario’s Pizza (the only REAL Northern pizza in town- we go every Tuesday night)

Wednesday: Open

Thursday: Goulash or Spaghetti and Meatballs with salad, garlic bread and brownies.  (My sister and nephew eat with us every Thursday b/c my husband takes my nephew to boyscouts on that night.  We alternate between Goulash and Spaghetti every other week because A) My nephew is picky and I know he will eat those things and B) I can feed a crowd for fairly cheap

Friday: Open

Saturday: Open

So that only actually leaves four “open” nights a week.  If I go to Let’s Dish and prepare 8 meals once a month, then I have two LD meals a week.  So now I only have two spots left to fill with either a family favorite, a new recipe or something my husband has specifically requested.

When I’m doing my menu planning session (sitting down with calender, menu and grocery list) I ask my husband if he has anything specific he wants that week.  Those will fill the remaining “open” spots first.  Then I may choose either a family favorite (stuffed peppers, stuffed shells, chicken tetrazzini, etc.) to fill an “open” spot or I’ll choose a new recipe to try from the Simple and Delicious magazine I gave you.  Another thing I will sometimes do is give Kip the Simple and Delicious when it comes in and ask him to look through it and pick something that he thinks looks good.   Then I make sure that gets on the menu sometime in the following week or two.

http://www.letsdish.com/

BTW: I’m going to Let’s Dish sometime soon, if you think you’d like to come along!

I hope that was helpful!

Kelly

PS: I’ve also attached my menu planner and grocery store list.    My menu week starts on Friday since that is the day I do my grocery shopping.  You may want to switch the days around to suit your weekly schedule- so, if you do your grocery shopping on Wednesday, you’d want  your menu week to start then.   Also it helps you with planning so that you can front load the week with recipes that require fresh ingredients and put menus that require boxed or canned items at the end of the week.  So, for example, we’d have chicken tetrazzini (which requires fresh mushrooms) at the beginning of my menu week and spaghetti at the end of my menu week.  Make sense?

ETA: Here’s the link to Simple and Delicious- it’s a great cooking magazine.  All the recipes come from regular cooks like you and I- they are sent in, tried out in the magazine’s test kitchen and then the best ones are chosen to appear in the magazine.   They call for regular, everyday ingredients and are simple to make.   For those of you who know and love my “salt rolls”- this is the magazine where I got the recipe.

Simple and Delicious Magazine

Planning Your Menu

With the above scheduling in mind, I sit down once a week or once a month (I change this up from time to time depending on what is going on in our lives) with my calender, menu planner and grocery list.

First, I start with the calender.   If I see that we are going to be going somewhere and not be home for dinner on a particular night, I cross that night off on my menu.   Or, if we are going to be having guests for dinner, I make that notation as well.

Secondly, I fill in the “set” nights as described above.

Thirdly, I fill in the “open” nights as described above.

Last- I consult the menu for the upcoming week to make my grocery list.   I go through the required ingredients for each recipe I am making and check the pantry to see if I have it on hand.   If not, it goes on the grocery list.   Then I check for our weekly breakfast and lunch items to see if we have enough for the upcoming week.  Next, I check staples- bread, flour, sugar, butter, salt, eggs, etc.   Finally, I check with Kip to see if there is anything particular that he would like me to pick up.

How Much Time Does All This Take?

If I’m planning for the week- maybe a 1/2 hour.

If I’m planning for the whole month- maybe 1 1/2 hours.

The beautiful thing is though- that once I’ve done the planning, I don’t have to think about it again.  It’s just done for the whole rest of the week/month.

What  If I Don’t Feel Like Having What’s On The Menu?

Then don’t.   All the menu means to me is that I have all the ingredients for all seven meals for that week.  If we’re supposed to have stuffed peppers on Tuesday and I don’t feel like it/something came up/we have a sick kid/etc.- we just switch it around with another meal later in the week.

The Checklist of Loving Parenting

Spiritual Care:
1.Do you, on a daily basis, pray for your children?

2. Have you taught your children to pray?

3.Do you pray with your child?

4.Do your bless your child aloud?

5.Do you read your children wholesome stories that will lead them on the path of righteousness?

6.Do you pray together as a family?

7. Do you protect them from harmful television shows, books, articles, etc?

8.Do you guard their innocence?

9.Do you regularly consider who you allow your children to be friends with? Will those friends’ influence harm their faith?

Physical Care:

1.Do your feed your children regularly and in a healthy manner?

2.Do you make sure they are dressed modestly?

3.Do you correct their faults as soon as they are apparent? Or,
do you attempt to explain away their bad behavior? (They are tired, hungry, et cetera…)

4.Do your children have a schedule so they can understand expectations and feel watched over? Do they have a reasonable expectation of what to expect next and when?

5.Are you quick tempered and angry towards your children? (What NOW?!)

6.Are you relieved to leave them in someone else’s care so you can have “personal” time?

7.Do your children know you’d rather be somewhere else other than with them?

8.How much time do you spend on the computer?

9.On the telephone?

10.In front of the television?

11.Anything else that makes you psychologically unavailable?

12.Is there a better use of your time than how you are using it?

The above checklist came All 4 1 and 1 4 All .  I don’t know if she is the author or not.  It was posted on a parenting forum that I frequent.

Submission…again

Sep. 27, 2006 – Untitled Comment

Posted by kjfairch (IP Not Logged)

Sarah- you are exactly right- I think that is part of the reason that submission has gotten such a bad reputation. But you know what I’ve realized lately, at some point I’m going to have to stand before God and answer for *my* actions, regardless of how my dh behaved. And responding with “well, yeah, I should have done xyz but dh started it, was irritating me, wasn’t doing what he was supposed to do, etc.” *isn’t going to cut it*! I need to do what I am supposed to do regardless of what dh does. And, of course, that relates to other relationships as well. There are some things I need to work on regardless of what my father does or my sister does- it’s all about me responding in the correct manner, no matter what they do. I don’t have to answer for their actions but I sure am going to have to answer for mine. Just a revelation I’ve had recently. Hope you’re feeling better!

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Sep. 28, 2006 – Untitled Comment

Posted by TwaddleMeNot (IP Not Logged)

Thanks for your comment on my blog – I was glad to “meet” you I LOVE Created To Be His Helpmeet, and for many of the same reasons. I’m married to a Mr. Steady, too, and for awhile had been feeling discouraged when I compared myself to women who were married to a Mr. Visionary or Command. It was SUCH a relief and eye opener to realize how I help my own husband looks very different, but it’s how he likes it. God is good to help us understand these things! Have a blessed day, Melissa

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