Menu Planning Week 2

Last weeks menu didn't go quiet as planned.  I got sick and it really messed things up but I am feeling much better and we have a new menu for a new week.

Breakfast
29th Pancakes
30rh Eggs with bacon and black bread
31st Sausage Cheese Muffins
1st Whole Wheat Coffee Cake
2nd Whole Wheat Waffles
3rd Oatmeal
4th Almond Pancakes

Dinner
29th Shish-Kabobs with rice and salad
30th Orange Pork with Fried rice
31st Fry bread tacos with rice and beans
1st Fish tacos with cole slaw
2nd Turkey Casserole
3rd Beef Barley Soup with rolls
4th Turkey Pot Pie

The soup and pot pie are the meals that didn't get made last week and since the boys were really looking forward to them I moved them to this weeks menu.  My orange pork didn't turn out like I wanted it to so I will have to try again and continue to tweak the recipe. 

Menu Planning

For the past year I have tried to make a monthly menu.  The biggest problem I have is sticking to the menu.  What might sound like a good idea to me at the beginning of the month sometimes doesn't sound so great by the end of the month. I found myself changing  the menu, leaving things off and then having nothing to make for dinner.  That is not good when you are on a very tight budget!

The good news is that I have found a solution that works for me.  I have been making weekly menus instead of monthly and I have no problem sticking to the menu.  Everyone seems to be happier with this new plan.

With this new plan, everyone sits down together and throws ideas around.  Using this plan makes it easier for the kids to eat breakfast on their own and has virtually elminated those dreaded leftovers that turn into science experiments in the fridge.

So here is this weeks breakfast menu:

Jan. 22  Cinnamon rolls
Jan 23 Whole Wheat Waffles
Jan 24 Pumpkin Muffins
Jan 25 Whole Wheat Pancakes
Jan 26 Oatmeal Pecan Muffins
Jan 27 Whole Wheat Coffee Cake
Jan 28 Fried Polenta with cheese

Now as far as lunch goes we have been eating the leftovers from the night before.  So far I have not had any complaints except last week when we ate all the egg rolls for dinner and there were no leftovers.  :)

Dinner menu:
Jan 22 Turkey Noodle Casserole with breadsticks
Jan 23 Cheeseburger Pizza with salad
Jan 24 Potato Soup with cheddar biscuits
Jan 25 Pork tacos with rice and beans
Jan 26 Turkey Pot Pie
Jan 27 Beef and Barley Soup with rolls
Jan 28 Fish with Brown Rice and Veggies

Everything we are making is either from scratch or from mixes that we have made.  I will be sharing a couple really great mixes this week that make your life so much easier.  I really enjoy the fact that if we make our own mix we can control exactly what goes into it.