My menu plan for the week

I was sitting here working on my menu plan and decided I would share how I choose to come up with it and then what we will be having for the week.

Why menu plan?  Well, for me it is a means to gain control over a piece of the week.  I love knowing what I will be making for dinner before I even eat breakfast.  I love having ample time to thaw, chop, and prep anything I need to.  I also love being able to save money.  You can save money through menu planning two ways.  The first is by buying certain ingredients in larger packages.  If you find chicken breasts on sale but it is a 6 lb package you can buy that and freeze what you wont need.  You could also use it in two different meals that week.  You could do grilled chicken breasts and then do orange chicken stir fry.  This will save you money in the long run.  I also like to use each ingredient more than once if I can.  So, if I needed to buy a bag of fresh spinach for one recipe, I will try to find another way to use the rest of it later in the week instead of letting the other half go bad.  The spinach can be put in spaghetti sauce, lasagna, smoothies, omelets, etc.  So basically, I try to buy things that can be used up within that week so I do not end up having to throw my money into the trash.

Ok, so to come up with my menu I first scan my pantry.  What staples do I have?  What is in the fridge needing to be eaten soon?  What do I have in the freezer?  This helps me keep in mind what I have on hand and this will in turn save you money because you will be using stuff you have already purchased in a previous week.  This will also save you money because you will be less likely to buy something you already had.

I then get on the computer or get the sale papers and check to see what is on sale.  If you see thing on sale that can go well with things you have on hand, take note of it.  If things like frozen chicken breasts are on major sale, maybe you want to stock up and also have some chicken for dinner this week.  (For example: I saw that Safeway has boneless chuck roast is on sale for $2.49 per lb this week.  This made me remember that I have potatoes and carrot on hand and can make a pot roast for about $7.50 out of pocket.  We can't get fast food for that.)

So, then I look online for healthy recipes.  I am looking for hearty but healthy things that are not exotic but not lame, lol.  We do usually have a cheat day but we try to keep that to a minimum.  So, I try to plan according to the sales and what is in the pantry already but sometimes you just have a craving for something specific.  In that case, I just add it to the menu and try to get what I can for it on sale.

So, here is my plan for this week:

MONDAY
  Blackened Salmon
    Sauteed Zucchini
    Baked Sweet Potatoes
  
TUESDAY (cheat day)
  Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo
    Rice
    Sweet Cornbread

WEDNESDAY
  Rotisserie chicken with Cajun spice rub in the crock pot (a new menu item)
    Sauteed Green Beans
    Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

THURSDAY
  Fiesta Chicken Salad
    Topped with rotisserie chicken, black beans, toasted corn, tortilla strips, avocado and salsa

FRIDAY
  Crock pot Beef Stew
    Potatoes, Carrots and Onions
    Homemade Bread

SATURDAY
  Byron is cooking

SUNDAY
  Something quick from the pantry.  I usually throw something together to try to use left overs and pantry items! Most likely potpie, spaghetti, baked ziti, etc.

I have everything I need for Monday's meal.  For Tuesday, I have the sausage, shrimp, celery, rice and corn bread.  Wednesday I have the whole chicken, green beans and potatoes.  I will use leftover chicken from wednesday for thursday's salad.  Friday, I have the celery, carrots, potatoes and the bread ingredients.  This will all help me save out of pocket money this week.  It will also help me to use up fresh ingredients we need to constantly be making our way though, like produce.

Please let me know if this does or does not help you.  Let me know if you want any of the recipes posted.