Today we'd planned to go out to eat for my son's upcoming birthday. He chose Red Robin. Since I didn't have to cook, I figured this would be the best time to plan out my menu and grocery lists, and I can give you a glimpse of what that looks like, and how it works for me.
My menu for next week was planned out on December 6th 2014. I plan out my weekly menus in 3 week blocks, and I do it 2 weeks in advanced. So I am still working from the last block of menus and I have 2 weeks left on that block. I planned menus for 1/19/15 - 2/7/15. I start by asking my family to list off 3-5 things each that they would like to eat. I write that down on a piece of paper. I try to balance the meals out so that we're not eating all beef everyday of the week one week and then all chicken the next week. I also look for meals that might require the same ingredients like chipotle in adobo sauce, or coconut milk. Usually these ingredients are in small portions, and then you have the whole rest of a can that gets tossed out. After I've grouped all of those meals in to separate, week blocks, I check the family's schedule to see if we have anything scheduled, like birthday dinners, school functions, or date night. I will put that into the week it falls, then I will look at what's left, and go through my stacks of cookbooks (I have a weakness for cook books, don't judge me), and find what I need to fill in the gaps. I base this off of what's missing, such as fish, chicken, vegetarian, etc. I also look closer at our family's schedule to see if I have any crazy nights where I know cooking will be a challenge. If I do see a hectic day for the family, I go straight for one of my slow cooker/crock pot cook books. If it's a busy day for only me, I will choose from the short list of things that the hubs can cook. He is actually a pretty good cook, but it has to be easy, 5 ingredients or less, and it has to be quick, otherwise it won't happen.
Once all the meals are mapped out for the 3 weeks, I go through each meal and make a list of all the meats we need. This is separate from my weekly grocery list. I buy my meats mostly from Sprouts, but on occasion I will go to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Sprouts is just geographically more convenient. I do this because I want my meats as clean as possible. I can find meats with no nitrates, no antibiotics, or hormones. It costs a bit more, but to me, it's worth it. I shop for the meat once every 3 weeks, to get ready for the upcoming block of meals. The rest of the ingredients, like spices, or things that have a longer shelf life, I will look for a sale, and get it then. I also try to keep a stash of common ingredients on hand in my pantry, and when those items go on sale, or if I have a coupon I will add to that stash. I am not an extreme couponer, and I don't have some huge stock pile, but it just makes sense to me to keep common ingredients on hand in my pantry. Finally, when I am writing the grocery list for the upcoming week, it's mostly produce, and perishables, household items that we need like dish soap or toilet paper, and food my kids requested to pack their school lunches. I have them make a weekly menu of what they want to eat for the upcoming week as well, that might make for a fun post some other night when we go out to eat.
WA-LA. That's it. That's how I make my menu, and make my life easier. Some might be thinking that that is time consuming and not easy. For me, it is quite easy, and while it does take time, I usually do it when the family is watching a movie. I can not sit still for an entire movie, so for me, that is the best time to map out 3 weeks of meals. I then don't have to make out a menu for at least another 3 weeks, so in that aspect I guess it's not really that time consuming.
I know that in my first post I said I want to eat as minimally to non-processed as possible, and that canned or non-perishable usually equals processed, but that is part of the goal or experiment of this blog. I am trying to see if I can actually decrease the amount of processed foods my family eats. I have started a garden, and I would love to learn to can my own foods, like tomatoes and sauces this year. Tasks like that are a bit overwhelming, or intimidating to me, but I've started my garden, and am learning as I go, so I don't think canning should be any different. If you've had any experience with canning, I'd love to hear your tips, tricks, or resources.
Hope that helps, inspires, or sparks some ideas to help you with planning your menus.
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