Menu Planning

WARNING: RANT AHEAD!

Do you know there are websites where you pay a monthly fee for someone else to give you a menu and list??? Years ago I joined one because I was lost in the sea of confusion every night when it came time for dinner I had gone to the store, bought what looked good and when it came time for dinner I was lost. Oh I had food in the pantry, fridge and freezer but nothing to make!! I had taco seasoning and shells but no lettuce, tomato ect... because when I reached for the pack of seasoning I told myself I would go back to the other end of the store to get these things but I had forgotten or we had used them the night before because the only thing I cold think to make was baked chicken and salad. So I signed up for one of these thinking it would solve all of the problems in my life! LOL I ended up with a weeks worth of recipes where half of the things my family didn't like and the ones that were a hit there was never enough made because I had followed the plan. I did get something out of it though, I walked away with the "you big sucker" feeling that made me start my recipe databases. In the coming weeks I will post a few others so you can see what works for me. It may not be exactly what will work for you, but any ideas you get from me come without the monthly fee! :o) And that has to be a good thing!

Since seeing the light, I have been a big fan of my own menu planning, being a one income family with some boys that eat us out of house and home this is a necessity for our budget. Going to the store without a list in hand can mean an extra 200 bucks a month on groceries. I don't know about your wallet but mine can't handle that kind of bump.

As the price of food keeps going up I have had to get a little more creative. I have started a database grouping the meals my family enjoys, the ingredient list and the approx cost and then dividing them into price categories. Depending on where you shop your cost may be greater or less than mine. I do not add things that I always have on hand so that I can just copy and paste when I go to make my shopping list for the week. I do add some things under the recipe name that I usually have on hand but I need to double check.

Another little saving tip... things that you use a lot, make a lot and freeze. In our house we use a lot of red gravy, red sauce, marinara sauce what ever you want to call it, So I make HUGE batches and divide it up and freeze it. Same with roasted garlic paste, chicken or beef stock. This saves me time and money. If I have the red gravy in my freezer I have made the whole batch, usually 10-12 meals worth of use for about 7 bucks (thanks to Sams). Now, if I don't have that pre made in the freezer, I have to spend anywhere from 2-5 dollars every time I need a pasta sauce, or a base for chili, pizza sauce ect... That little bit of time and money has saved me. And because I made it I know it is going to be what my family likes (no sugary sweet sauce in this house... eeeek lol).

So here is an example of what my food budget planning looks like. I like that I can copy and paste the ingredient side into another document print and I am off to the store without a lot of fuss and muss. It is amazing how easy things start to work when you find a system that works for you! Forgive any spelling errors I cut and copied this straight from my file and I don't spell check cause I know what I meant when I typed it out! Plus they always highlight any foreign/shortened words :o)

COWBOY DINNER (CROCK POT BEEF TIPS, PINTOS AND ROASTED POTATOES)	($6-8) Beef tips 1 onion Dry beans Beef stock (from freezer) Onion 4 potatoes
RIGATONI W/RED GRAVY **need parm on hand**	($8-10) 2 boxes rigatoni Onion Garlic 2 large cans tomato sauce (or from freezer) Crusty loaf
PAELLA **need saffron on hand**	($8-10) **2 meals** Rice Chicken thighs Choizo Frozen peas Onion Garlic Green pepper Chicken stock (from freezer)
FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN THIGHS	($5-7) **meal plus left over** Rice Onion 3 eggs Scallions Frozen peas Chicken thighs
MINESTRONE W/ PANINIS	($10-12) **lunch meat left over** Penne Cannellini beans (dry) Carrots Onions Peppers Chicken stock (from freezer) Baguette Ham Provolone
CHILI **Left over options** chili dogs, loaded baked potatoes, nachos.	($10-12) **2 meals** Roast Kidney beans (dry) 3 large cans tomato sauce Onion Crusty bread or crackers
BEEF VEGGIE STEW **have red wine and french onion mix (homemade) on hand**	($10-12) **meal plus left over** Roast Frozen carrots, corn, green beans Onion Garlic 6 large potatoes Beef stock from freezer
WHITE BEAN SOUP W/ CROSTINI	($6-8) Cannellini beans (dry) Beef stock (from freezer) Frozen spinach (2) Onion Garlic Baguette (2)
GARLIC CHICKEN AND PASTA **parm on hand**	($8-10) Fettuccine Chicken thighs Garlic (3 heads) Chicken stock (from freezer) Heavy cream
RED BEANS AND RICE	($6-8) **meal plus left over** Kidney beans Beef stock (from freezer) Onions Bratwurst Rice
GREEN CHILI PORK CHIMICHONGAS	($12-15) *pork could be used for 2 meals* Pork roast 2 cans green chilies Tortillas Cheese Oil for frying
HOME MADE PIZZA	($10-12) ** left over flour/dough** Flour Yeast Marinara (from freezer) Salami Spinach Onion Cheese