Weekly Menu

I followed a friend’s suggestion and made a whole week’s menu ahead of time.  I have to say that this is the way to go if your main concern is the dreaded nightly question, “what’s for dinner?”  However, it takes a lot of time to plan a weekly menu, particularly when I have to consult cookbooks or the internet to find the recipes :-)

I don’t clip coupons or review grocery store mailers.  Maybe I should do that and save some money! However, for my first weekly menu, I focused on creating a simple, easy to follow menu that would help me get dinner done efficiently and painlessly. 

Here is my menu: (click on the links to see recipes)

Wegman's Chicken

• Beef in sauce, rice, and veggies. Meal courtesy of my mother, who cooked the whole thing. Thanks, mom!
• I used a pre-seasoned Wegman’s chicken and served it with mashed potatoes. The chicken was only $8 – what a deal!
• Quesadillas: I followed a recipe that uses chopped zucchini, squash, portabella mushrooms, onions (sweet onions are the best), jalapenos or peppers (your choice), and Mexican cheese.  I sautéed all the veggies first. I added shredded rotisserie chicken as well. Then, I fried the quesadilla and served it with sour cream.
• Calzones and French onion soup.  Yes, I made the soup. Here is the recipe (this soup was delicious!)
• Meatloaf, rice, and steamed veggies (carrots, snap peas, and zucchini) in basting oil. This was my first time making meatloaf, so I found this recipe: Mix and Match Meatloaf.  Did I follow the recipe? Of course not! I used tons of veggies: Shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, chopped onions, and chopped peppers.  I sautéed them in olive oil and mixed them with the beef before I made the loaf. I also added a Swanson flavor boost package to the mix.  Turned out great!
• Naan Pizzas. Enough said.
  Note: I usually follow the basic recipe but change the toppings.
• Spaghetti and meat sauce. This classic never goes out of style.

Food Network Meatloaf

So…I tried to stick to the menu, but I made some changes.  I switched the order of the menu, and I let my husband talk me into eating Popeye’s one night.  Overall, this plan was a success, but I think I can do better.

The new recipes, such as the one for French onion soup, added an interesting challenge to the whole plan, but I’m glad I added them. Once I was done cooking the new dishes, I felt proud of myself.

Will I use a weekly menu again? Absolutely.

Will I stick to the menu next time? Hmm… I’ll try. 

Weekly menus are a great tool for people like me.