Menus

Michelle and I spoke this week. We talked about menus a little. My house looks like a tornado (named Sam) has run through it, and at any given time, there are 3 loads of laundry sitting on my bedroom floor waiting to be folded, but I've been making weekly meal plans consistently since August. In case you're languishing for menu ideas, here's what we've eaten (or will eat) this week for dinner. (I do also plan breakfasts, lunches, and snacks ... but I'll just post the dinners this time.)

Tuesday: Crockpot BBQ chicken sandwiches, tater tots, fruit, and corn
Wednesday: Halloween Stew, cornbread
Thursday: Homemade BBQ chicken pizza (using leftover BBQ chicken), green beans
Friday: Out (Rubios)
Saturday: Chili Mac from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, sides TBD
Sunday: Pork Roast (using Jenny's new recipe from the blog), mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
Monday: Chinese Chicken Salad (saw idea on Pinterest to include pasta to make it a little heartier), homemade breadsticks, if I have time
Tuesday: Crockpot Split Pea Soup, salad

To figure out my menus, I first look at the ads to see what's on sale ... if chicken is on sale, we'll have recipes that use chicken that is best cooked when it's fresh (instead of having to defrost it in the microwave). If pork loin is on sale, then we might have balsamic pork roast on Sunday, and then use the other half for grilled pork chops (just slice the loin, and you've got chops).
Once I have a feel for what's on sale at my top 2 stores, I go to the list. The list, you say? I have made a list of all of the dinners my family likes and that are in the "rotation". I have probably 40 meals listed.
And then I just go through and consider what we have going on in the afternoons and evenings ... i.e., how much time will I have to prep dinner. If it's going to be tight, it's got to be a crockpot or something where the meat is already cooked and dinner is just "assembling". If it's a day when I don't have much going on, I'll throw in a new recipe to try (like the Honey Lime Tilapia that Jenny pinned on Pinterest ... yummy!)
You guys all do a great job of menu planning. I only threw out these tips because I've changed the way I do menu planning recently, and it's more efficient for me now. Cheers!