menu planning:: the true story

a question i get a lot from people who read my blog is: "do you really cook everything you put on your menu?"  for the most part the answer is "yes".

having this menu keeps me organized.  it's not a guessing game everyday about what we are having for dinner.  i don't usually deviate from the plan unless something in my day goes terribly wrong.  and sometimes it does.  having this menu and the ingredients for them in the fridge or the pantry means that i can make any of these meals anytime during the week.

so, i did an experiment.  here's the menu from last week and then a picture of what we ate for dinner that day.

monday: turkey chili and cornbread

tuesday: chicken taquitos and rice

why i switched:  we were supposed to have french toast on wednesday.  my mother in law came to see us on wednesday instead of thursday as she usually does and she can't have eggs.  so i just switched the menu so she could eat dinner with us.

wednesday: breakfast for dinner: whole wheat french toast and turkey sausage

taquitos are delicious any day of the week.

thursday: asian glazed drumsticks, brown rice and vegetables

oh my goodness these drumsticks were delicious!!

friday: bbq salmon, mashed potatoes, broccoli

when i planned my menu for the week i overlooked the fact that friday was the father and daughter dance and i had a birthday party to go to.  luckily i don't shop for fish until the day i need it so nothing went to waste.

saturday: dinner with friends (hoping for dim sum)

thanks juliet and bill for the awesome dinner.

sunday: picnic with friends

so much good food.  we got hungry later that night so we ordered from the mexican place by our house.

baking this week: cinnamon rolls for the bake sale and basketball cupcakes for the basketball team.

no pictures of the cinnamon rolls but they were good.

what didn't work for me this week:

i went to the grocery store 3 times. that's a lot. i didn't finish my grocery shopping on monday so i needed to go back for the rest during the week.  i also needed things for baking.  and then over the weekend i had to bring things to the pot luck and dessert for dinner on saturday, so more trips to the store. not the way i like to do it but sometimes that's how it goes.  

i can't say it enough, making a dinner menu every week takes some time.  but in the end it makes for an easier week.

if you want to learn more check out these posts:
menu planning:  the process
menu planning: resources

bon appetit!