I was talking to a friend recently who mentioned that she never knew what to buy when she was at the grocery store and was really sick of trying to get ideas from her family about what they might like to eat. I’m guessing you can probably relate.
There was a time when I seemed to be continually trying to figure out something I could make that seemed new and exciting. Then one night at supper, my middle son said, “Mom, I think we might all be better off if you just stuck to fixing things you already know how to cook.” Wow.
But you know, that kiddo made a really good point. There’s no use slaving away in the kitchen just to produce something no one wants to eat — not to mention the guilt of either immediately throwing out all the leftovers or leaving them in the fridge until they are smelly enough to justify putting in the garbage.
That little remark about cooking what I knew how to cook also turned out to be the key to simple menu planning: do what you know how to do and do pretty much the same thing every week. You may be wondering if your family will get tired of this. No. No, they will not. Remember, for the most part they just show up and the food appears as if by magic. So, as long as it’s something they like, you’re good.
If you’re still not seeing how this is going to work, let me lay it out for you. Every week you will cook meals made with the same basic ingredients. The meals will vary slightly, but your grocery list is going to stay mostly the same.
For instance, Monday could always be a meal based on ground beef, potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes. These basic ingredients could take the form of hamburgers and French fries; meatloaf, mashed potatoes and a salad; or shepherd’s pie and a salad. Right off the bat, without changing any ingredients at all, you have meals for the next three Mondays planned. As an added bonus, you know exactly what needs to be on your grocery list to take care of Mondays.
You know what your family likes better than I do. So, making a list of their favorite foods is a good starting place. When I first did this, I got out a sheet of notebook paper and made the following headings: beef, chicken, vegetarian, fish, pork. Then I asked my boys what their favorite dishes were and made a list under each heading. That was the beginning of my menu.
I’m going to give you some ideas of meals that can be made with the same basic ingredients. Now, don’t make the mistake of thinking this is all set in stone. Remember, the goal is to stick to foods your family likes and you have a reasonable chance of pulling off. Just consider this a jumping off place. Use the ideas that you think will work for your family and substitute other favorites for the ones you don’t think they’ll like.
Ground Beef
Week 1: hamburgers & French fries, lettuce and tomato for burgers
Week 2: shepherd’s pie & salad
Week 3: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad
Chicken
Week 1: chicken & rice with broccoli (or frozen veggie of your choice)
Week 2: chicken & spinach over pasta
Week 3: buttermilk chicken tenders, oven potato wedges, frozen green beans
Fish
Week 1: baked tilapia with baked potatoes and cole slaw
Week 2: fried catfish with fried okra and cole slaw
Week 3: salmon patties with corn and cole slaw
Eggs
Week 1: chef salad with fresh spinach, ham, cheese, boiled eggs, etc.
Week 2: spinach quiche
Week 3: omelets
Beans
Week 1: black bean tortilla soup
Week 2: chili with beans (Frito pie!)
Week 3: Pinto beans and cornbread
Weekend Meals:
The weekend is a great time to eat up all the leftover from the previous week. But it’s also nice to plan at least one fresh meal. I like to roast something in the oven or in the Instant Pot just to keep things easy. If you are preparing a pork or beef roast or roasting an entire chicken (or two), I suggest tossing some whole carrots, Brussels sprouts, and quartered potatoes in the same pan and making it a one dish meal.
I like to plan at least one kind of “junky” home-cooked meal in case we are tempted to make a break for fast food. Keeping a box of corn dogs and a bag of tater-tots in the freezer or throwing together some nachos can scratch this particular itch without wrecking the food budget or – even worse – messing up your gluten free diet.
Managing the Menu
My favorite way to manage this menu is to write each meal on a post-it note and place each note on a square of my giant wall calendar. I plan three weeks of meals at a time. If I look at the calendar and see that we have an especially busy evening and I need to replace a labor intensive supper with an easy one that can coast in the Instant Pot, I just move the sticky notes.
As I prepare the meal written on a particular post-it note, I can move that note down three weeks on the calendar to the next time it will appear in the rotation. So far, no one has complained about me making any particular meal too often.
There are certain times of year when I switch it up. In the summer, we are more likely to eat lighter meals or foods that can be grilled. In the colder months, I rely heavily on soups, stews, and baked meals that fight the chill.
I hope this method provides you with a starting place to simplify your shopping trips and meal preparation. Remember what I learned from my son: do what you know and do the same thing over and over.
Happy eating, y’all!