Shoulda started this (rotating lunch calendar) YEARS ago!

[Julie Y]

For years, I have been resisting the idea of a "set" menu plan, telling myself I'm too much of a "spur-of-the-moment, wing-it" kind of gal to succeed at that kind of structure. So, even though we've usually had a basic set of meals that we eat over and over, I had been deciding every morning what to have for lunch based on what's on hand and what I "feel like" making. Well, I (finally!) got fed up and decided I was sick and tired of even thinking about lunch anymore! So, this is what I did:

1) The kids and I decided on 12 meals (we are at home only four days per week for lunch).

2) I made up a (4x6) calendar with those meals. This will take us through three weeks, at which time we'll start over at the beginning. I made two copies of this -- one to post on the fridge and one to keep in my purse (that's why I made them small). I laminated both copies.

3) On the back of the purse copy, before I laminated it, I wrote down a shopping list for each of the three weeks.

4) On Sunday afternoon, I shopped for the week, using the sturdy list in my purse. When I got home, I labeled all items with post-its (e.g. a post-it on the hamburger buns saying Thurs) before I put away the groceries so everyone would know I had a plan for those items.

Well, we just finished up our first week of the plan and it has worked beautifully. I have discovered that I can be in the mood for what happens to be on the list (and in the pantry), after all! The key, I think, is step 4. It really makes a difference to buy the week's worth at once, and to label them so they are available on the designated day.

This is such a obvious system that I feel silly sharing it. But, it's proof that an old dog can learn new tricks! :lol:

[rachelmn]

That isn't silly in the least!!! I think it's awesome! I need this right now, and I would never come up with the small lists!! Thanks so much for sharing, guess what I'm up to tomorrow!!! :D

[Wendy KY]

Julie I would like to know what those 12 meals are:D

GREAT PLAN!!:clap:

[Lynna]

Julie I would like to know what those 12 meals are:D

GREAT PLAN!!:clap:



:yes:

[Julie Y]

Julie I would like to know what those 12 meals are:D

GREAT PLAN!!:clap:

Well, here's our plan. Keep in mind my main goal is expediency, not great nutrition :blush: :

Week 1
Mon -- macaroni w/scrambled ground beef
Tues -- Fish sticks & tater tots
Wed -- rice topped with chili, Fritos, and cheese (see note @ Weds)
Thur -- hot dogs on buns OR mini corn dogs

Week 2
Mon -- tuna casserole
Tues -- chicken nuggets & french fries
Wed -- Taco Soup
Thur -- Barbie cups (scrambled ground beef mixed with bbq sauce, baked in cups made from refrigerator biscuits, topped w/cheese)

Week 3
Mon -- taco pie
Tue -- mini (english muffin) pizzas OR grilled cheese sandwiches
Wed -- crockpot sloppy joes
Thur -- chicken patty sandwiches

Note: On Wednesdays, we go to Bible Study in the morning and then to a park. On my shopping list, I included snack items for the park and designated that lunch a crock pot (and/or rice cooker) meal. Then, when we get home, we have a late lunch (the kids decided on this instead of a weekly picnic lunch so that we would still have our lunch readaloud time). Because we have evening church-driving, the heavier lunch in the crockpot also serves as a dinner that is available all evening.

[Michelle]

Julie, that's a great idea! I have a great plan for dinners, but often struggle with breakfast and lunch. I just printed your 3 week plan to take to my binder and make one for myself! :hop:

[Oney]

Love it!

I think you're right about letting others know you have a plan for a particular item in the pantry/fridge. Several times I've had to re-think a meal because someone used part of something earlier in the day/week for a snack (like using hamburger buns instead of bread to make a sandwich :lol: ).

Michelle, I'm struggling with breakfasts too. My guys like a big breakfast and I could put as much time and mess into cooking a full fledged country man breakfast before 7 am as I could a nice meal for dinner and the last thing I want to do before we start school is have to clean up a huge-breakfast-mess in the kitchen. :tongue:

Lunches I have down pretty good and like Julie, I'm striving for a quick meal that is easy to prepare and easy to serve on paper plates.
If I could ever get the Schwan's guy to stop again :eyes: I'd load up on their fish sticks & chicken patties (for yummy chicken sandwiches on hamburger buns!! :lol: ). For lunches I need it basically a "heat and eat" type of meal.

Julie, I like your idea of 2 copies and a laminated one for your purse. Smart gal! :thumb:

[Heide]

Julie--

LOVE your idea. Lunch is my major struggle of the day! Thanks especially for posting what you eat...a three week rotation is super.

[Katie]

:thumb: I'm off to come up with a rotating lunch schedule! Thanks, Julie!

[Alana]

I love this idea! Thanks Julie!

[Christi in VA]

Thanks Julie! I'm jumping on board with this, too!!!

[Robin in Colorado]

We just started this for breakfasts and lunches. Ours is weekly. We know that every Monday we're having x for breakfast and y for lunch, and so on.

Such a huge, huge help.

[RobynL]

:thumb: Such a great idea! Lunch always has me stumped, too. In the mornings, I'll ask my dh what he wants for lunch. He, of course, has no idea so I'm still stuck scrambling for a meal around 11am.... :unsure: I have tried to write down supper possibilities then mark them off when we eat them but I do LOVE the idea of a rotating lunch schedule. I"m off to prepare.....!

THank you! Thank you! Thank you! :clap:

[Krista Joy]

Wow, I REALLY need to do this! Lunch is my stressed out hour each day. If I knew what I was going to make, and had the ingredients for it, life would be oh-so-much simpler. Thanks for posting what you are doing Julie!

[Sharon C]

Ok Julie, you've inspired me! I'm gonna do it! Over this weekend, I will make a list and post it on the fridge. It's going to be simple stuff for sure.......

grilled cheese
chicken nuggets(frozen) and french fries
spaghetti and meatballs
PB & J
Annie's Mac & Cheese
english muffin pizzas

hmmmm I don't know what else yet,

and each day there will be fresh (raw) veggies with lowfat ranch dressing to dip in. They will be able to serve themselves these.

Now I need 2 more weeks of ideas :D

I also bought snacks tonight and they are WELL hidden(no one even knows they're here but me) each day I will give them 2 snack choices at snack time. When I leave them in the house they eat them ALL in a day, literally. I am really tired of it, and then they are full for dinner.

[Wendy KY]

Julie, that's a great idea! I have a great plan for dinners,

OK Michelle:group: you must post your great plan for dinners:yes:

[Reina in AK]

Great Idea. Thanks for sharing:clap:

[Angela]

Keep in mind my main goal is expediency, not great nutrition :blush:

EXPEDIENCY??!!

Girl, my idea of "expediency" is PBJs, which is therefore the lunch of choice around here 90% of the time.

I think you're doing great! :thumb:

[Tricia O]

Great idea! I have a similar plan for breakfasts, only for a shorter length of time, and it is tailored to fit around my work schedule. Unfortunately, I need to dust it off as we've been eating too much cold cereal lately. :blush:

I attached our meal plan that we need to use more often. We also have spaces with general ideas for dinners each day (like Mexican, Italian, FIAR meal, crockpot, chicken, beef, etc.) The small segment below the box is for the reference to cookbook, page #, etc.

I should update it to add lunches! :thumb:

[deleise]

Julie, I'm so excited! I hate lunch time and we always have turkey sandwiches. Here is my list: (you'll notice I stuck with the "speed before health" plan for now;) ) Hope to change that soon, but for now...

Week 1
hotdogs
quesadillas
pasta and jarred sauce
chicken sandwiches

Week 2
chicken noodle soup
spaghettios:p they are always asking for them
fruit smoothies with granola bars
nachos

Week 3
chicken nuggets and yogurt
mini pizzas
fruit, popcorn, nuts
hot ham and cheese

Thanks for getting me started!:clap: :clap:

[Heidi in IN]

I really could use something like this too since my dh comes home for lunch and wants a hot meal and it needs to be quick to fix, quick to eat, and quick to clean up.

[ChelleUT]

Great idea Julie, I'm going to have my kids make up a schedule for themselves (they are 11, 12, and 14, so they are in charge of lunch) :) Even if they just have a week planned in advanced, (with all the ingredients) it will save on the, "What do you feel like?" "I dunno, what do you feel like", "I dunno, what do we have that we can cook." banter. :thumb:

So far they make the following:

Barilla plus penne pasta with Bertolli tomato basil sauce topped with grated parmesan, with garlic bread ( I make the garlic bread ahead of time, and freeze it so that they just have to pop it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes)

Pasta with butter or EVOO, garlic, parmesan, garlic bread.

Grilled garden sandwiches

Fruit and yogurt

Veggies and hummus

Caesar salads with grilled chicken or shrimp (I grill it and freeze it)

sandwiches on ww bread, flat outs, tortillas, or pitas

strombolis (I make the dough in the breadmaker and they do the rest)

calzones (same dough as the stromboli, just different filling), spinach/artichoke

breakfast (eggs/toast, pancakes, french toast, sausage/cheese biscuits, waffles)

tacos/tostadas (I usually make 10 lbs of taco meat, divided into 1lb zippy bags in the freezer)

sushi

mac and cheese

taco soup, (crock pot) and cornbread

mandarin chicken (crock pot) with rice or noodles

cottage cheese with peaches or pineapple, toast

smoothies (green or fruit) with a granola bar

7 layer dip with pretzel crisps

Surplus provisions reminiscent of the recent past (leftovers)



ETA: I don't know what's up with the little sad face up there ! :)

[Susan Seaman]

I've done this for years - occasionally falling into the trap of just "winging it." That never works as well!

I do the same thing for breakfasts. My goal this year is to give each kid a day of the week when they're responsible for cooking breakfast/lunch. So far we've only done that one week and then we had houseguests and that broke the pattern. But it was working well.

Mine have had even less variety - only one week's worth. But then every month or so I change it up. Variety seems to be over-rated with my crew.

[Suz MamaFrog]

Some suggestions, gals, from somone who has BTDT:

a.) I put each day's menu on separate index cards. Then, I simply "pick a winner" for each day of the week in order to make up my next week's menu. It helps randomize the overall meal plan, and adds a little fun, as well.

b.) Create a shopping list for your plan. Now, how can you create a shopping list when you "pick a winner" you ask? The shopping list has EVERYTHING for the entire meal plan on it, with a dash beside each item. I can write down on the dash how much of something I need, or simply put an / if I need it and then an \ when I've put it in the cart. I've also been known to highlight the items I need in one color and mark them off with another. makes for a pretty colorful shopping trip! :lol:

c.) Check the grocery store for items on your shopping list that you don't NEED that week, but might be able to store away for another week. I always stock up on canned goods, frozen veggies and dry goods when they are on sale beacuse I know if they are on my list, I'll use them eventually.

d.) Always, always, ALWAYS have the ingredients for at least three meals in the pantry. That way, if bad weather or illness or whatever keeps you from grocery shopping right away, you can still feed your family without straining your brain.

Blessings!
Suz

[Heidi in IN]

I sat down Tuesday evening with a 36-week school planning sheet but instead I wrote in 36 lunch ideas! I used my precious few memory cells first, then got ideas from you ladies, then I got out my Menus 4 Moms notebook, then got out my recipe box.

In 1 1/2 hours I had listed 36 lunches that fit our needs!! :clap:

When I went grocery shopping on Wed, I saw 4 more ideas so now I have a total of 40 tried-and-true, dh comes home for 30 mins, everybody-will-eat, quick to fix/ quick to eat/ quick to clean up lunches to rotate!

:hop: :hop: :hop:

Here's my list in case any of you are needing a few ideas ( I should qualify this list by saying we are NOT health food conscience :lol: I just add a salad or leftover or fresh cut veggies)~~
soup and grilled cheese
fish sticks
nachos
hotdogs
tuna helper
chicken helper
hamb helper
Chix nuggets
Hamb. macaroni dish (old favorite)
sloppy joes
chix patties
frozen pizzas
deli sand.
chili
mac-n-cheese and tuna
Chix-n-pasta in parm. sauce
Crab salad
hot ham and cheese
Taco Crescent Bake
Speghetti
Indiana Hamb
tuna salad
BLTs
Chicken Fettucini
Beefy Taco Joes
Barbie Cups (borrowed from a FIAR mom!)
Fried Ham slices
Chix salad
Frozen ravioli with speg. sauce
Rice Meatballs
Chix of the Sea Shells
Chix/rice Campbell's soup dish
Ham Carbonara
Chili Beef Noodle
Dirty Rice
Italian Sausage and rice
Seafood Alfredo
Pork Tenderloins
Hamb. Foil packs
Jambalya (Zatarains)

Now, no 2 months will ever be the same!! :clap: :hop: I am so THRILLED that our school day is now so much less stressful!

[Wendy KY]

WoW! Heidi, that is a great list!!

A couple requests for recipe info:

Chili Beef Noodle
Rice Meatballs
Indiana Hamburger
Taco Crescent Bake


Sue, thank you for those terrific tips!!!

YOU LADIES ARE SO WONDERFUL :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Heidi in IN]

WoW! Heidi, that is a great list!!

A couple requests for recipe info:

Chili Beef Noodle
Rice Meatballs
Indiana Hamburger
Taco Crescent Bake





Here you go!;) We get all these ingredients at Aldi which makes for an even cheaper meal!

Chili Beef Noodle (a Country mag. recipe)
1 pkg egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
chopped onion
chopped celery
minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1. Cook noodles
2. While they cook, brown hamb. with onion, celery, and garlic. Drain.
3. Add tom, chili powder, salt, pepper; mix well. Cook for 2 mins.
4. Drain noodles, stir into meat mixture and heat through.
5. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Rice Meatballs
1 lb. LEAN hamburger
1/2 c. minute rice
1/2 c. water
15oz. tomato sauce
salt
pepper
1/3 c. A-1

1. Mix hamb., rice, water. Form meatballs and place in microwavable dish.
2. Mix Tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and A-1. Put on meatballs.
3. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes.

Indiana Hamburgers
2 lbs of EXTRA-LEAN hamburger
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
chopped onions
1 bag of hamburger buns
sliced cheddar cheese or American Cheese

1. Combine hamb., soup, onion.
2. Open buns to halves and slather on the hamb. mixture. Be sure to cover all the way over the edges of the bun halves.
3. Broil (open-faced style) until done through (use a fork to test for doneness under the top layer.) hint: my gas oven cooks very HOT, so I turn my setting to 425-450, not broil.
4. layer cheese on top and turn off broiler. Leave in heated broiler until cheese melts.

Taco Crescent Bake (a Menu 4 Mom's recipe)
1 tube refrig. crescent rolls
2 c. chushed tortilla chips
1 lb. hamburger
taco seasoning pkg.
8 oz sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese (or mexican mix)

1. brown hamb and add taco seasoning. cook according to directions.
2. unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. press onto the borrom and up 1 in. up the sides of a greased 13x9 baking dish. Seal seams and perferations.
3. sprinkle with 1 c. chips
4. spoon meat mixture over chips. top with sour cream, cheese, and remaining 1 c. chips.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes.