Meal Planning

I like to refer to myself as a Stay at home Mom, or a Radical Homemaker. Radical homemaking differs then what some people think of as homemaking now. Its like going back in time, being a real homemaker, not just watching soaps, popping in TV dinners or getting take out.
One thing that has helped me so much since becoming SAHM or Radical homemaker is menu planning.
I don't know how I lived with out being more organized at home.
I bought this from Target last year

Sunday is my planning day, or night. I sit down with the circular and plan my meals for the week. I do it based on sales and what I feel like, what our week look likes and what frozen meats I may have.
Some people go very specific for each day, Monday-Soup, Tuesday-Beef, Wed-Pasta. For my family I have just found that it does not work. There are certain foods we eat maybe once a month so my weekly planning is a little more open.
This week my meals look like this.
Sunday-Roast
Monday-Cx Quesidillas
Tuesday-Soup with leftovers from the roast
Wed-Sausage with peppers and onions
Thursday-Pasta night
Friday-Pork chops with Apple sauce
Saturday-Turkey burgers
Sunday-Chicken roaster

One plus is getting to use my leftovers. I like to cook bigger meals on nights my husband will be home so I can use the leftovers. With out planning I wouldn't be able to do this. It also helps me save money and plan lunches too.
I can mix in new recipes while keeping old stand bys there for most nights.
It is so much easier to not have to worry what is for dinner. I can plan healthier meals for my family, shopping is easier too.
I keep my list right on the fridge, I write down when we run out of things. Or I add things when I think of a good recipe for the next week.
Try menu planning for a month and you will not know how you lived with out it.

Weekly Menu

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

One thing that is often suggested by other bloggers and some sites on organization and cleaning is preparing your meals for the week.
Since I have started doing this I don't know how I lived with out it before.
It is too easy to wake up, look at my menu white board planner on the fridge and know if I need to defrost meat, run out for fresh veggies if its toward the end of my shopping week or do nothing. Then at 5 I can just look again and cook, no planning, no thinking "oh I need that" no complaining from my husband. He is a picky eater.
On Sunday nights I plan my meals for the week, which can depend on deals at the stores, what I have leftover, what I am craving (pregnancy fun), simple meals for days I know I am busy and when to try out new recipes. I can also plan in leftovers.
Monday is my shopping day.
For this week I have this planned

Sunday night-tonight-a chicken roaster, leftovers will make sandwiches for the week instead of buying lunch meat.
Monday night-Turkey burgers topped with lettuce, onions and tomatoes with fries. Liv will be eating a veggie burger
Wednesday-Lasagna with salad
Thursday-Quiche from the inside of the eggs we will dye. And her comes in my picky DH who does not like quiche. He will be eating leftover lasagna.
Friday-Pizza night
Sat-frozen dinner. I will be leaving my house around dinner time to go to the Saturday night vigil to make my holy communion and confirmation while DH stays home with the baby. (I think this will be the first time in over 2 years he has eaten a tv, and we both grew up eating these on occasion so actually enjoy them as a treat.
Sunday-Easter ham with several sides.
Then for next week I can plan some meals with whatever left over ham we have.

This method saves me money and time. I recommend this is everyone who mentions to me about eating out too much, never knowing what to cook, or too many complaints.
It works great for working moms too. A friend of mine does her menu on Saturday and shop on Sunday. Then Sundays they eat some easy roast and she spends some time cutting and preparing other meals for the week. She will make other meals, casseroles or baked dishes and have them ready in the fridge or freezer. She will also cut up veggies to have for snacks, lunch or for stir fries or fajitas. This way she is eating nice and healthy homemade meals most nights of the week.
I often will plan lunch out too. This way I can make sure we eat more then just sandwiches during the week.
Life is just so much easier when there is a rhythm to you week and my menu planning helps me maintain that with ease.

Related articles

• Recipe: Quiche Lorraine (craftzine.com)
• My Husband's Menu Plan Monday (wifemomandmore.wordpress.com)
• The secret of dealing with cooked leftovers (thefrugalcook.blogspot.com)

Seasonal Dinner..mmmm

Image via Wikipedia

Over the weekend I made Liv and myself a nice pasta with a light cream sauce, peas and butternut squash. Mmmmm, good. Liv ate the peas and squash right up. Those were def her favs! She barely touched the pasta, which she usually loves pasta. I love finding different veggies that Liv will eat and different ways she will eat them. It is just so nice to eat fresh, seasonal produce. I love fall!

Book Review-The Grocery Game

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Shop Smart, Save More: Learn The Grocery Game and Save Hundreds of Dollars a MonthThe Grocery Game is a book I recently picked up from the library in my hopes to save some money on groceries. She also has a pay website to help with the "game."
Her advise is very simple and really boils down to a few pages in the book. Buy in bulk only on sale with coupons. This is the short version of her advise. She discuss in detail about the rotation of sales in weeks and the during seasons. On her website she tells you what to buy at your local grocery store.
She offers other advise through out the book, on planning simple meals, dinner parties and other household things.
Her advise is not very earth friendly at all. She tells the reader to use all disposible for dinner parties, bbqs and other events to save time. This to me is not very budget friendly and also very bad for the planet.
Long story short her grocery advise can save some money, but not too much if you buy a lot of fresh foods, which I do. Check it out from the library is my advise, unless you buy lots of "commerical" foods then her book might do you some good.

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• The Grocery Game Week Two: We Have Savings (suddenlyfrugal.com)
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9 month BLW mark

Liv is now 9 months, I have been a total blog slacker.
BLW (Baby-Led Weaning) has clicked with her and she is a pretty good eater. BM still makes the majority of her food, and she still wakes atleast once to nurse, but she is now sitting with me and eating 3 meals a day.
In a typical day I sit and have 3 meals with her at the table, a nice proper meal.
For breakfast I make her a modified version of whatever I am eating. If I am having cereal I just give her some OatieOs to enjoy with some banana. If I am eating eggs with toast I make sure they are scrambled so she can eat some and I just give her toast strips. I have not made pancakes for myself in while, can't wait I think Liv will love them.
Liv is not a big breakfast eater. This is a small meal, only a few bites.
For lunch I give Liv some fruit, what ever fruit I am eating, and then sometimes I homemade teething biscuit, a piece of cheese or some yogurt. I use those baby yogurt blends she loves them.
Then dinner is some of whatever I am eating. Tonight she had some stuffing, carrots and some BBQ chicken. It sounds like a lot, but its not. She has a few bites of each and thats it.
She still has BM after everytime she wakes up, and once before bed and once in the middle of the night.
I am not big on CIO and I still feel she needs those night feedings so I am not ready to night wean her yet.