Let's be honest.
This topic is worth volumes.
It's pretty hard to get it all into one blog post. It's impossible, actually. I mean, I have dished up enough grub to satisfy eleven people on a regular basis — five of them hungry teenage boys (those were the boarder days!). I've fed my own seven children, husband, and mother, day in and day out, shopping for them with a bunch of them in tow. (Joys of homeschooling!) And I've been doing this in a semi-orderly way for about 23 years.
I've planned meals pregnant, nursing, convalescent, on the run, and under the weather. I don't always do a great job. Sometimes they've looked at me like, this is your idea of dinner? But usually it gets done, it's usually tasty, it doesn't break the bank, and those are my credentials. And I could talk about it all day!
So I am trying to limit myself at the moment with the most basic issue of this whole project, and to hold at bay all provisos and quid-pro-quos (love that Genie!). We will refine. We will get frugal. We will get fancy. We will discuss the ins and outs of deep freezing. We will discuss the true pitfall, Eating Out. But for now, let's grapple with the first step.
This step is simply not covered in any of the guides or books or manuals that I have read. Everyone starts by saying, “Make a week's menus to create a shopping list.” That's like saying, “Make a dress from a pattern for the ball” to someone who doesn't know how to sew!
Or they give you their menus, which maybe you don't like and certainly have nothing to do with what's on sale at your grocery store.
So I start here, with making your menus. I call this the secret to successful meal planning.
How did I come by this secret knowledge? Well, I'm the kind of person who could be found, long ago, either serving up Farce de Porc, Pointes d'Asperges au Beurre, and Soubise, or staring blankly at a package of frozen ground beef at 5:15 p.m., wondering what the heck to do with it. Yep, that's me. Not very practical. Julia, mwah!
Then a friend told me that I simply had to know what I was going to have for dinner by 10 every morning. Good advice.
And then the long-suffering Chief pointed out to me that “we” were spending $600 a month on groceries. In 1984. For the five of us, three of whom were babies. Oh, I cried that day.
But an angel whispered to me that if I planned my menus for the week, I'd do better. And I'm here to tell you that if you do nothing else but this one little step, and shop accordingly, you will cut your grocery bill by at least a third.
So, menus. They will be your menus, and you won't have to wrack your brains every week to come up with them.
Why?
Because you will have a Master List of Menus that your very own family created, and you can consult it whenever you need to! You will be confident, knowing that when you plan out this week's offerings, everyone will be pleased, you will use your pantry and other stores well, and you will shop efficiently.
You simply ask your family and yourself what they like to eat, and write it down! Not every day, of course. But once and for all, you all brainstorm together and create a Master Menu List. Then you use that to make your weekly or monthly lists, without troubling them any further.
If you think you get it, GO! If you would like more detail, I have prepared a document, the first in a series, that you can print out and study. It's on the sidebar, under Happy Home.
And as a bonus, I will tell you that I got myself a binder like this:
–note its durability and water-proof nature…
…and some of those nifty plastic sheets to put papers in, and I made a place for all my food info. Don't worry, we'll come back to this. And remember — yes, if I can do it, so can you!
Leilani Lee says
Thanks for stopping by my blog. And you're right, I imagine we will be able to get this one fixed easily. I bet nobody ever sang the Eric Clapton song at you, right?
Lawler Family Stalke says
whoa… looks like the beginning of a cook book to me!
April says
I want to thank you for the lovely afternoon I just spent with my daughter, Ellen, curled in my bed watching North and South….we loved it!!!!!
Lyn says
Do you have a list of quick and healthy meals that you turn to when you are feeling ill? I would love to hear your thoughts as I have chronic health issues and honestly, getting a big meal on the table most days is not very possible for me.This year I am trying to simplify/organize my life (with babysteps) as much as possible as I never know how I will feel most days. Thank you kindly and I appreciate your wisdom – love your blog. 🙂
Leila says
Hi Lyn,Why don't you email me and then I can email you back.leilamlawler at gmail dot com
Anonymous says
Hi Leila,Sorry, I'm not able to reach you at that address?? Lyn
Leila says
Sorry, duh, my email address is leilamarielawler at gmail dot com
Pippajo says
So, I'm a little behind (and now sick) but I'm back and have so much to comment on!I'm not sure why, but somehow I realized years ago that planning all the meals for the week ahead was essential for our health and budget. So now, that's what I do when I'm being a good little housewife. I admit, I don't always do it when I should and I usually build in one night of ordering something a week as cooking is not exactly my forte and I will go stark staring mad if I have to do it every single night, but it has gotten easier as I've gotten more experienced.Just this past year, I got a binder, too! I got the idea from my sister who is a Cook Extraordiniare! I use it ALL THE TIME!All this reminds me I haven't yet planned the meals for this week! Better get crackin!
amelia says
Had a query! Were you all always good cooks? I mean I am a person who can eat the same meal for 2 weeks straight without bother, and I have a husband who loves good food and a toddler who is becoming more picky. And at best I am not-so-great in the kitchen.Are there any foolproof recipes that any 'fool' could make and still be loved by my house-mates?
Leila says
Amelia, we were always good EATERS. We love food, and want good food! Truly this is the key to becoming a good cook.Maybe a secondary motivator would be feeding a loved one, and this is where my method of menu planning comes in. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to ask your husband what he would like to eat, write it down, and plan it in your week. You will find many places online and in cookbooks (check the library for classically helpful ones like Better Homes and Gardens, Betty Crocker, and Joy of Cooking, and then buy the one you like).I do have easy and tasty recipes here — check on the category "recipes" and also "food" to find them. Cooking simple good food is a basic skill for every mom. It does require thought! You can do it!
amelia says
thank you Leila..
KaliSara says
I've been meal planning for nearly four years! During that time we've moved, vacay'ed, gotten sick and gotten better. Here's a few of my secrets to starting.It doesn't matter what you're cooking. I started out by putting boxed meals on the plan. As we gained control of our food, we stretched our chef muscles.Get a dry-erase calendar. This one little thing made it so much easier. We put stuff on the calendar and lo and behold! Meat was defrosted by supper! A text to say we need hoagies for the po'boys tomorrow meant no driving back and forth.Build in days to eat leftovers. We only plan suppers. We eat a lot of leftovers for lunch. We still have leftovers.Try a new recipe once or twice a month. If you like it, put it into the rotation. Bored with a dish? Take it out for awhile.Have fun! Who would have thought we would like Soviet chicken?
Natalie says
I did this last year & my husband literally gives me three answers: tacos, spaghetti & burgers:-)!!!? So I like the idea of trying one or two new recipes a month…maybe I can slowly encourage my family to eat curry?!:)
Katie says
Hi, Leila.
Can you help me? I’ve tried doing this before, but there’s hardly anything that everybody in my family likes. There’s always one or two or three family members that don’t like a given dish (or something in it). And with my younger kids especially, what they like one month is not the same as what they like the next month. Spaghetti is a winner for a short while, then some child decides not to like it next time. Same with fried fish. Or my husband doesn’t care for xyz, but what he does like my children don’t. Should I just keep serving the same thing & hope that eventually everyone will learn to like it?
Eva Marie says
For anyone who finds their way here in the future, I follow wise advice I heard from a man who loved his mother. She made sure there was at least one thing on the table he would like (and same for his many siblings). It might mean I add corn, or bread & butter, or something bland the kid likes that I don’t particularly care for. But if I’m making curry, I make sure there’s rice for the two who like it and naan for the one who doesn’t.