Menu planning is EXHAUSTING

thebennerhalf

Phew! I just scoured Pinterest for an hour trying to find healthy things to make this week. P is awesome for recipes in general, and making me super hungry, but they're lacking on the healthy stuff unless you're really looking for it. I also get stuck trying to be too creative. What's wrong with easy classic spaghetti and meatballs?? Why do I need braised leg of lamb with roasted garlic brussel sprouts? I need to compile my list of "go-to" meals when I just don't want to think.

bombe4

thebennerhalf:

Phew! I just scoured Pinterest for an hour trying to find healthy things to make this week. P is awesome for recipes in general, and making me super hungry, but they're lacking on the healthy stuff unless you're really looking for it. I also get stuck trying to be too creative. What's wrong with easy classic spaghetti and meatballs?? Why do I need braised leg of lamb with roasted garlic brussel sprouts? I need to compile my list of "go-to" meals when I just don't want to think.

lol That is a weekend meal for me. No way I pull that off on a week night when I work! You def need to get some weekly staples in their and switch them up. I am trying to put together two weeks of planning and then switch them up every other week to have a whole month's worth of meals. My hubby is pretty easy like that and won't mind eating the same things. If I am really on a roll, maybe I'll get out three weeks instead of two. Depends on my ambitious I am hahaha

Kimberet

I totally agree! Pinterest is great for a lot of creative ideas, but simple/classic meal ideas aren't really on there. My Savory board has some "staples" for our menu planning, and I tried to do a "meals of the week" board, but haven't kept up with it like I should.

 We have a lot of chili, spaghetti (1 pot spaghetti, regular spaghetti, baked spaghetti) or pasta with tomato sauce, lasagna soup (if you haven't made it, you should. it is awesome), tacos, and stir-fry during the week. Sometimes I do a more creative meal during the week, but usually that only happens on the weekend.

hydrangeablue

you should check out LearnVest, here's a LINK to their Food and Health page... they have some meal plans where what you make the first day has leftovers that are used in the next day's meals and the ingredients carry over so you arent left with a ton of unused produce at the end of the week. the ultimate goal is saving money but the recipes sound really good too!

after you are on the LearnVest Food and Health page, go back to the "Food for a Month" series. There are 4 installments (1 per week) with grocery lists and recipes. I think it's just what you're looking for.

bell2belling

Kim: your post about baked spaghetti totally inspired me to make baked ziti for dinner! I haven't made that since we've lived in this house...so almost 2 years! haha

Kimberet

bell2belling:

Kim: you're post about baked spaghetti totally inspired me to make baked ziti for dinner! I haven't made that since we've lived in this house...so almost 2 years! haha

Mmm...so good!! We just had Johnny Carino's for dinner last night or I'd be making some baked spaghetti tonight! lol

thebennerhalf

hydrangeablue:

you should check out LearnVest, here's a LINK to their Food and Health page... they have some meal plans where what you make the first day has leftovers that are used in the next day's meals and the ingredients carry over so you arent left with a ton of unused produce at the end of the week. the ultimate goal is saving money but the recipes sound really good too!

after you are on the LearnVest Food and Health page, go back to the "Food for a Month" series. There are 4 installments (1 per week) with grocery lists and recipes. I think it's just what you're looking for.

Thanks! I'll definitely be checking that out. 

ashleyangel510

I know what you mean- I get so hungry when I get on there, because I love looking at fancy desserts  

When it comes time to meal plan, I forget all my easy recipes somehow. H likes eating the same things all the time, but I don't. I do harder stuff like your leg of lamb example on the weekends or on nights that we have nothing on the calendar.

Starting in Jan 2012, I printed out monthly blank calendars, and I've been writing down what we eat each night to hopefully avoid that problem in the future. Kind of like the meal-plan the whole year idea on Pinterest, but backwards It's helped me see what we've already eaten this month, and I'll probably re-use some ideas starting next month.