2010 Menu Planning Challenge!

**hotprincesscm** · 12-23-2009, 05:09 PM

Sure I'll post my plan! Not a problem. I tried to incorporate some meat free meals as well...And use less red meats. Ok here it goes:

January 1st-New years day black eyed peas(for good luck for the rest of the year)
January 2nd- Veggie stir fry over brown rice
January 3rd- Leftover day
January 4th- Vegetarian Chili and corn bread
January 5th- Meatless Taco Soup and Cheese Quasidillas(sp?)
January 6th- Chopped salad with chicken breast pieces sliced over top
January 7th- Homemade pizza, salad
January 8th- Baked Ginger garlic salmon, roasted potatoes, veggie
January 9th- Leftover day
January 10th- "Thanksgiving style meal" Turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies, dinner rolls
January 11th-Tuna noodle casserole, salad
January 12th- Turkey/veggie soup, rolls
January 13th- Veggie rice surprise(casserole made with veggies, rice, and creamed of mush soup baked with cheese and bread crumbs on top)
January 14th- Breakfast for dinner, eggs, toast, fruit parfaits
January 15th- Shrimp marinara, salad
January 16th- Leftovers
January 17th- Veggie barley soup, bisquits
January 18th- Beef stew over egg noodles, salad
January 19th- Veggie casserole this time with no cream of mush soup, just a can of crushed tomatoes, any veggies I have on hand and some cheese melted throughout
January 20th-Spaghetti Squash with spaghetti sauce, garlic bread
January 21st-Salsa baked Chicken over rice
January 22nd- Scallops and Fetticini alfredo, salad
January 23rd- Leftovers
January 24th- Pork Roast, mashed potatoes, veggie
January 25th- Turkey baked ziti, salad
January 26th- Sloppy joes, salad
January 27th- Stuffed green peppers, rolls
January 28th- 15 bean soup, bisquits
January 29th- Homemade mac and cheese salad
January 30th- Leftovers
January 31st- Ham boiled dinner, rolls

Hope that helps some, I have only planned out the dinners, I plan on baking goodies on my "leftover days" for breakfasts and hopefully will have some leftovers or salads for lunches.

**qsaver704** · 12-23-2009, 05:24 PM

I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS CHALLENGE but need to, so I will try. Thanks for showing me how to subscribe. I had no idea! That sure will help. I have tried to do meal plans before, but failed on week 1. I will try a two week plan as well. thanks

**mauimagic** · 12-23-2009, 05:59 PM

Mahalo Hotprincess - that really does help!!

**vickilynn** · 12-24-2009, 06:38 PM

nuisance - I plan menus the same way. After cleaning the kitchen, I pull out what I need for the next day. It's part of my fly lady routines. Small leftovers are frozen for me to take to lunch.

**piney** · 12-24-2009, 09:53 PM

I am in for this challenge

**Palooka** · 12-25-2009, 01:54 AM

Does anyone have any tips for me. My dh gets stuck late at work a lot and we hardly ever have sit down dinners as a family.

We all eat a different diet and seems we all are coming and going.

**Palooka** · 12-25-2009, 02:01 AM

Hit the button to soon.

I was thinking, since I really need to cut back on the grocery funds to go back to the old mon. mexican or thurs breakfast for dinner type menu. Part of the problem too(like breakfast for dinner) you can't really heat up the leftovers for the next day for dh lunch.

Want more leftovers so dh stops going through the ff drive through.

Maybe a new recipe once a week too?

He will eat vegetarian but sometimes he wants his meat.

**oct2667us** · 12-25-2009, 10:56 AM

I am in . I have been making a menu for a while but i find When I Set 400 dollars for a month I go over. so I need help making cheaper meals. also I am going to be going back on low carb after January 14. so I am going to have to plan my meals around that.

**dcompton** · 12-25-2009, 04:21 PM

I posted the issues I have with menu planning, and have been thinking of strategies to deal with it.

My work week is Wed-Sun. I will try to plan on the weekend, shop Monday if I need to, and make Tuesday cooking day. Then I will pack all the work suppers at that time, at least the entree parts. As I said, I have to have my main meal then. If I don't eat something substantial at 6, by the time I get home at 11:30, I'm starving and eat everything that can't outrun me - not pretty.

After I do that, I'll allow a tweak later in the week if I need to. I'll try this for a couple of months to see how it goes. I may not get started the first week in January. At the moment, organizing the apartment and setting up finances for the new year and such are taking priority. But I must learn to do this.

I will be doing a pantry and freezer inventory the last couple of days of the year, so I'll know what I have to work with, and what needs to be used up first.

I CAN do this, but I need all of you to keep me focused and inspired.

**mauimagic** · 12-25-2009, 04:26 PM

donna - that's a great plan and it makes sense!! It will be interesting to see your meal plan when you get it going. I'm looking forward to learning from your planning!!

**dcompton** · 12-25-2009, 04:42 PM

Mauimagic -- don't sit up nights waiting for MY planning to teach you something. You will be very sleep deprived to little purpose.

If I'm honest, I expect these good intentions to fall apart in a few weeks, as they always do with menu planning. As someone else posted I really don't want to do this at all. I love organizing, but organizing food is a huge chore I would rather avoid. But it will make my life simpler if I can master it.

**madhen** · 12-25-2009, 04:47 PM

I think I'll be one of those sit back and watch subscribers.

Oh, and I set my CP to automatically subscribe to every thread to which I post. Then I can decide whether to continue to follow it or unsubscribe from it.

**dcompton** · 12-25-2009, 04:51 PM

Good idea on subscribing. Automatic is always easier.

**madhen** · 12-25-2009, 05:05 PM

I did that because I kept "losing" threads that interested me.

**mauimagic** · 12-25-2009, 05:33 PM

The joy of posting is that we will all learn from each other and encourage each other on throughout the year. Don't sell yourself short!! Rose Kennedy had a three week menu plan that she recycled throughout the year - if she did it we can too!!