Brainstorm: 2 week meal plan

[mama2James]

My DH is starting his first semester of college next month. He is resigning from his full time job and will be picking up part time work as he is able. Needless to say we are examining our budget. I think that making a two week meal plan for our dinners will be helpful in reducing our grocery spending and will also take some of the stress out of trying to decide what to cook. The first task at hand is coming up with 14 budget friendly dinners that are decently healthy and can be pulled together within about 30 minutes after my long work day. What are your family's favorites?
Has anyone else tried something similar in an effort to reduce your food budget and make meal planning more simple? Please share!

ETA: I plan to use the same two week menu on a rotating basis for the entire fall semester, so I hope to have a good variety of foods in among the 14 meals so that we don't get too bored

[mh3rdwheel]

My DH is starting his first semester of college next month. He is resigning from his full time job and will be picking up part time work as he is able. Needless to say we are examining our budget. I think that making a two week meal plan for our dinners will be helpful in reducing our grocery spending and will also take some of the stress out of trying to decide what to cook. The first task at hand is coming up with 14 budget friendly dinners that are decently healthy and can be pulled together within about 30 minutes after my long work day. What are your family's favorites?
Has anyone else tried something similar in an effort to reduce your food budget and make meal planning more simple? Please share!

ETA: I plan to use the same two week menu on a rotating basis for the entire fall semester, so I hope to have a good variety of foods in among the 14 meals so that we don't get too bored

I have no 2 week plans, usually it is day to day. but good luck. I buy my meat on sale and stock up on it, I get the seasonings for $1 or less, all I need to buy is canned goods.

[Neeley]

We always plan our meals out for two weeks. Some of our meals for the following month are:

Chicken Lo Mein w/egg drop soup
Calzone Rolls w/pineapple and mandarin orange salad
Cheeseburger Pie w/dinner salad
BBQ Sandwiches w/mac 'n cheese and cole slaw
Chicken 'n Dumplings
Meatloaf w/mashed potatoes and green beans
Sausage egg bake w/hash brown casserole
Loaded Baked Potatoes w/salad
Tater-tot casserole w/raw broccoli and dip
Enchiladas w/refried beans and Spanish rice
Pork chops w/stuffing and English peas
Meatball subs, sweet potato fries and bananas
Pasta w/ tomato sauce, Conecuh sausage and garlic bread
Pita bread pizzas w/celery and carrot sticks
Frito Pie w/baked apples
Roast w/potatoes and carrots
BLTs w/ chips and oranges
Beef and broccoli stir fry w/egg drop soup
Omelets w/ham, grits and biscuits
Chef salad w/crackers
Crock pot veggie soup w/cornbread
Crock pot chili w/rice
Pork and rice casserole w/English peas
Chili dogs w/baked beans and fruit cocktail

I cook most of our meats on Sunday or Monday so I am not in the kitchen every night. All I have to do is warm up the meat and put the sides together. I may spend three hours doing the meats on Sunday. Saves me time and clean up.

[Contrary Housewife]

I "build" menus by laying out the three main components in alternating rounds. For example, rice, potatoes, pasta, bread/stuffing for the starch/carb portion... then a vegetable like green beans, salad, broccoli, spinach, etc. and a meat (pork, chicken, fish, beef) and then get specific.

Doing it this way we can eat the same things every week, like chicken or broccoli, but in different combinations.

So.. pasta, broccoli, beef becomes spaghetti with meatballs and broccoli. Rice, green beans, chicken becomes black bean chicken stir fry over rice, with garlic green beans. Bread/stuffing, beef and salad becomes meatloaf and a garden salad.

Most of the time for quick dinners we just have a grilled or sautee'd meat with a steamed vegetable. Plain old fashioned cooking, seasoned to modern standards.

Some quickie favorites: all served with steamed veg or salad
chili dogs
bratwurst
kielbasa
ham "steaks"
ham and egg scramble in pita
stir fry
cubed steak
sloppy joes

[Paws]

If you find ground meat on sale, make sure you buy plenty. For the next several days you can have:

Spaghetti
chili-with and/or without beans
sloppy joes
tacos
burritos
enchiladas
toastadas
hamburgers
hamburger steaks with onion mushroom gravy
salisbury steaks
hm hamburger helper type meals
hamburger and veggie soup
nachos
shepards pie
meatloaf
hamburger casserole
meatballs-((meatballs and rice in mushroom gravy, spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, porcupine meatballs))

If chicken is on sale, plan your menu to include it numerous times:

chicken noodle soup
chicken stew
chicken and veggie soup
chicken and dumplings
hm chicken helper type meals
chicken casserole
marinated baked/broiled/roasted/grilled chicken
seasoned baked/broiled/roasted/grilled chicken
fried chicken
chicken and rice bake
chicken and veggie stir fry
chicken lo mein
chicken chow mein
chicken a la king
chicken fried rice
sauteed chicken and veggies
chicken and waffles
hm chicken fingers/tenders
country casserole
chicken and dressing
chicken spaghetti
baked bbq chicken
bbq chicken sandwiches
chicken tacos

Same principle for Pork, different cuts of Beef, other meats, and beans...Many meals will have left overs that can either be used to make a planned over meal or an easy meal for another night.
Don't forget about freezer meals...major time and money saver.

[sinopa27]

Wonderful news that the DH is going to school!! Get a hold of his schedule to know when DH has fall break, mid terms, holidays and final exams. Expect some times to be more stressful than others. With this in mind, you can make crockpot meals to make things easier and you can be more attentive during these times. Good luck and keep us posted

[mama2James]

Thank you for the ideas. I will be stealing some of these for sure. Once I make my two week plan, I will post it in this thread

[mama2James]

Ok! Here's my list. I'm sure it will evolve a bit over time and based on what's on sale but it's a start and that's what matters.

The side dishes will be mainly either rice or potatoes and another veggie, fresh or frozen. I will list the main dishes.

Meatloaf
Stir fry (chicken or beef)
pasta with sausage and red sauce
whole chicken in oven or crock pot
baked fish
tacos with beans and rice
keilbasa
hm chicken fingers
hm pizza (or $5 take out)
roast in the crock pot
hm hamburger helper meal
breakfast for dinner
steaks (cheap at save a lot)
pork chops (delicious with onions and apples!)

[shoiji]

I would try to make large quantities and freeze leftovers for a meal the following week.

Meatloaf one night. Slice the meatloaf and freeze. Thaw and add gravy for salsbury steak another night.

Spaghetti sauce with ground meat, freeze leftover sauce for another night.

Homemade macaroni and cheese or baked ziti, freeze leftover portion for another night.

Soups, chili, and stews also freeze well. Don't forget that breakfast food is great for dinner. Such as an omelet, eggs and bacon, fritatta.

Make a list of the types of quick meals you and your family enjoy and keep near the refrigerator. This way you will always have an idea on hand.

Having atleast one meal a week with beans as protein can help to save money. I like to make tacos with refried beans instead of meat.

I keep a lot of frozen vegetables in the freezer. Then use as much as I need for each meal. They also come in handy when making soup.