The past year has been a big experiment when it comes to menu planning. I have tried weekly menu planning, monthly menu planning, bi-weekly menu planning and not planning at all. In the end I found weekly planning to be too much work, monthly menu planning to be to ambitious, not planning at all to be a poor choice and bi-weekly menu planning to be just right (I think I have been reading too many children’s books).
While I have found bi-weekly menu planning to work best for us it hasn’t been without it’s flaws. One new thing I am trying this month is daily themed meals to help streamline the process. Here it what’s on the menu for us:
- Saturday:
L- Sandwiches; D – Vegan Shawarma Fries - Sunday:
L – Vegan Shawarma Salads;D – Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese + Roasted Cauliflower - Monday: L- Leftovers; D – Deliciously Ella’s Cannellini Bean Stew, Millet, Garlic Kale & Avocado
- Tuesday: L – Leftovers; D – Veggie Burgers, Baked Fries & Roasted Veg
- Wednesday: L -Salad/Snack Plates; D – What’s Cooking Good Looking’s za’atar roasted butternut squash + chickpeas with rice and miso tahini
- Thursday: L- Leftovers; D – Collard Green Sukiyaki
- Friday: L – Leftovers; D – PIZZA PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT!
- Saturday: L- Sandwiches; D – Gonzo Bowls (Falafel Bowls inspired by Gonzo Food Truck)
- Sunday: L – Falafel Salads; D – Pesto Pasta with green beans and potatoes
- Monday: L – Leftovers; D – BBQ Tempeh Bowls with greens, brown rice and vegan cashew ranch
- Tuesday: L – Leftovers; D – Taco Bowls
- Wednesday: L – Leftovers; D – Curried Red Lentils, spinach and quinoa
- Thursday: L- Leftovers; D – Tahini Stir-fried Soba Noodles with Cabbage, carrots and onions
- Friday: L – Leftovers; D – PIZZA PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT!
What’s on your menu this week?
I have been thinking a lot about this too, especially in an effort to reduce household waste. Do you still do a weekly produce run?
I generally front load the first week with dishes that have ingredients that need to be used up quickly and the second with recipes that use veggies that hold up longer or use some frozen. We allow ourselves a $25 grocery run the second week if we are running low on ingredients. In the summer however we usually do a weekly produce run because we like to go to the farmers market