For those of you who plan menus, could you share it with me? I'm always looking for good ideas, and would love to hear about how you plan your menu!

Here's mine for the week:

Tuesday:
LIme Herb Chicken (make extra)
Corn on the cob
Salad
Foccacia bread
Strawberry Shortcake

Thursday:
Baby Back Ribs
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Apple Turnovers

Friday:
Chicken Kabobs
Rice pilaf
Strawberry shortcake

Saturday:
Tacos (shredded beef)
Mexican Sundaes

Sunday:
Caesar Salad
Bread pudding

Monday:
Pizza
Salad
Leftover Bread pudding

(wednesday we have an appt late, so it'll be a fast food or restaurant dinner of some sort)

Love to Yvie! I used to do this on another forum that went kaput. I like that I can look up my menu when I'm at work (or at home if I forgot where I put it, being a SHE). And I too love checking other people's menus for inspiration when I'm tired of the same old.

As you can see I start with what else is happening that week so I can plan around it.

SAT
burgers, corn on cob

SUN
bbq steak, bbq eggplant, baked potatoes, Greek salad

MON (MAC meeting)
cp pork chops mole, rice, corn (this was easy: salsa, cocoa powder & cumin)

TUES YOUTH
eat out for DH's birthday

WED CHOIR
pasta primavera (broccoli, zucchini, red peppers) with ham

THURS MOM ON CALL
fend for yourself

FRI
polenta & cheese, sausage, Italian veggie saute

SAT
rainbow trout, new potatoes, fiddlehead greens

we only plan for mon-fri, and i plan a month in advance. so the rest of the week is...

tues- chicken pot pie
wed- stuffed shells
thurs- pizza
fri- steak and salad

we never have planned dessert, maybe just grab some icecream or something. and most of this weeks food don't require additional sides.

Labeille...what on earth are fiddlehead greens?!?!?

Brit...How do you plan a month ahead?!?!? I barely get a week out!

Wow 'YvieInCA' I love this post!!!!! I need all the help I can get, I am TERRIBLE at planning meals. I did it years ago and know how much easier it is when you plan!!! Just still trying to get back in the groove of things

Hey, I don't see any gravy on any of your plans

I think I'm gonna make your cubesteak recipe next week. I already had this plan before your last post about that.

Have you been to menus4moms.com??? I'm in love with that site, and i'm not even a mom.

Fiddleheads are the baby shoots of the ostrich fern when they first come up in the spring, they are curled up tight just like the head on an old-fashioned violin. They are a seasonal delicacy in the Maritimes (and probably in Maine, they eat everything we do). They taste a bit like asparagus but much more delicate. You can now by frozen imported ones if you really look.
We eat them boiled with lemon butter, or pureed into soup with cream and a dash of nutmeg.

I'll just do nightly main meals - I do sides depending on what needs to be used up - breakfast & lunches are free for alls.

Tonight was sweet & sour chicken from scratch
Tues - Fried Rice from scratch
Wed - Fish in the oven + veggies
Thur - Chili (left over that we froze)
Fri - Cheese tortallini in chicken broth
Sat - Beef Stroganouff (sp?)
Sun - Spaghetti casserole

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008
Swiss Cheeseburgers with Onions and Mushrooms:

Ground Beef (*), Onions, Mushrooms, (*), Swiss Cheese, Burger Roll (*)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2008
Grilled Strip Steak, Grilled asparagus
Roasted Potatoes:

Red potatoes, garlic (*), rosemary, salt, pepper

THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2008
Chicken Pot Pie:

Chicken Thigh (*), Pearl Onions (*), Celery, Carrots (*), Heavy Cream (*), Turnips (*), Pillsbury Crescent Dough, Sage, Chicken Concentrate, Salt, Pepper

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008
Rotini with Pesto:

Rotini Pasta, Basil (*), Olive Oil, Pine Nuts, Parmesan Cheese, Salt, Pepper

Grilled Chicken Breast

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
Grilled Kielbasa
Sautéed Cabbage
Boiled New Potatoes

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops:

Large Scallops (*), Bacon (*), Salt, Pepper

Hifalutin mesclun salad:

Spring Greens (*), Balsamic Vinaigrette, Craisins, Pear (*), Gorgonzola (*), Pecans.

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008
Satay Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce:

Pork Tenderloin (*), Satay seasoning, Peanut Butter, Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Garlic (*), Peanut Oil, Honey

Brown Rice Medley
Sautéed Green Beans (*) wit garlic (*) and Butter.

I will check it out!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!! My 4 yr old DS is the most finiky eater I have ever seen so i love to look for new ideas to try on him!!!!!!! I got him to eat sweet potatos and smoked pork chops this evening!!! He likes sweet potatos but the pork he didnt want to eat so, I told him that it was ham and he ate some of it

i made a list of all possible meals, then started listing them in the calendar mon-fri. when i ran out of new ones, i started the list over again. some are specific, some are vague (like baked chicken- i can do it several ways in a month)

Too funny Dee...I practically have to do the same thing with my DH!!!!

Here's mine:

Monday - Eat out
Tuesday - home made vegetarian 'sausages'
Wednesday - sweet potato and peanut soup, bread rolls
Thursday - Chicken stir fry with walnuts, with rice or noodles
Friday - meatloaf sandwiches
Saturday - Vege soup from the freezer, bread rolls
Sunday - lamb chops with middle eastern spice rub, vege stew, rice

I do my menu a little bit different. I just make a list of 7 evening meals and 7 lunches. Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches or the kid friendly stuff. After I have my list I pick and choose what I feel like fixing or eating (DH cooks alot, secretly wants to go to culinary school) I'm sooo lucky. I couldn't stick with a monday we're having this and tuesday is that...We'd all of a sudden have something to do or want a different nights meal. I found this works best for us, I always have a quick easy 20 min to table option in the pantry.

My list for the rest of the week:

Taco salad - had this tonight
Ckn Alfredo
Salisbury Steaks
Ckn Enchiladas
Meatloaf burgers
BBQ ckn legs
Loaded baked potato - kids usually have gr. cheese too ( We like this meal on softball game nights, DH doesn't like to eat much before games)

Monday;
Steamed potato filled with north sea shrimp, creme fraiche, red paprika, spring onions and dill. Broccoli on he side.

Tuesday;
Same as monday

Wednesday;
Potato (always steam them in their jacket) with whatever vegaburger and microwave veggies I'll happen to pull from the freezer. Surprise menu.

Thursday;
Going for dinner at Peper & Zout, they do amazing things with local ingredients. Really looking forward to it.

Friday;
Rice, peas and mushroom ragout. My boyfriend likes to mix this with pineapple chunks

Saturday;
Grilled tuna steak with parsley marinade, spaghettini with zucchini, little plum tomatoes and more parsley.

Sunday;
Same as saturday

I try to take part of, and check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. She's usually got over 200 people that take part and post their menus. You can get a lot of ideas for menus. Some people do Breakfast/Lunch and Dinner, most do just dinner.
Here is this Monday's link:
http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-26th.html

Tuesday:
Fake Crockpot rotisserie chicken
Mashed potatoes
Corn

Wednesday
Crockpot Pot Roast

Thursday
Crockpot Chicken and stuffing

Friday
Homemade Pizza

Ooooh - thank you for that link!

Weekly menu plans, hmmm? Haven't quite gotten there yet because I keep getting derailed by leftovers. One of my SILs once said to me. "Do you always cook for at least six people?" The answer seems to be "yes" and the problem is that I usually am only cooking for DH and myself. So... typical a week might have me cooking some great thing, then we nosh on it for two or three nights - and/or we then end up with leftover bits that turn into a science project.

I am trying to cook just for two people now. I also try to cook things that make leftovers that can be used creatively. One of my favorites is to use leftover pasta as the base for a frittata. I've also recently discovered that leftover risotto can be made into patties, coated with corn grits and sauteed in olive oil. Serve with a fresh tomato sauce - delish!

Anyway, I've been working on it, so here's how the week is going:

Sunday - tabouleh salad with chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and onion; served with hummus and carrot sticks, toasted pita

Monday - leftovers from Sunday! added more veggie option for dipping into the hummus

Tuesday - Insalata Caprese sandwiches on ciabatta rolls. (That's fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes, and basil, but instead of plain olive oil dressing, I added a shmear of pesto and olive tapenade to the bread to kick up the flavor), DH's all-time favorite sandwich.

Wednesday - slow cooker creamy polenta with whole corn, chilis, and cheese; spicy black beans with carrots and tomatoes; swiss chard and red onion steam-sauteed with balsamic vinegar

Thursday - cheesy quesadillas with black beans (leftovers!), home-made guacamole, and spinach

Friday - girls' night out!

Saturday - brown rice stir fry with broccoli and tofu

Next week, I'm thinking about a couscous dish that I make with spinach and feta cheese and a curried quinoa, carrot and lentil salad.... Will prolly use up some rigatoni, too. Still plenty of blanks to fill in!