Everyone has a hard time figuring out what to cook. I was talking to a co-worker this weekend and she told me that, while she was going back to school, she asked her husband to cook dinner on Thursday nights as it was her busy day. He replied that he would cook, but she needed to tell him what to make. She exclaimed that that was the hardest part!
I completely agree. I love to cook, but sometimes I just really don’t know what to make. My husband is no help because he never has any ideas for me. I asked him the same question each week.
What do you want for dinners this week?
He responds one of two ways:
Meatloaf.
Or
I don’t care. Whatever you make.
Ugh! Finally, I got smart. A few years ago I started meal planning. I must say…when I do it and stick to the plan, it really makes a difference in my day! I don’t have that dreaded feeling hanging over my head of what to make. I typically am more prepared and have the ingredients on hand. I don’t have to try to figure out how to pick up the ingredients I’m missing and still make it home in time to have dinner on the table by 6p (Jake’s dinner time).
I realize many of you feel the same way, which is why I’m hopefully starting a new series on this blog. I’ve tried in the past to post menus and failed miserably, so take that as your warning.
Jake eats most anything we eat aside from fish, shellfish, and nuts of any kind (though I did slip and give him some peanuts with my Thai food the other day. Whoops!). Some of the dishes are spicy (like the Cajun Chicken Alfredo and the Spicy Chicken Tortilla Rollups). I figure I’ll just make a couple without the spice or he will have leftovers that day. In any case, this may help lots of you moms out there!
I also plan to lighten up some of the more calorie dense meals to make them more Weight Loss Goal friendly. Stay tuned for more on that later.
Here’s the key to reading the calendar. The light green recipes are from my Pinterest account. The light blue ones are either from my blog or from my personal collection of recipes. Here are the links to the recipes you can find online:
Burgers
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Chicken Cassoulet
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Taco Chili
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Cream Cheese Chicken
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Forgotten Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Meatloaf
Mexican Lasagna
Mini Corn Dog Muffins
Mushrooms Pizza Bites
Pad Thai
Pizza Casserole
Pork Chops au Poivre
Proscuitto Panini
Quick Coq au Vin
Spaghetti with Chicken and Thai Peanut Sauce
Spicy Chicken Tortilla Rollups
TJ (Trader Joe)’s Chicken Satay with Coconut Rice
Ultimate Chicken Fingers
You probably notice there isn’t any room for leftovers. Most of the time, we either eat the leftovers for lunches, or I try to make a single night’s portion instead of a whole family’s worth. The food gets eaten, don’t you worry.
I hope you guys enjoy this post! If this is something you enjoy seeing, please let me know by leaving me a comment on my blog. You can also show your support by liking my Facebook page! I’d love to hear from you!
One Girl's Taste On Life 
I laughed so hard at your husbands responses for dinner ideas because my Bacon Slayer responds with *exactly the same* two comments. Every. Single. Time. Men! 😉
Seriously! I have a one year old and the other weekend my husband asked me what we should feed him for every single meal! Finally I blew up and said he had to come up with something because I was out of ideas. Of course I took over because my son would have ended up having a lunch of animal crackers and cheese. Geez…
Ha! We’ve had many of those discussions. I’ve finally made peace with the fact that when Daddy is in charge of meals, the boys will live on cereal or grilled cheese, and everything will be just fine. 😉
I have been thinking lately about menu planning for the whole month as well. So, I love this post! Keep them coming.
I find that some weeks I do really well, and some I don’t. But your right, it’s not the cooking that’s the hard part.
I just dedicate one morning to menu planning. I know it will take an hour or two and I will have to spend some QT with my computer. I grab a cup of coffee, turn off all distractions, and just get it done. Before I know it, my menu is made and my list is written. I’m just about to head to the gym and then the store to buy Week 1’s ingredients. 🙂
I love it when you do this!!!! Gives me some ideas as well. I tried to forgotten chicken this weekend and had it today for lunch!
Was it good? I’m guessing yes!
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 28, 2013, at 6:01 PM, “One Girl’s Taste On Life”