The best thing about menu planning? Having direction through the week. The second best thing? Flexibility!
Last week after planning our menu on Sunday, I ran to the grocery store on Monday, hitting the marked-down produce jackpot. Bell peppers, fresh mushrooms, bananas… all deeply discounted. I froze most of the bananas for smoothies, but the bell peppers and mushrooms needed to be used up pronto.
Enter… homemade pizza into the menu! Other than my pizza sauce fail, it was delicious, and I’m able to save a standby pantry meal for another day. Don’t let menu planning scare you off! It doesn’t have to be a vice; use it as a tool for flexibility in your kitchen.
Our plan this week has already been derailed a bit since I first wrote it on the calendar. Hubby and I are sick. Nasty head cold, aches and chills sick. I’m usually done with soups and such when spring hits, but nothing sounds better to me right now than a big bowl of homemade chicken noodles!
Here’s the new plan… peppered with a little flexibility.
- Monday – homemade chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes, peas
- Tuesday – sandwiches, fruit, snacks (to eat at the track meet)
- Wednesday – loaded tostadas
- Thursday – chicken pot pie (ditched last week in favor of pizza)
- Friday – pan burritos topped with lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream
Do you build your menu plan around flexibility? I’d go crazy if I didn’t!
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Over our spring break week, my husband and kids all came down with a horrible cold. It was 83 degrees outside, but we had chicken noodle soup for dinner. They were very grateful. Hope you feel better soon.
I try to plan easier meals when I am busy and to the weather (i.e. no oven when it is 80 degrees, etc.). My leftover days and empty weekends allows for flexibilty. That way, I move things around as other things come up:-)
Love that. Flexibility is the secret ingredient, isn’t it?
Happy Monday! Your menu sounds delish!
I love flexibility. At our house, the menu plan is the minimum criteria- at the very least this will make sure SOMETHING is for dinner. If it doesn’t happen, that’s okay.
I think that initially my husband initially was intimidated by my menu plans– feeling like our live was overscheduled for a month down to the vegetable side we were to eat. Flexibility though, is not gone. If a great opportunity presents itself, we are welcome to eat that meal instead. Or, if we forget to thaw meat, or an activity runs way over then we are welcome to sub in a quicker meal that is for later in the week.
Ugh! Sorry to hear y’all are sick. Praying y’all feel better soon.
Have a great week!
Sherry
FYI- you can freeze green peppers too! They won’t be good to eat raw after being frozen, but they are great to use in sauces and on pizza. I chop them first and freeze them in little containers.
Me, too! I lay them out in a pan until frozen, then put them in the containers. We still prefer fresh for fajitas and pizza, though.
I found this pizza crust recipe and gave it a try:
http://suzannemcminn.com/forum/just-recipes/best-pizza/
It’s so easy…I double the recipe to make 4 crusts. I mix it all in my dutch oven, it takes no time at all and the crusts freeze great. Then, whenever I want pizza I just reach in the freezer and grab a couple crusts. My family loves this recipe the best of all I’ve tried.
My kids are sharing a cold, but my husband and I are still okay. I hope we miss it, and I hope you guys feel better very soon. Before that track meet, in fact.
I always freeze bell peppers. My husband and kids don’t like them enough to ever use a whole one in a single recipe, so I chop the rest, freeze lying flat, and then keep in a tupperware container in the freezer. I just used some this morning in a crock pot chili recipe. I have found that they still have great flavor.
I freeze my green ones to use year ’round, but we really prefer fresh for fajitas and pizza.