Tuesday Menu Ideas: Rule Number Two

I have another rule for you today:

PLAN YOUR MEALS FOR THE WEEK!

Seriously, take fifteen minutes one night this week. Look in your freezer. What kind of meat do you have? Frozen veggies? Tater tots or fries?

Look in the fridge. Do you have shredded cheese, milk, eggs and butter?

Next head to your pantry. Canned veggies? Fruits? Rice? Noodles? Sauce? Pizza crusts or tortillas?

Now, write the days of the week on a piece of paper. Nothing fancy. Just write. Even an envelope will do for now.

Monday: Spaghetti. You have ground beef and noodles. But you need parmesan and sauce - write them on your list. 

Tuesday: Tacos. You have ground beef, lettuce, onion and cheese. You need tomato, sour cream, taco sauce and whatever else ya'all like on your tacos. 

Wednesday: You have church tonight. So Crockpot it is. Chili? Roast with veggies? Soup? What ingredients do you need for what you pick?

(Are you starting to get the idea?)

Thursday: You have chicken and frozen broccoli. You need fettuccine, parmesan and garlic bread.

Friday: Pizza night. But some ready made crusts. Pizza sauce (or use pasta sauce), cheese, and your favorite toppings.

Do you have cereal for breakfast? Meat and bread for lunches? Or make enough each night for everyone to have leftovers in a thermos.

The point is, if you sit down and PLAN, and then make a list, you will be able to go to the grocery store with confidence. You will know what meat to get out to thaw the night before. You won't be missing any ingredients and you certainly will not be ordering pizza or driving through Mac and Don's supper club again.

This is what I did this morning:

Meatballs! I ground up some of my homemade bread to make the breadcrumbs. These things taste so amazing!

Thatsa lotta meatballs!

You can make them as big as you want, but make sure they are all about the same size so they bake evenly.

I substituted French Onion soup mix because it was what I had on hand. If you haven't been to The Oak Tree in Plainfield you are missing out! Renee had every spice and mix imaginable. Organic and gluten free choices, too.

Head over to The Holy Mess for the recipe!


Sara has an awesome recipe for mixing up ground beef to prepare several tasty options. I made all meatballs with mine and will freeze them. Then I can use them in spaghetti, subs, barbecued or to take to a needy family. Seriously, it took me less than five minutes to mix and form the meatballs. Then twenty minutes to bake each batch.

You'll find all sorts of awesome and inspiring goodness on her blog. She brings sanity to my crazy-mixed-up life.

Any questions? Need any meal ideas? Recipes? Help planning a shopping list? Or a buddy to take you to Aldi's for the first time? Leave a comment or email me at kennedy993@yahoo.com

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