Our Menu Planning System – Tweaked!

Remember when I blogged about our brand new, yet-to-be-implemented, menu planning idea? After a month and a half, I’ve found it to be a super-effective, time-saving, money-saving, sanity-saving method – after a few minor adjustments.

What wasn’t working:

1. A month’s worth of on-hand food and planning is just too much for a family my size.
2. Having specific days designated for each meal required too much altering of the plans. Suppose we really are in the mood for tacos on Tuesday, but I’d already planned for oven-barbequed chicken that night. Or suppose we have a lot of leftovers and I change my mind about the chicken. Plans change a lot, and while it’s no biggie, it does require a lot of editing and re-writing on my menu list.

How we tweaked the process:

1. I do not attempt to do a month’s worth of planning. Two weeks, however, is very doable.
2. When doing my meal planning, I visit my handy-dandy blog page that outlines the themes and meal options.
3. I choose two items from each theme to go on my list, but I do not designate specific days  that I will prepare them. In other words, I don’t write them down as “Monday: Soup or Main Dish Salad, Tuesday: Chicken, Wednesday: Mexican or Casserole…” Instead, I’ll choose two chicken dishes, two Mexican or casserole dishes, two soup or salad dishes, etc.
4. I look closely at each recipe and add the ingredients to my grocery list.
5. I take inventory of what I already have on-hand and scratch those items off the list.
6. I go shopping for everything on the grocery list.
7. I write the meal options on the “Menu Notes” section of my memo board.
8. As I prepare each meal, I erase it from my memo board.
9. When I get down to 1-3 meals, I repeat the process.

What I love:

1. Having regular themes to give me direction in what to prepare.
2. Having a master list of meal ideas to provide specific options to choose from.
3. Having a central place, right here on my blog, to go for recipes when I do my menu planning.
4. Balance in preparing a variety of foods, instead of falling back on the same old meals every week.
5. Always having ingredients on-hand to make anything on my menu list.
6. Simplicity and efficiency. I spent 15-20 minutes making my menu plan and grocery list over the weekend, another 15-20 minutes today taking inventory and deleting items from my grocery list (I might add that I also cleaned out my fridge and spice cabinet in the process, so the actual inventory time was probably not that long), and went to SAMS Club tonight for at least two weeks worth of meals. Can’t get much easier than that!

So how about you?
Have you tried this? How did you like it?
Have you done something similar? How have you tweaked it?
Are you planning to give it a try?
Leave me a comment and let me know!
I’m sure many people can gain ideas from your feedback!

Related Post: Meal Planning Revisited

 

Non-Toxic, Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Back in May, I posted a dishwasher detergent recipe that I tried after completely running out of Cascade. Initially, the recipe worked very well, so I decided to continue using it. Unfortunately, the great results only lasted for about a week. After that, a slight white coating began to develop on my dishes, so I discontinued using it. The idea of making my own dishwasher soap didn’t end there, though. Recognizing the potential cost savings, I kept the idea in the back of my mind. Additionally, having become aware of the toxicity of Borax, and disliking the use of bleach that is so commonly used in commercial detergents, I wondered if I might be able to find a recipe with non-toxic ingredients. I found what I was looking for at Passionate Homemaking.

The recipe worked beautifully. I considered sharing it here on the blog right away, but decided to wait a while to see if the beautiful results continued, or if it would prove to disappoint as the other recipe had. I am happy to report that after about two weeks of usage, my dishes are still coming out sparkly. I love the fact that there is no chemical, bleachy odor emitting from the dishwasher or my dishes… just the smell of totally clean dishes. I can safely share the recipe without any reservations.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

• 1 cup Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 6 drops tea tree oil
• 1 1/2 cup white vinegar

Combine all ingredients. Use 1 Tablespoon of mixture per load.

A few notes:

• An old mason jar (pickle jars, jam jars, etc.) is an excellent place to keep the detergent.
• Store a measuring tablespoon right in the jar with the mixture.
• Use a Sharpie marker to write the recipe directly on the jar, so that it will be handy when you need to make it again.
• As given on Passionate Homemaking, the recipe would use only 1 cup of vinegar. I changed the amount because I found that the water in my home required a lower ratio of Sal Suds and a higher need for a rinsing agent. The extra vinegar worked much better for me. Experiment with the amounts of Sal Suds, water and vinegar to find the ratio that works best with the hardness of your water.
• While I love all of Dr. Bronner’s castille soaps and use them for most of  my household cleaning and personal care, Sal Suds is really the key product here. His other castille soaps will not do the job sufficiently.
• Remember, it is a natural product and not as abrasive as bleach and other chemicals that go into store-bought detergents. A good rinse of the dishes, and maybe even a little scrub, is essential prior to loading the machine. It is a small amount of work which I feel is worth the cost savings and the peace of mind to know that I’m not exposing my family to toxic chemicals.
• The purpose of the tea tree oil is to give a nice aroma to the detergent. It does not add to the cleaning ability of the recipe, so it can be omitted.
• Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking estimates the cost of detergent to be 5-6 cents per load. I haven’t done the math myself, but I trust her!

 

Meal Planning Revisited

Update: If the following idea interests you, be sure to check out this post, which explains how we have tweaked this system, making it more functional for our family!

About a year ago, I wrote on the subject of menu planning. I have actually gotten out of the habit of carefully planning out my menus, and we’ve been feeling the effects in our budget and nutritional intake, as well as our need to make a lot of extra trips to the grocery store. I have resolved to get back on track, not only with planning, but with being more creative in the meals that I prepare. One thing I know about myself is that while I can cook all day with no problem, I am in dire need of direction: someone or something to tell me just what to prepare from day to day. Otherwise, I am a very boring cook.

Recently, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Passionate Homemaking, and came across an article that lays out an intriguing idea for simplifying menu planning. The idea is to do a meal plan once a month, but to have a regular dinner theme for each day of the week. For example, Mondays could be main-dish-salad night, Tuesdays fish, Wednesdays chicken, Thursdays soup, Fridays Mexican/Italian, etc. At the beginning of the month, you’d come up with 3 or 4 meal ideas for each theme. You would then do the grocery shopping for all of the meat and pantry items for the entire month, shopping for the perishables every week or two. This way, you always have guidance on what to cook (which I need) and balance in eating a variety of foods, but flexibility to work with what is on-hand and what you are in the mood to eat.

I was inspired by this idea and have resolved to give it a try. I wrote up a “master list” of sorts, which has our theme plan laid out, as well as a number of meal ideas for each theme. Some of the meals are things that I just cook and don’t use a recipe for, some are recipes from a few favorite cookbooks, but most are from allrecipes.com. I searched at allrecipes for dishes that fit the themes, looked at the ones with the best ratings, and then tried to choose the recipes that seemed to have the easiest and quickest preparation – I’m lazy like that! I’m sure I have forgotten to include some favorite meals, but my brain is a bit fried at the moment. I’ll add those other meals in as I think of them.

Presently, I am light on energy and shopping time (VBS this week, starting school next week, and barely at home all weekend), so I am not planning to write a big monthly plan quite yet, but I am going to use this list to give me some direction for next week’s meals. I thought I would share the list here for anyone else that might benefit from it.  So here you go:

Menu Planning

• Monday: Soup or Main Dish Salad
• Tuesday: Chicken
• Wednesday: Mexican or Casserole
• Thursday: Chinese, Fish or Beef
• Friday: This is the night that we usually have our small group over, and each family takes turns bringing the meal. On nights when small group doesn’t meet, it will be Easy Favorites Night (Pizza or Burgers)
• Saturday: Italian & Dessert Night
• Sunday: Leftovers or Favorites Night

Soups

• Black Bean

• French Onion

• Broccoli

• Potato

• Wedding

• Chicken Noodle

• Beef Vegetable

• Beef Stew

• Taco Soup

• Chili

• Chicken Tortilla

• Chicken Dumpling

Main-Dish Salads

• Chicken Caesar

• Taco Salad

• Southwest Chicken Salad

• Mexican Bean & Rice Salad

• BBQ Chicken Salad

Chicken

• Chicken Parmesan

• Chicken Enchiladas

• Barbeque Chicken

• Grilled Chicken

• Chicken Kabobs

• Chicken Cordon Bleu

• Parmesan Chicken

• Super Simple Chicken (Butter, Basil, Garlic)

Chinese

• Orange Chicken

• Chicken Stir Fry

• Honey Chicken

• Garlic Chicken

• Asian Beef with Snow Peas

• Crispy Orange Beef

Fish

• Steamed Fish with Ginger

• Lemon Garlic Tilapia

• Almond-Topped Fish (cod, haddock, orange roughy)

• Lemon Orange Orange Roughy

Beef

• Slow Cooked Roast Beef

• Meatloaf topped with mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy

• Steaks

• Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

• Blue Cheese Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin

• Beef Burgundy

• Beef Stew

Mexican

• Chicken Quesadillas

• Chicken Chimichangas

• Easy Mexican Casserole

• Chicken Enchiladas

• Tacos

• Black Bean Burritos

• Chicken Tortilla Casserole

• Side – Mexican Rice

• Side – Black Beans

• Side – Corn

Casseroles

• Saucy Beef Casserole

• Chicken Rice Casserole

• Bean Burrito Casserole

• Cabbage Roll Casserole

• Chicken Pot Pie

• Beef Pot Pie

• Almond Chicken Casserole

• Keilbasa and Sauerkraut (Maybe not technically a casserole, but it’s a favorite that doesn’t quite fit in any of my themes!)

Italian

• Lasagna

• Stuffed Shells

• Fettuccini Alfredo

• Spaghetti

• Chicken Cacciatore

Sides

• Salad

• Steamed Veggie – any

• Rice

• Pasta

• Pierogies

• Bread

• Macaroni and Cheese

• Potatoes – Baked, Mashed or Scalloped (This is at the bottom of the list, because although Iron Man and I love potatoes, I rarely cook them because the kids detest them!)

Related Post: Our Menu Planning System – Tweaked!

If this has been helpful to you at all, please leave a comment to let me know! I love hearing your feedback!

 

Macaroni and Cheese

Last week, we had lunch with a delightful new friend who made macaroni and cheese in a way that I’d never had it before. It could be my pregnancy appetite talking, but I thought it was the best I ever tasted! Two days later I was craving it so much, that I couldn’t resist making it myself. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350*
• Spread melted butter into a baking pan
• Pour elbow macaroni in pan
• Sprinkle all cheeses evenly over macaroni
• Pour milk over the mac and cheese
• Bake for 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and milk is absorbed into the macaroni
• Sprinkle salt and pepper

Delicious! We doubled the recipe (of course!) and with that amount, the baking time was a  bit longer. After 45 minutes, the recipe was still a bit runny. Ten extra minutes were all that we needed.

This would also be very good by adding tuna, green peppers, etc., although we haven’t tried that yet.

 

Cheeseburgers with a twist!

Next time you make cheeseburgers for dinner, try this…

1. Mix up whatever you typically put in your hamburger meat. In my case, I don’t measure anything. I toss in some bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic salt, minced onion, and maybe a little milk or ketchup.
2. When you form each patty, use only half the amount you normally use.
3. Shape the patties as wide as usual, but pressed very, very thin.
4. Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese (or your cheese of choice) on half of the patties.
5. Layer another thin patty over the cheese-covered patties.
6. Cook using whatever method you normally use to cook your hamburgers.

Now the cheese is inside the burger! Your children will think you are a genius.

Note: This isn’t one of those tips that will save you time. It actually requires a little more time and effort than a traditional cheeseburger. The reason for doing this is more for the “Wow!” factor. Truly, the kids thought it was awesome. Plus, if you prepare double or triple what you need, you can freeze the rest to defrost on a day that you’re too tired to do much food prep.

 

Iron Man’s Ranch Dip

Ranch Dip

This is Iron Man’s special recipe, and it is ever-so-delicious. My man knows his way around the kitchen, let me tell you. I often volunteer him to make this for parties and such. Not sure exactly how he feels about that, but everyone else is usually happy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packages cream cheese
• 1 packet (about 3 teaspoons) Ranch dressing mix
• 4 oz container of green chiles
• 1 can black beans
• 1 whole package frozen corn
• 1 small chopped red onion

DIRECTIONS

• Layer ingredients in order listed above
• Bake at 350* for 20 minutes
• Serve with tortilla chips

Thus concludes my series of favorite Mexican Recipes!

For now, anyways.

 

Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken Quesadillas
Serves 20

This recipe comes from All Recipes. I’ve made only two alterations. The original recipe calls for bacon bits and green bell peppers. We’re not fans of bacon, and we like these better with red bell peppers only. We’ve often made this to feed a crowd, and it’s always a hit. We serve it with rice and corn, and sometimes top it with salsa and sour cream.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
• 1 (1.27 ounce) packet fajita seasoning
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the broiler. Grease a baking sheet.
• Toss the chicken with the fajita seasoning, then spread onto the baking sheet.
• Place under the broiler and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the red bell peppers, onion, and chicken. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
• Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and vegetable mixture, then sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack.
• Fold the tortillas in half and place onto a baking sheet.
• Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 12

This is an altered version of a recipe from All Recipes. The only thing I changed is that we use store-bought chips instead of frying our own.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Crushed tortilla chips
• 15 cups water
• 15 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 (14 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup dried oregano
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 avocado – peeled, pitted and sliced

DIRECTIONS

• In a saucepan, cover chicken breasts with water and boil for 30 minutes, or until tender.
• Shred into small pieces; set aside.
• In a large stockpot, bring the water to a boil.
• Stir in the bouillon cubes and reduce heat to a simmer.
• In a blender, combine the can of tomatoes, onion and garlic. Blend on high until smooth.
• Pour the blended mixture into the stockpot.
• Stir in the coriander, cumin, black pepper, chili powder and oregano.
• Add carrots, celery and diced tomatoes with chilies.
• Cover pot and simmer for about 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in shredded chicken and cook 5 more minutes.
• Serve hot topped with tortilla chips, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices.

 

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup
Serves 4

I got this recipe from Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish, a book of recipes with extremely low fat and cholesterol. Healthy and yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (I often substitute chicken broth)
• 2 (15 oz) cans  oz black beans
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup diced peeled russet-type baking potato
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Tobasco sauce, or to taste
• Crushed tortillas (This is not in the Ornish recipe, but our family always adds them)

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine onion, garlic, and 1/4 cup broth in a large pot.
• Bring to a simmer, and simmer until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup broth, black beans with their juice, tomatoes, potatoes, thyme, and cumin.
• Bring to a simmer and cover, and adjust heat to maintain a simmer
• Cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
• If necessary, thin soup with a little more broth.
• Add Tobasco if desired.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve hot, topping each portion with some of the onion and herbs (and tortillas if desired), or pass the garnishes separately at the table.

 

Taco Soup

We love Mexican food. Love it, love it, love it. We’ve tried a lot of great Mexican recipes, but there are a select few that we keep coming back to. I’m going to do a series of posts containing my favorite five. Here is the first.

Taco Soup
Yields 4 cups

This recipe was given to me just this week by my sister in law, and I’ve only made it once so far. It was a hit with everyone though, so it made the list. I actually quadrupled it for my crew. We never make anything on a small scale!

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound lean ground beef
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I substituted black beans because we always have them on hand)
• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
• 1 can (8 ¾ ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 T taco seasoning
• 4 ½ t ranch salad dressing mix 
• ½ medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
• Cheddar cheese
• Fresh Cilantro
• Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

• In a large saucepan cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in the beans, tomatoes, corn, water, taco seasoning and salad dressing mix.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.
• Spoon into bowls; top with avacodo, cheese and cilantro. Serve with chips.