M is for Meals

...'cause with a family of 10 we NEED to plan those ahead of time.  I've tried a few different menu plans including a rotating calendar.  Most things worked short term, none worked long term.  What I found that works the best for me is to have many complete meals (including the sides) on a spreadsheet.  I have 6-8 weeks worth of different meal ideas that look something like this.


Wild Rice Hotdish           
Salad                                
Green Beans                     
Apples                             
Homemade Bread

Stir Fry
Pasta or Rice
Pineapple
Toast

Tarragon Chicken
Pasta
Salad
Applesauce
Biscuits

Greek Fish
Greek Salad
Mac-n-cheese*
Fruit
Bread
                                                   

When I make my menu for the week I take into consideration

1. What we have in the freezer and pantry already (I'd rather scrub toilets than grocery shop :) )
2. Do I need a crockpot meal for a busy day?
3. Are there any nights I'll be cooking without the benefit of my older children being home?  If so, I want something fairly simple/quick to make.
4. Are there any nights the kids will be cooking?  (I need to get back to my kids each cooking a day with me.  I'll start assigning people again this summer but for now I just pick someone(s) available and have them help me.)

Then I just look at all my options and copy and paste (the sides are easily replaceable, but by having them listed I save myself the hassle of having to figure that out too).

*Greek Fish and Mac-n-cheese???????  While I refuse to be a short order cook, I do realize that there are some meals that the younger crew here are not too thrilled about.  I try to make sure there is something everyone will eat at each meal.   I would rather serve a weird meal of Greek Fish and mac-n-cheese (though my kids don't know it's weird :) ) than either force my children to eat something they find disgusting or allow them to think they can be so choosy that I will make something else for them on the spot.

I have, however, allowed PB&J in come circumstances.  Tonight I made Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and really didn't have time to add any sides.  My little one was a bit fussy and I preferred to let the other kids play with their cousins as long as they could.  I knew my 4 year old would NOT like it so I simply made him a sandwich and put it on his plate.  Peace. 

Until he dumped his cup of milk over his shoulder (and all over his hair, clothes, chair, and floor) - so much for peace ;)  Not sure why he did this, but he was truly surprised to find that his cup was full of milk.