Menu Planning

How do you plan your meals each week?  

I am very curious about this.  I recently learned that many grownups sit down every Sunday and plan out every single meal for the week to come.  And then they do all of their shopping for the week on Monday (or Sunday evening) with all of their recipes in mind.  

Ok, either you're saying to yourself come on, Rachel, really?  You haven't figured this out yet? 

Or, you're saying wow, that seems a little soccer-mom crazy if you ask me.  

Anyway, I have become curious about this recently because with Tyler in the final stretch sprint of his dissertation writing, I am going to try to be the head household chef these days.  In the past we have tried to split it up a bit; and with both of our heads kind of thinking about it each day, we always have managed to put interesting things on the table at dinnertime.   

It's not that I don't like cooking, because I very much do--  It's just that I don't like having to think about it every day.  We've been in this rut lately where Violet and I have something going on in the morning, then we come home for lunch, then she takes a nap, and then it's around 3pm and I realize that I should probably think about dinner.  So I brainstorm some recipes, and then we go to the store.  By the time we get home, and I start cooking, it's that horrible 5pm time (all of you mommies know what I mean by horrible), and dinner becomes this awful frantic activity that always takes way longer than I thought it would; and Violet who is getting hungrier and hungrier, ends up eating nearly an entire block of cheese and two apples while she plays with markers.  Then when it's time for dinner, she's not hungry anymore, and I'm so tired of the whole mess, all I really want is to drink a glass of wine and move on to dessert.  

SO, in short, I have decide that I am going to try this new crazy thing, where Tyler and I sit down (as others do), every Sunday, and plan out the week's dinners.  Then, Monday morning I will go to the store and buy everything I will need for the week so that I can make things ahead, and sit and do puzzles with Violet at the horrible hour and drink my glass of wine happily and peacefully while dinner simply warms on the stove.  

Here is what we're having this week 

(note that there are only 5 meals planned; Saturday we often go out to some cheap-eats, and then Sunday is often leftover night.)  

Monday

Black Pepper Tofu with Green Beans 

Rice

Steamed veggies with Miso dipping sauce 

Greek Yogurt 

Tuesday 

Clam Chowder 

Dilly Bread 

Asparagus 

Greek Yogurt 

Wednesday 

Chutney Chicken 

Rice 

Broccoli 

Greek Yogurt 

Thursday 

Veggie-Egg Casserole 

Roasted potatoes 

Asparagus 

Greek Yogurt 

Friday 

Aloo Tiki 

Chana Masala 

Rice 

Naan 

Broccoli

Saturday