Easy Meal Planning Wednesday Night is Garbage Night

 


It's Wednesday Night, and we are eating a smorgasbord of Pot Roast, Chili, Egg Salad, Spaghetti, Apple Crisp, and some veggies.

It's Garbage Night!

Every Wednesday we clean out the refrigerator to get rid of anything that might be getting smelly and get it out to the trash cans for morning pickup. That also means we try to eat up whatever food will likely end up in next week's garbage bin if we don't.

My meal plan is simple and frugal. We eat the same thing every night of the week, sort of.

Monday - Stir Fry - rice goes in the rice cooker at lunch and I toss some meat and frozen veggies in the Wok so we can all eat before we head out to American Heritage Girls and Trail Life.

Tuesday- Tacos, if course - but that really means any pseudo Spanish/Mexican dish. If I am feeling ambitious, enchiladas, and when I'm not, we eat beans and rice.

Wednesday - Soup/Casserole - Leftover casserole usually, but sometimes when we we have a variety of leftovers, I make a Garbage Night Buffet. This works well on a night that my son has Catechism class at 430 so needs to eat by 4, and his dad has to be at church most of the afternoon and evening so he can pop in and warm something up when he gets a chance.

Thursday - Spaghetti - any pasta dish will do, lasagna when I have time and inclination, spaghetti with jarred sauce when I have none.

Friday - Pizza - Homemade on rare occasions when the ingredients are plentiful and cheap, frozen if we have to, usually carry-out from a local place we like

Saturday - Sandwiches - could be grilled cheese, or hotdogs and hamburgers, or pb&j now and then if we've had a really busy day.

Sunday - Popcorn (in the livingroom with a movie)

For breakfast, we keep oatmeal, bagels and cream cheese, yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs ready to eat.

Lunches are sometimes leftovers, but usually sandwiches the kids make for themselves.

I keep a tray of little things, fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, nuts, cheese, etc filled on the counter in the kitchen for in between meal snacking. This helps plan portions as no one shows up to dinner starving, even the growing boys get their fill and I can monitor the tray through the day to make sure it stays full of healthy snacks. This also keeps the kids from standing in front of the refrigerator, with the door open, trying to decide if they are hungry or bored.

This tray is also a great way to keep leftovers moving out of the refrigerator throughout the week. If I can make it into a finger food, or turn it into a veggie dip, it goes on the tray.

Having a simple system like this allows me to streamline my shopping because I am never searching for recipe ingredients and I know what I need to keep on hand for the meals we like to make. This saves me time and money.

This system also relieves a stressor for me. I don't especially enjoy cooking. Trying to come up with meals everyone likes is frustrating. This simple plan gives me a strategy while still leaving room for creativity. For example, if it's Thursday, I know I am making pasta but there are many varieties of sauces I can make to go with it depending on how much time and ambition I have.

I am always looking for ways to save money and make home life more enjoyable. Check back for more ideas.

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