I like to cook and bake, but the middle of a homeschooling day is not the time for elaborate, time consuming, gourmet cooking. I have tried a LOT of different menus for breakfast and lunch over the years. My favorite is a 2 week menu with a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack planned. Every 6 months or so, I change out a few things for variety's sake. The lunches are chosen with our dc's preferences in mind, as well as they are all things my dc can make themselves. The dinners are chosen with my dh's and my preferences in mind, and we hope our dc expand their horizons and learn to like some new things this way. I jot a few dessert ideas on the bottom of the menu in the blank bottom margin. I make these whenever I have time. Many times our dc's dessert during the day is 2 dark chocolate squares, as dark chocolate is quite healthy and easy to have on hand. Low fat frozen yogurt with pecans, with bananas, with peaches, and/or with dark chocolate crumbled on top is also a dessert we have often that is quite healthy and requires little prep.
When I make the menu, I add anything to the grocery list we need for the breakfast/lunch/snack menus. I use a pencil to jot in the dinner menu. I usually make 3 big dinners a week, with the other days being leftovers from those meals, and Sunday night being something very simple, like cereal or sandwiches.
I usually do our grocery shopping on Thursday afternoons, so I put salads and fresh fruit on the menu for supper sides for the weekends or Mondays usually. HTH someone else with menu planning!
In Christ,
Julie
I like this plan! I've been trying to plan our meals better to save money and running. Maybe I made it too complicated or something, but this plan looks quite simple!
ReplyDeleteGreat! I like this plan, but of course our meals for breakfast and lunch are really different. I do add in frozen veggies sometimes for lunch because they cook in 10-15m. I find my kids eat it better at lunch than dinner. I use a form off moneysavingmom.com that has check off boxes. That way I don't feel boxed in for each day but can quickly pick what will work. We are corn/dairy free so our food choices are very different.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy! I have had a lot of complicated plans throughout the years too, but they rarely worked as planned. This is simple enough it does!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy! I do think it's important to consider your family's preferences when planning, and it sounds like you have some good ideas for your family!
I like your plan! I hadn't thought about planning out breakfast and snacks. That would help us out a lot! You have a good variety of breakfast choices. I was wondering what a fruit and oatmeal shake is? It sounds yummy! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe do love those shakes! If you click on "March" in the Blog Archive, there is a post called "All Recipes: Shakin' Up Breakfast". I posted the shake recipe there. We are still enjoying these shakes 2 times a week! HTH!
ReplyDeleteIn Christ,
Julie