Menu Planning

I am so happy to be back to my blog today!  I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Saturday.  Typing has been a bit difficult lately because I have a pinched nerve in my neck and typing seems to aggravate it.  But today, I'm soldiering through because I just wanted to be here and share!

I was reading an article this morning about how much money menu planning can save a family, and after spending $140 at the grocery store this morning, I thought it might be nice if I shared my weekly menu with everyone out there - every little bit helps!  My budget is a bit higher because I also feed 6 children in my home daycare, in addition to my family of 4, which includes my adult daughter and teenaged son.  We also eat mostly organic, little processed foods which drives our costs up.  I am also a vegetarian so some changes are made for my meals in addition to the family's meals.

So, my weekly menu is this...

Saturday:
Breakfast: Turkey Bacon and Egg Biscuit sandwiches
Lunch: Chicken soft tacos
Dinner: Pizza, Salad

Sunday:
Breakfast : Cream of Wheat pancakes (one of our favorites!), Sausage
Lunch: Cheeseburger stromboli
Dinner: Leftovers/Sandwiches

Monday:
Breakfast: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Lunch: PB&J;, Sweet Potato Fries, Peach slices
Dinner: Veggie Lasagna

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Cereal Bar,  Banana
Lunch: French Toast, Apple Fries w/PB dip, Shredded Carrot salad
Dinner: Mac & Cheese, Stewed Tomatoes

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast, Baked Apples
Lunch: Mac & Cheese, Fruit Cocktail, Peas & Carrots
Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas, Black Bean & Corn Salad

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cheerios, Smoothie
Lunch: Pizza, Corn, Tossed Salad
Dinner: BBQ Turkey Cutlets, Smashed Potatoes, Veggie mix

Friday:
Breakfast: Waffle, Cherries on top with whipped cream
Lunch: Turkey sandwich, French Fries, Corn
Dinner: Burritos (take out for the family because I'm headed to the beach with some friends!)

So, there's my weekly menu.  Some things to note - I make all of my own bread, pizza crusts, rolls, biscuits, etc.  I also canned most of the fruit that we eat or it's fresh.  Fruit cocktail is the lone exception.  All of these meals are easy prep meals - especially the lunch and breakfasts because I am on call the entire time I'm cooking,  When possible, I plan our dinner menu to prep something for the daycare's lunch the next day.  I also try to prep some things in the evening for the next day. 

I hope this gives all of you some ideas for making a menu for your house.  I am happy to share these recipes as time permits.  I usually search for recipes and tweak them to my own house's preferences.