Do you plan a weekly or daily menu for your family?

@Bebs08 (10681)
United States
June 14, 2010 2:47pm CST
I would love to do that. In fact I've done that for few months but now? I am lazy of making daily or weekly menu. whatever comes to my mind that's what I cook. I just see what available ingredients I have then go.. whatever I can make out of it, that's it. What about you? do you have any plan of what you feed to your family in a daily basis?
17 responses
• United States
14 Jun 10
WHEN I had kids I did this. We went through the grocery adds then they each got a day to choose what they wanted to eat and that was the menu for that day. My husband was a truck driver and gone during the week so it was just me and the kids. We would go shopping together, I would take just one and it was OUR DAY to do things that included eating out. I did this when they were in elementary school, but then they started chooseing foods that their sibilings didn't like, I just called a halt to it. So if you want to try this put some rules down, of course it has to be nutritious (can't have cookies and cake all day!!) It's ok to have our favorite foods, but not to keep choosing what someone else doesn't like.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Jun 10
My husband NEVER complains about what I cook. He NEVER compliments me or critizies. I have to ASK to know. Did you like this?....A. It's ok (that translates to I hope you never make it again) What do you want for supper?....A. I don't care (I don't know how to fix that) Did you like this?....A. "Ive had better" (translates to NO I don't like it!) Did you like this?....A. "yeah, its pretty good" (translates to you can make this again!) Do you want this for supper?.....A. "I told you I don't care" (translates into No I don't want it!") Do you want this for supper?....A. "I want something!" (translates to I am hungry!) Stands in door of refrigerator....What are you looking for?...A. I don't know (translates into I am hungry but I don't know what I want, what are you making?) Stands in door of refrigerator..."what are you making for supper?"...translates into HE's starved and wants food NOW!!!! Ok, there are my menu choices! What would you like for supper????
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
22 Jun 10
hahaha!!! that's good interpretation!! my hubby answers like that sometimes but I never thought of this idea.. hehehe
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
That is also a good idea to let the members of the family choose what they want to eat. Bu like me and hubby, only the two of us most of the time, I am the only one who sill decide what to cook. My hubby will just eat what I prepare but there are times that he will complain that my recipe keeps on repeating.. heeheh
• United States
16 Jun 10
Nah I'm too lazy! I only plan thigns if it's something I don't make often and don't often keep the ingredients on hand. But I go also by whats in the sales flyer for anything interesting.... and then just buy the old standbys for say spaghetti as needed.
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Well, that is also good. When you are convenient of whatever your style preparing meal for the family, as long as it is good to eat, that's fine.
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
16 Jun 10
I wished I could be that organized and have a daily menu plan for the week, but I'm not that organized, and most of the time I don't have any idea what I'm going to cook. Like you, I just go in the kitchen and see what I have and try to make something out of that. I just run out of ideas, I get tired of cooking the same things over and over.
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
hehehe pretty much the same with me.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
15 Jun 10
I usually don't plan meals weekly. I inly seem to plan meals fo special occasions or holidays. otherwise, I just go from day to day planning. I never know what I may suddenly have a craving for. Bon appetit!
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Well, I have a collection of recipes, fro people I know who have good recipes. I ask from them.. but to organize of what you cook for the day? it takes times.
• India
15 Jun 10
good... what u have done is correct for your family, i think there is nothing important than our health..... if you fell lazy than you have to put much money to hospitals and medicines so... do continue it and have a good health..... i am also trying to do that
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
That's right!!
• United States
15 Jun 10
nope we take it day by day!!! Its better this way!!! You wont get bored of the foods your eating everyday because you never know what you are going to be eating !!! My husbnd personaliy loves my suprise dinners!!! He says its like a party everynight!!!
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
That's good!! Daily menu is better.
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
14 Jun 10
I sit down and work out a weekly menu on Saturdays each week. I figure out what I am going to make for each day of the week and make a grocery list out of it so my hubby and I can go get what I will need for the week. I am not good at just pulling together a meal out of whatever I have in my cupboards. I have to have a plan or nothing goes right. ;)
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Oh!! I like that idea. I want to do what you did.. because I am the one who just look at the cupboard and visualize what I can make out of what is in there.
@se7enthbird (8307)
• Philippines
15 Jun 10
my wife is the one who cooks and who plans, and i know that is a tough job to do. it also depends on the budget at hand. so sometimes to give her a break we eat out. she enjoys that very much. i have to say too that my wife is a good cook and that we appreciate the food she brings on the table. our son is four years old and enjoys her cooking as well.
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Oh good!! I wish my hubby is like that too.. hahah giving me a break and eat out.. but he seldom do that unless we are on a trip. It is because he is a vegetarian and it is hard to find all vegetarian menus anywhere. You have to go to a vegetarian restaurant which is not common where we are.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
14 Jun 10
I plan a weekly menu so I know what ingredients to buy at the store. We don't have the extra cash to go back to the store everyday in order to make something I don't have the ingredients for. I don't exactly say I'm going to make this on Tuesday and this on Wednesday.... I just plan out 7 meals then make them when I feel like it.
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
14 Jun 10
That's what most home maker said. That's right!! you don't need to be specific of what you will cook for that day at least you have the idea of what you should or can make for that day.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
15 Jun 10
Hi Bebs~ I do much the same as you do lately. The only difference is it is just my boyfriend and me. It had started getting very hot and humid here so I had stopped wanting to cook or eat anything hot and now it cooled off for a few days and back again to being warmer! So some nights I do much like you do! I take out whatever I can from the freezer and decide what I'm going to make when I'm ready! I'm pretty good at whipping up a fast meal out of whatever is around! It's kind of fun to see what I come up with an my bf is usually happy too!
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
You are right!! that's what I'm doing all the time. I call it experimental menu. hahah But am glad that most of the times it turn out good.
• China
15 Jun 10
I often make the next day's cooking plan when I go back home every day ,because I will walk through the grocery ,buying the ingredients by the way .but if I plan a fish/prawn or red meat diet ,I must prepare them in advance .After all this kind of food need my careful choose in market .
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
so, every time you will cook, you go to the grocery to buy your ingredients?
@chanlot (189)
• Indonesia
15 Jun 10
I do not have time to plan a menu that will I eat, because many other things that I think.I am the type who does not fuss of cooking,I'll eat food that is in front of me if I'm hungry. But for those of you who have time to plan a meal menu would probably be better than an unplanned, so you can create a special menu for the family, especially for housewives.
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Good advice.
@wiggles18 (2506)
• Canada
14 Jun 10
I try to never plan what I am going to eat, because after awhile it gets boring, and some days you don't feel like eating what you had planned to cook. I do plan it when I get up in the morning though, usually taking some meat out of the freezer to thaw out.
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
14 Jun 10
they said that when you plan your meal, you can save because you will know what ingredients you are going to buy and hoe much. That's what am going to experiment.
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
14 Jun 10
I do it from time to time, but not on a regular basis, because I run out of ideas. I think it is a great idea though, since it makes shopping so much easier, and you don't have to worry about what you should make every single day. I do it very well for a few weeks, but then I just stop, without any good reason really, just because I don't have the time for the planning I guess...
1 person likes this
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
18 Jun 10
I have all the time for planning if I really want to plan but I guess I am just lazy to do that. Bu I will try this year.
@neildc (17239)
• Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
23 Jun 10
this is something that i hate to do, planning for the table. it does not mean that i hate to feed them, it's just that i hate thinking a lot of food ahead of time.
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
13 Aug 10
Hi, I do cooking everyday and I always plan my cooking menu one day in advance. At night before goes to bed, I will open up the fridge and see what leftover vegetable I have inside the fridge and after think of the dishes I am going to cook tomorrow, I will check whether I have all the ingredients needed at home or not,so that I can buy them tomorrow if I short off some ingredients. I went for grocery shopping at least twice a week, I prefer to go to nearby supermarket to buy fresh vegetables and chicken. For fresh fishes, I will go to wet market once a week.
@loniu7 (149)
• United States
22 Jun 10
I buy certain staples of things. For example, Chicken, ground beef etc. But i usually plan during the day what i am going to make for dinner. It depends on how hungry everyone is, if they are sick etc. I wish i could make a weeks worth of food and just freeze it, but i have two picky little boys and usually depends on their mood :)Husband, he eats anything ;)