Menu Plan Monday ~ Jan 2/12

43 Comments

Happy New Year!  Welcome to the home of Menu Plan Monday, your menu planning headquarters!

The start of a brand new year has many people wanting to get organized and one of the very best ways to start this journey, in my opinion, is by menu planning.  The amount of head space and time it saves you is incredible.  The many benefits of menu planning have been a lifesaver for me and my family.  It’s definitely made for a much smoother running household that is for sure.  If you are new here, welcome.  Please feel free to browse the many different menu plans you see listed below, you’ll find a great variety of ideas and recipes to help you create your own menu.

I know there are so many stumbling blocks to menu planning and I definitely plan to address many of these issues over the next little while to try and help you through them.  It is also something that gets easier with practice.  So if you’ve never menu planned before and would like to start this week, you’ve come to the right place.  Start with a menu planner template and start plugging in recipes that you think your family will like and that will be appropriate for the time you have available.  I honestly think that this is where many people run into trouble sticking with their menu plan.  They plan recipes that are completely unrealistic for the time they’ve got to cook them.  Simplify, simplify, simplify.  Please don’t worry you’ll find many people here to help you that believe in menu planning as much as I do.

For now please check out my list of Menu Planning Resources where you’ll find recipe site links and other menu planning tools to assist you.  And of course if you’ve got any questions, please feel free to ask away in the comments.

Also I wanted to mention that if you don’t have a blog but still want to participate you are more than welcome to share you weekly menu plan in the comments section.

Want more choices in a menu planner?  Check out many more options on my Pinterest.

So welcome everyone!  Let’s get this menu planning party started 🙂

credit: shutterstock

But first what’s a party without a giveaway?  One participant from this week’s Linky list below will be selected at random to win a copy of the newest edition of Taste of Home’s Comfort Food Diet Cookbook magazine.  All those who link up a menu plan below by Thursday, January 5th will be eligible.

 My Weekly Menu:

Monday:  Ham & Cheese Wraps

Tuesday:  Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

Wednesday:  Spinach and Bacon Pasta Toss

Thursday:  Leftover buffet

Friday:  Taco Pork Chops

Saturday:  Saturday Night Pizza

Sunday:  YOYO (you’re on your own…I’m nice like that 🙂 )

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Guidelines, banner selections and recipe helpers are here.

More family favorite recipes here.

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat



43 Comments

  2. I love Taste of Home. We subscribe to it at the library and, since I’m the librarian, I often take it home first. Great home-tested recipes. Your menu plan looks wonderful. Wishing you and your family a prosperous 2012!

    Reply

  4. Happy New Year Laura! So happy the holidays are over and ready to tackle 2012 head on – starting with my menu plan.

    I also posted a recipe for the easiest, super healthy and yummy salad I discovered – Rainbow Salad.

    Reply

  5. Good Morning Laura,
    Your menu plan looks great, we would really enjoy your Taco Pork Chops. Thanks for hosting and have a great week!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  9. I have to say menu planning has made my life so much easier, and as you mentioned above, the meals don’t have to be gourmet or new and different each week. I like to rotate in some new dishes, many of which I find using all the wonderful blogs that link up, but I also am sure to have a lot of our tried and trues (tacos, chili, spaghetti and meatballs) – and even include things that don’t really seem like a “menu” like hot dogs or soup and sandwiches. Thanks for hosting – this is one blog I ALWAYS look forward to on Mondays and on the weekend when I’m making my grocery list, I take some time to click through many of the links for new ideas!

    Reply

  10. I have the The Busy Family Cookbook from Taste of Home which I use for inspiration since the recipes use a lot of processed food short cuts which I don’t use.

    I shared my weekly plan, plus a link to my monthly menu plan which I’m doing as part of the Good Cheap Eats January Pantry Challenge. I neglected to do a December monthly menu plan, and my cooking suffered so I’m back on the wagon!

    Reply

  11. I took last week off from menu planning — too many leftovers to eat up! I’m back on schedule this week. Have a great New Year, Laura!

    Reply

  13. I hope you have a wonderful 2012, Laura! Thanks for hosting us each week – planning our meals keeps me sane, too. 😉 It also is a lifesaver when you’ve got to eat from the pantry because of going over the budget the month before – oops. 🙂

    Reply

  14. That spinach bacon pasta toss looks delicious. I added it to my Cozi Meals for later. Meal planning is such a help. When I don’t plan ahead we end up eating boxed mac and cheese or peanut butter sandwiches for dinner every night. Thanks for hosting!

    Reply

  20. Happy New Year! I stop in weekly and finally decided to post my own because of you and a few other bloggers. Thanks for the inspiration. The spinach & bacon pasta is going to get added to one of our up and coming meal plans! yuummmm

    susie

    Reply

  21. Happy New Years! My new years resolutions are to eat out no more than once per week (including lunch), and to read at least one book a month. Here’s our plan for the week.

    Saturday – Smoked turkey sausage, greenbeans, and tomatoes over egg noodles

    Sunday – ham, collard greens, black eyed peas, cornbread

    Monday – leftovers

    Tues – BFD: mini frittatas, leftover ham, sauted apples, grits
    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mini-frittatas-with-ham-cheese-10000000521726/

    Weds – leftovers

    Thurs – Out to eat (for a big celebration!)

    Friday – Sunday – Leftovers or TBD

    Reply

  22. I’m trying to get back on track with my menu plans because it IS an amazing way to keep organized… at least in one area of my life. Baby steps, ya know? *L*

    Reply

  24. My Menu Plan for the week of 1/212-1/8/12:
    MON: Go Ducks- Rose Bowl appetizers- leftover ham and cheese with crackers, vegies/ranch dip
    TUES: Pesto Pasta, green beans
    WEDS: Baked Potato bar, tomato soup
    THURS: Ceasar Salad with grilled chicken
    FRI: pizza, salad
    SAT: out to dinner (parents in town)
    SUN: sausages, pork and beans, cauliflower au gratin

    Reply

  26. Your menu sounds yummy, comforting and easy on the mommy, too! I love YOYO nights – I usually call them “Find Your Own Food Friday” or whatever day it is -LOL!

    Reply

  29. Hi Laura:)

    OOOOOHHH, I may have to adjust my menu after looking at yours…LOL. Your Chicken and cheesy bake looks yummy!

    Happy Cooking!!

    Julieann

    Reply

  32. Hey Laura! Thanks so much for always being such a gracious hostess for menu plan monday! It really does make life easier to know that I’ve planned out a week’s worth of meals each week, and the link party is a great motivation to get it done early in the week.

    Reply

  34. My meal plan for the week
    Monday: Tuna Cakes, mashed potaoes, salad
    Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Scalloped potatoes, peas
    Wed: Breakfast for dinner Waffles and sausage
    Thursday: pork BBQ, French fries, salad
    Friday:Shepherd’s Pie
    Sat: Salmon, baked potato, salad
    Sunday: Buffalo Chicken Tacos

    Reply

  36. After years of doing theme nights ( Mon- mexican, tuesday – Italian, Wed – Asian etc) I have given each child a night to cook/help cook. Tonight, each choose a dish they wanted to learn how to cook,and that set our menu..even the 3 year old has a night-which is spaghetti.

    Reply

  37. Well this will be the first time to post a menu here. I use to menu plan a while back but haven’t in quite a while.
    Monday: I am late so this was take out because we celebrated a birthday today.
    Tuesday: Spaghetti and BBQ bread
    Wednesday: Grilled chicken salads
    Thursday: Meat loaf and baked sweet potatoes
    Friday: Left overs or sandwiches
    Saturday: Chicken enchiladas and chips w/cheese dip
    Sunday: Something in the crockpot: not sure yet.

    Reply

  40. Hi! Here’s the link to my menu plan this week… I’m just getting started with the whole menu plan thing!

    Reply

  42. This is my first time participating in your Menu Monday linky party — thank you!

    I made a commitment to start blogging more regularly, and having the Menu Monday day will at least give me some structure to start my week. Looking forward to checking out the other menu plans for some ideas. Thanks again for hosting!

    Reply

  43. Menu planning always seems difficult for me. I always set out to plan nightly menus for the week but never seem to get around to it. Good post.

    Reply

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