Menu Plan Monday and Waiting for Baby!

It's been quite awhile since my last post and I'm very sorry. I've still been cooking and trying to keep my freezer full of make-ahead food. I've been working a lot but now that my schedule has eased up a bit I can plan a little better for what we eat and have more time to share it with you.
I find that if I shop the specials and loss leaders, I almost always have the ingredients I need to make meals that we enjoy. Our freezer is pretty full right now, so I really won't have to do much grocery shopping for the month of December except for special holiday baking and our Christmas dinner on Christmas day. We have two freezers: one in the kitchen above the refrigerator and one in our basement that is the chest type. I made a list of everything that was in each freezer and will be working with what we have for our meals. Here's the menu plan for this week, that is if I'm not at the hospital with our oldest daughter and son-in-law-she is due to have her baby any day now!!

Monday-Indonesian Ginger Chicken and Stir-Fry Vegetables (I will be sharing these recipes later this week!)

Tuesday-Monterey Beans, a recipe I got from The Urban Homemaker years ago, served over brown rice, green beans

Wednesday-Mustard Meatballs (another new recipe!), noodles, salad

Thursday-Lentil Chili (from the freezer) and cornbread

Friday-Pizza with mushrooms, onion, and green pepper

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Packing Lunches and Cooking for Two

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, c. 1932

by Charles C. Ebbets

I will be taking my lunch with me to work these days, so having a list of different menus seemed like a good idea. Peanut butter and jelly can get old pretty fast, and since it's back-to-school time, many websites and blogs are focusing on just that subject. I found an extensive list of ideas over at the Hillbilly Housewife website that I will be printing out and hanging up on the side of my refrigerator where I keep my menu plan for easy access.

And, now that it's just my husband and me at home (we just dropped our last child off at college last weekend), and now that I'm working outside of the home, cooking will be a little different. For one thing, we just don't need to make as much food as we used to, and I won't be doing most of the cooking anymore. My husband likes to cook and this is a good time for him to get back into it. The crockpot will be a very valuable tool. I also plan on making double recipes of some of our favorite recipes and freezing the second half for future meals.

What are some of your favorite meals to make for the crockpot, for lunches, or for making ahead and popping into the freezer? This is a big change for us and I could sure use some ideas!

What Grandma Knew About Meal Planning Part 3

This is the last of a three-part series of menu planning the way Grandma would have. If you want to read the first two posts here is Part 1 and here is Part 2. I am getting my information from one of my favorite cookbooks Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, originally published in 1950 and republished in 1988.



In part 2 I began a list of what you want to check for in your menu planning and what real-life homemakers of the 1950's had to say about it. The first two points are Appropriateness and Appearance.

The next point is:

III. Satisfaction
Good cooking and seasoning
Right combinations of food
Follow tested recipes carefully

Something soft and something crisp

Should always go together,

And something hot with something cold

No matter what the weather;

Something bland needs the complement

Of something with tang and nip.

Follow these rules and all your meals

Will have taste appeal and zip.

"I use a variety of seasonings-sage, thyme, marjoram, flavored salts; and I keep pots of fresh parsley and chives."

"I always try to have a crips vegetable with a definite shape with one that's creamed or mashed."



IV. Nutrition
Serve a wide variety of foods.
Balance meals by including foods from the 7 basic groups.
Breakfast should give about 1/3 of the day's food supply.



"I have a list of menus for balanced meals which is a helpful guide in insuring good nutrition in my meals."

"I have a chart of how much vitamins, minerals, and proteins each member of my family needs according to age and activity."

"I've always tried to balance meals for the whole day. If some factor of the Basic 7 is left out of one meal, I get it into one of the other two."



V. Cost
A food budget will help you.
Buy the basic food needs for the family first.
Buy less of the more expensive foods and more of the less expensive foods.
Grow your own fruits and vegetables if possible.

"We buy the foods we must have for good nutrition first. Then if we feel we can spend more we buy the things that are not so important, but give our meals a lift."

"I find a semi-monthly budget economical, because bulk buying of staples is a worthwhile saving; and if funds are budgeted over longer periods I can take advantage of sales and special values."

"I've always had to consider the cost but have learned to manage by buying in season, taking advantage of sales, and by raising quantities of vegetables which we eat in abundance in summer and can for winter use."



I hope you have enjoyed these little peeks into the life of the 1950 housewife and the way she planned her meals. Besides the Basic 7 food groups (the basic food groups have changed several times since then), I think it is safe to say that I can follow the advice and guidance given even though it was a long time ago. What do you think?





Graphic courtesy of All Posters.

What Grandma Knew About Meal Planning Part 2

Here's the second part to my series on menu planning according to Betty Crocker's 1950 Picture Cookbook. You can go here to read Part 1. There are five points to remember when planning your meals and what other women had to say.



I. Appropriateness

Cut your meal pattern to fit: your situation, the occasion, and the family needs.



"I always remember birthdays and holidays with a special dessert or color scheme."



"I plan the meals to be healthful for the children, first, and then interesting to adults, without cooking separate menus."



"We have a five-room bungalow with limited dining space and no help at all; this requires simplicity and informality."



"I plan my meals with the needs of my young son in mind. I never cook separately for him, but prepare simple foods appropriate for him and then dress them up for grown-up tastes and add to the menu to meet adult needs."



II. Appearance

Prepare, serve, and present each food attractively for greater appetitie appeal.



"I think each meal out in detail, so there will be color appeal as well as good eating."



When I was a child my father used to say, 'We should feast the eye as well as the appetite.' And it has become a tradition with me."



"In my kitchen windows I have many plants and I alternate them in decorating the table and mealtime."



I don't want to make my posts too long so I will give the last three points in my next post. I hope you are enjoying reading about these real homemakers for a bygone era and we really can apply them to our lives today.



Graphic courtesy of All Posters.

What Grandma Knew About Meal Planning Part 1

I thought I would share what women who came before us knew about menu planning. I think it's really interesting to read about the way women ran their homes in an era that seems so different from our own, but we can do most of the things they did and apply it to our own lives. Menu planning is one of those things that I didn't give much time to until I started seeing other people do it on their blogs. Now it seems to be a trend and a good one at that! But, it's not a new idea.

What follows came from my 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook that was republished in its entirety in 1998. It's one of my favorite cookbooks for finding good, basic from-scratch recipes.

Smart Homemakers Say:

Planning, preparing, and serving meals is an art which develops through inspiration and thought. And meal-planning is really fun! It may look difficult to the beginner, but like driving a car, swimming, or anything we learn to do without thought or conscious effort, it is a skill which grows easier with the doing.

It's important to plan a variety of foods for well balanced meals to keep your family well nourished. But above all, be sure those meals are appetizing, attractive, and delicious to eat. For mealtime should help build happy home life.

"My meals are more nutritious since I've been planning them ahead. I check in advance the basic foods and the daily needs of my family."

"Planning meals ahead helps me to save time and energy."

"I have made the cooking of meals and pleasure and a study rather than a job, and so I enjoy planning each day's menus."

"My meals are more interesting since I started planning ahead, because I avoid repetition and plan for variety in color, texture, and flavor."

Check Your Daily Meals For:

1. Appropriateness
2. Appearance
3. Satisfaction
4. Nutrition
5. Cost

Graphic courtesy of All Posters.

Menu Plan for March

I've tried all kinds of different ways to plan our meals-weekly, bi-weekly, or fly by the seat of my pants-style! None of these work real well for me. But, I've found that what does work the best right now is to do it by the month since we get paid once a month. Since we are going on the second week of March, I have just about all the meat that we need in our freezers until we get paid again next month. Unless there is a huge sale on something or there is something special we want, I will mostly be buying dairy, grains, and produce until April.



So, this is what I have planned so far for the rest of March:


Mostaccioli Bake with French Bread

Ham and Cheese Omelets

Ham, Cabbage, and Bean Soup-we have lots of leftover ham pieces in the freezer!

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Pizza with sausage and vegetables

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Lentil Cakes and Green Salad

Salmon Patties with Caesar Slaw

Pork Roast with wheatberries/brown rice

Chicken Pot Pie

Pork and Poblano Skillet with Creamy Slow Cooker Beans

Indian Lentil Puree with Naan

Crustless Quiche

Butter Chicken and Rice

Ham and Beans over Rice

Spaghettie Pie

Cheesy Broccoli Rice with Chicken

Roast Chicken

Taco Salad



I am posting this as part of Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie

Menu Plan Monday

I'm taking lots of help from my freezer again this week. In fact, I won't be doing much grocery shopping for the rest of the month, except for things like milk, eggs, and fresh produce. My two still-home daughters haven't been home much lately, so I've just been feeding my husband and myself for the most part, which means that we have lots of leftovers and sometimes I don't make everything that was on the previous week's menu plan.


Here's what's planned for our menu this week:


Monday: Spanish rice and beans, homemade tortilla chips, salsa, and all the trimmings (cheese, sour cream, lettuce)


Tuesday: Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie, green beans, french bread


Wednesday: Black Bean patties, cole slaw, soaked whole wheat bread from the bread machine

Thursday: Greek Chicken (I made a double recipe and froze half) and roasted potatoes

Friday: Pork and Sauerkraut

For meal planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie to see other meal plans.

Menu Plans for This Week

I'll be babysitting for my grand daughter today over at my daughter and son-in-law's house, so dinner will be something I can pull from the freezer. Gotta love stocking up the freezer for those days when I won't be around to cook or I just don't have the time or energy.

So this is the plan for our meals this week:

Monday-Ham and Beans and Cornbread (from the freezer)

Tuesday-Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie (I'll finally be making a double recipe for this and put one in the freezer)

Wednesday-Crockpot Sticky Chicken

Thursday-Black Bean Cakes on homemade buns

Friday-White Chili and tortilla chips (I'll be posting the recipe later this week)

I'm participating in Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie