Menu rut-need help!

[christinew]

Please help me with some dinner ideas!! How do you plan your meals for the week?

Christine, working Mom of toddler and pregnant...TIRED and in a menu rut!!

[Vicanddi]

Hi Christine. I get my menu inspiration from magazines (CL, BA, Sunset, BH&G,etc), cookbooks and this BB. I usually start with the most current magazines and see if something jumps out at me. If not, I may look through some older magazines. I'm also doing the cookbook challenge, which is just pulling out cookbooks and using them as much as possible, so I get several recipes this way. I also get quite a bit of inspiration from this BB. I usually have TOO many recipes that I want to try. My problem is deciding which ones to make first!

Another thing I do when I menu plan is do an inventory of what I have on hand; what meat is in the freezer, what types of cheeses, pastas, etc, and look for recipes using those items. Also, I use the sales as a guide. If there's a good sale on ground turkey, for example, I may decide to make turkey meatloaf.

Also, I try to cook seasonally. Cranberries, sweet potatoes in the fall, asparagus in the spring, etc.

Hope that helps :) I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions.

[sneezles]

Oh, do I remember those days! Best rule of thumb I've learned over the years is not to repeat unless it's begged for by DH and/or the DSs! There's just too many recipes out there! I am an ingredient hoarder and as confessed on another thread a gadget brat. I look for unusual recipes with common ingredients except for maybe one, recipes using common ingredients but cooking in a different way (ie., roasted veggies, I rarely steam veggies anymore most are roasted but if they are steamed then it's some unusual ingredient that attracts my interest). Plus now is the time to experience all these wonderful things before you begin to here..."EEEEWWWW, what is that?" :p ;)

[Kathy B]

When I actually get around to planning a menu, I usually have the calendar on one side of me and a stack of recipes I've printed off the BB on the other side. I also have my recipe box full of "tried and true" recipes nearby. I use the calendar to figure out which nights I have time to prepare something that requires last minute attention or that is more time consuming and which nights I need something quick and easy or a crockpot type recipe.

I look at the stack of recipes to see if a few fit in with what I have on hand, or if there is something I really want to try. I try to have a variety of entrees including one or two meatless, and avoiding a lot of repitition (i.e. I wouldn't serve chicken three nights on a row). I fill in the other nights with leftovers, family favorites and maybe something in the freezer (frozen casseroles).

Try looking at the "dinner tonight" section of CL for fast and easy menus. Another source would be Quick Cooking magazine. It's not to everyone's taste on this BB, but I have gotten some great recipes and ideas from that magazine. It is geared to "tired" people! :D

Hope something here is useful to you!