Menu Plan Monday - week of 2/16 - 2/23/09

One thing that definitely saves our family money (and me some sanity) is planning out our meals. I strive to plan out our weekly dinner plans, taking into consideration the current grocery ad sales as well as our activities for the upcoming week. Here are a few tips I have used in our meal planning....

• When I know we will be out of the house for a full day, I try to plan a crock pot dinner. That way, dinner is done when we arrive home and everyone is starving and unable to wait for prep. time.

• If we will have an activity one night, I plan something simpler to make sure we are able to eat and be out of the house on time. This helps prevent grumbling about being hungry and curbs the temptation of stopping for unhealthy take-out - or budget-busting grocery store stops for snacks.

• I also strive to incorporate leftovers into our meal plans. I do this two ways - first, by leaving a day open for leftovers at the end of the week. If we don't have leftovers, we can easily make something quick and simple that night. Second, we do leftover makeovers! This can be turning leftover turkey into turkey soup or enchiladas, or it could be turning roast beef into BBQ sandwiches or the starter for beef burrito mix!

This week, I am excited to share a post of our weekly menu plan. I will do my best to add recipes for these as we make them for our meals this week. For more great meal plans, check out Organizing Junckie's Menu Plan Monday.

• Monday - roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green salad and steamed vegetables

• Tuesday - tacos with fresh vegetable tray

(for this meal, I will be using some ground beef that I am purchasing on sale this week - Albertson's has 73% lean on sale in a 5 pound chub for 98 cents per pound. I cook it and then drain the grease and rinse it well with hot water to make it leaner for our family)

• Wednesday - roast beef with potatoes and carrots (and gravy!)

(for this dinner, I am using a Rancher's Reserve roast that I purchased at Safeway for $1.77 per pound)

• Thursday - attending cub scout potluck dinner (we are bringing some buns for sandwiches)

• Friday - turkey enchiladas with rice and green salad

• Saturday - family birthday party - meal yet to be determined

• Sunday - leftovers to clean up the fridge!