“What do you NOT feel like cooking this week?” is what I try and ask my teenagers every week before I make our weekly meal plan. While I gave up ages ago trying to get them to look at a cookbook, choose a recipe, and make a list of ingredients, I do like to get their input. There are dinners that I don’t always want to cook so I assume there are dishes that they’d rather not make – or at least have a break from.

What’s funny is, instead of the answer, they usually tell me what they DO feel like cooking. This week my son said he’d like to make homemade macaroni and cheese. I wrote down the recipe we usually make (think chicken broth to add richness and flavor, rather than butter) and you get the idea. He couldn’t read my writing so ended up trying to broil the mac and cheese in the oven for 35 minutes instead of the 3 to 5 minutes. Who needs a cookbook editor when I have teenagers?

Weekly Meal Plan

I meal plan at the beginning of each week, before heading to the grocery store. Weekly meal planning saves money, reduces food waste, and keeps me from saying, “Let’s go out to eat!” If you need more reasons to meal plan every week, check HERE. Both of my kids cook dinner once-a-week and do the clean up after the meal. If you want to learn how to pull that off at your house, check HERE. If you’re looking for more meal planning ideas, check HERE.

This meal plan is from Monday, January 21, 2013 to Sunday, January 27, 2013.

Monday: shrimp scampi and green salad (my daughter made dinner this night)

Tuesday: sauteed Napa cabbage and ground pork

Wednesday: sauteed Napa cabbage and ground pork (leftovers) and beet salad

Thursday: egg salad sandwiches and beet salad (leftovers)

Friday: pinto beans (from freezer), Mexican pulled pork (from freezer), sour cream sauce and fresh salsa

Saturday: mashed potatoes, gravy (from freezer and leftover from Thanksgiving) and green salad

Sunday: homemade macaroni and cheese with tomato slices and carrots (my son made dinner this night)

What didn’t work:

• there wasn’t quite enough leftover cabbage and pork for the second night of eating so I made the beet salad a day earlier to stretch it out.

How’s your meal planning coming along?

Go Gingham related links:

More meal plan ideas are here
How to roast red peppers or food you’re supposed to burn
How to roast tomatoes freshly picked from the garden – so good!
Homemade granola – easy – made with molasses
Roasted garlic spread that’s another great dip or spread
Corn and black bean salad – made with dried beans