Sunday

• Pan-scrambled eggs (with pastrami), carrot-granola muffins, and toast
• Black Beans and Yellow Rice, cooked peas, pumpkin cream-filled cupcakes
• Fasting for Yom Kippur starts Sunday at sunset

Monday

• Fasting for Joshua and me until sunset (Yehoshua can eat something light during the day)
• Toasted bagels, scrambled eggs, and applesauce

Tuesday

• Nacho Grande Casserole (with leftover black beans), cooked broccoli
• Tammy's Easy Pizza

Wednesday

• Oven-roasted chicken, Easy Egg Noodle side dish, cooked peas
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches and a cooked vegetable

Thursday

• Chicken Fried Rice with cooked veggies
• Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and fruit

Friday

• Agk's Organic Chicken Fetuccine and cooked veggies
• Leftovers

Saturday

• Eggs with cheese, toast 
• Rice Medley, Italian Cheese Bread, cooked veggies, and applesauce

Today was a fairly relaxing day. In the morning, I gave baths to the children, washed a load of laundry, stuff like that. I put Yehoshua down for a nap early (11 am) since he had gotten up before 7, and then in the afternoon, we went over to visit at my parents' house. My mom had invited her mom (my grandma), also, and she just loves to see her great-grandchildren. There's something so special about babies, and seeing generations together is so rewarding and touching.

This evening, Joshua asked me, "So, what's for dinner?" I replied that I had been thinking about making grilled cheese. We love grilled cheese, but it's like my back-up plan for when I haven't really planned ahead and don't know what else to make. :| So then I said, "Well, what do you want me to make?" and Joshua said, "Well, you should be able to come up with something that sounds good. After all, you are the owner of Tammy's Recipes.com!" I started laughing and said, "I knew that was coming sooner or later" ;) Then I said, "Well, honey, I hate to inform you of this, but I really am the same person I was 2 weeks ago when you bought the domain name. I wish buying a domain would change me! Ha, I would buy "excellent wife" and "nice mom all the time" and stuff like that!" :)

So, in case this website is giving anyone the impression that I am some fabulous cook who makes 7-course meals every night while being the best wife and mom in the world......

Note: More recipes will have links as they are added to this site. 

Menu 1-Easy
Pizza
Spaghetti & meatballs w/garlic bread & veggies
Meatball sandwiches w/veggies
Chicken rice bake w/veggies
Taco salad
(Lunch idea) Burritos
Beef stroganoff sandwiches
Chili w/cornbread
(Lunch idea) Chili cheese burritos w/veggies

Menu 2-Easy
Hamburgers
Patty melts w/veggies
Chicken vermicelli w/veggies
Vegetable soup w/fresh bread
Macaroni & cheese w/veggies
Chicken gravy w/egg noodles
Potato soup w/garlic bread & veggies

Notes: Not all of those meals are actually necessarily easy, but I can make pizza crusts and freeze them, have some pre-cooked chicken frozen, and season and form burger patties before freezing (we can't stand the pre-formed ones in the store :|). I also freeze soups, and make large batches of meatballs and freeze, so it's quick to make spaghetti and meatballs.

My article Cooking Ahead: A Basic How-To

Note: More recipes will have links as they are added to this site 

Menu 1
Oriental chicken salad w/garlic bread
Chicken fajitas
Pizza
Chicken stir-fry w/rice
Meatball sandwiches w/veggies
Spaghetti & meatballs w/garlic bread & veggies
Macaroni & cheese w/veggies

Menu 2
Roasted chicken w/mashed potatoes & veggies
Chicken dressing casserole w/veggies
Taco salad
Chili w/cornbread
(Lunch idea) Beef stroganoff sandwiches
Chicken noodle soup w/fresh bread
Hamburgers w/fried potatoes or potato salad
Chicken rice bake w/veggies
(Lunch idea) Patty melts w/veggies

Menu 3
Stuffed shells w/garlic bread & veggies
Chicken vermicelli w/veggies
Pizza
Stuffed peppers w/fresh bread
Meatloaf w/parsley potatoes or oven-baked potatoes & veggies
Potato soup w/garlic bread & veggies
Chicken gravy w/biscuits or egg noodles

Menu 4
Burritos
Taco Pizza
Taco salad
Beef stroganoff sandwiches
French toast, eggs, & hash browns
Spaghetti & meatballs w/garlic bread & veggies
Meatball sandwiches w/veggies

Menu 5
Roasted chicken w/mashed potatoes & veggies
Chicken alfredo w/veggies
Pizza
Roast w/mashed potatoes, gravy, & veggies
Stir-fried steak w/veggies & rice
Hamburgers w/fried potatoes or potato salad
Pizza rice casserole w/veggies
(Lunch idea) Patty melts w/veggies

Menu 6
Fried chicken w/mashed potatoes, gravy, & veggies
Chicken potpie w/garlic bread
Macaroni & cheese w/veggies
Taco salad
Chili w/cornbread
Chili cheese burritos w/veggies
Lasagna w/garlic bread & veggies

Menu 7
Roast w/mashed potatoes, gravy, & veggies
Vegetable soup w/fresh bread
Shepherd’s pie w/fresh bread
Pizza
Chicken vermicelli w/veggies
Spaghetti & meatballs w/garlic bread & veggies
Meatball sandwiches w/veggies

Menu 8
Chicken rice bake w/veggies
Corn chowder w/garlic bread & veggies
Taco salad
(Lunch idea) Beef stroganoff sandwiches
Chili cheese burritos w/veggies
Cabbage rolls w/fresh bread & veggies
Hamburgers w/fried potatoes or potato salad
Lasagna w/garlic bread & veggies

There are a variety of ways to plan menus. One way is to look through your store ads for sales, and plan according to what you'll be purchasing. Another way is to just write down your favorite foods and go out and buy what you need. Nice, but costly. ;)

Here is how I planned my "stock" menus. Keep in mind that I ordinarily have most of the main ingredients for these meals in the fridge, freezer, or pantry (bought on sale). If I notice a "special" ingredient needed for the weeks' menu that I don't always have on hand, I'll purchase it the week before. I get groceries about once per week.

To plan a "bulk" menu, you will need to make a list of all the meals you can cook and enjoy eating. Sort the meals if you have breakfast recipes as well as dinner ones. Then, make a chart.

My chart looked like this:

I made 8 of these charts (copied and pasted) because I was planning a 2-month cycle.

Then I went through my list of meals and pasted them in according to how often we like to eat that particular item. For example, "pizza" was pasted in every 2 weeks. "Taco salad" was pasted in every 2 weeks also, but on opposite weeks of pizza. Some foods were put every 3 weeks, some every 4, and some only once in that 8-week period. That way we weren't eating them often, but I wouldn't forget about making them.

You can also put in things like "try new recipe". I left most lunch spaces empty, since we usually have leftovers or something quick for lunches. I did make a list of all our lunch foods, so that if I needed an idea, I could pick one from the list, since they aren't scheduled into the main menu.

Whenever I can't decide what to make, I look at my menus. Sometimes I follow the menus for a while, sometimes not. But they're handy if I need them, and it keeps me from getting into a rut and, say, having grilled cheese three times in one week. :D