8 Week Menu Plan

After discussing menu planning with a friend last week, and one too many comments from my darling hubby asking "what's for dinner?" I decided on Friday last week to sit down and plan our dinner menu for four weeks. I figured I could just vary it a little each cycle and it wouldn't get too repetitious. I had just finished it and dinner was already in the oven when my beloved came home. I proudly showed off my list of four weeks dinners. He seemed to like it, then started to ask about extending it to six or even eight weeks, then we would never have to feel like we were eating the same things all the time.

I should say here that I deliberately didn't plan breakfasts or lunches. Rob has the same thing nearly every day for breakfast, so it doesn't require planning. He also doesn't like to eat leftovers from the freezer, so would rather take leftovers for lunch the day after. With our new comprehensive dinner list he'll be on leftovers everyday for lunch. I'd rather freeze and reserve at a later date, but as Rob doesn't I don't.

So taking up the challenge I have now created 8 weeks of dinners for all seven days of the week without repeating a single recipe. I started us on the Friday of week 1 and planned the first couple of weeks around the food we already have. Now I am working on complete grocery lists for the full 8 weeks so we can cut down on the amount of grocery trips we need to make.

For those who are interested here is my list:

Week1
Monday - Beef Stroganoff
Tuesday - Paella
Wednesday - Chicken Enchiladas
Thursday - Stir Fry Beef in Oyster Sauce
Friday - Onion Chicken in Balsamic Sauce
Saturday - Cottage Pie
Sunday - Lemon Chicken

Week 2
Monday - Beef & Pea Bake
Tuesday - Sticky Chicken & Potato Wedges
Wednesday - Pasta Bake
Thursday - Grilled Burgers & Salad
Friday - Chicken Pelau
Saturday - Stuffed Peppers
Sunday - Baked Fish & Rissotto

Week 3
Monday - Chicken A La King
Tuesday - Albondigas Sinaloenses
Wednesday - Spiced Chicken with Noodles
Thursday - Crock-Pot Pasta Sauce
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Zinfandel Chicken (with white vinegar instead of white wine)
Sunday - Roast Beef with all the trimmings

Week 4
Monday - Sweet & Sour Chicken
Tuesday - Groundnut Stew
Wednesday - Grilled Chicken & Salad
Thursday - Crock-Pot Chilli & Rice
Friday - Lime Chicken
Saturday - Mediterranean Beef
Sunday - Moussaka

Week 5
Monday - BBQ Chicken
Tuesday - Pizzaiola Steak
Wednesday - Italian Sausage baked Frittata
Thursday - Teriaki Steak
Friday - Scotch Collops
Saturday - Steak in Basil Sauce
Sunday - Jambalaya

Week6
Monday - Meatloaf
Tuesday - Stoved Chicken
Wednesday - Homemade Ravioli
Thursday - Beef Stew
Friday - Chicken Satay
Saturday - Milanese Steak
Sunday - Roast Lamb dinner

Week 7
Monday - Chicken Pie
Tuesday - Forfar Bridies
Wednesday - Jerk Chicken with Peas & Yellow Rice
Thursday - Sauteed Fish
Friday - Collops-in-the-Pan
Saturday - Devilled Chicken
Sunday - Beef Cannelloni

Week 8
Monday - Salmon Fritters
Tuesday - Chicken & Carrots
Wednesday - Lasagna
Thursday - Meatballs
Friday - REWARD MEAL (I get to go out instead of cooking)
Saturday - Sausage & Prosciutto with Potato
Sunday - Beef Tacos

So there it is, 8 weeks without a single repeat. Over the coming few weeks I'll try to post a few recipes of dishes we particularly like.