MPM # 45

Happy Monday – and welcome to Daylight Savings Time – for those of us who change… *Yawn* I really dislike DLS – it messes up my internal clock and it takes me weeks to get adjusted. I think this is the first time in my life where I haven’t been thinking in “old time” for the first 24 hour period after the change. Although we were all very groggy this morning and I am thankful to the Coffee Gods as they will be solely responsible for keeping me alert today.

One question I field from family and friends when they hear about my diligent menu planning is about the lack of variety or not knowing what you’ll feel like ‘that day’… Well, as I’ve learned really well over the past two weeks, it is a plan and like any plan, change can be a constant.

Last week, our meals got juggled around. The good thing about planning at least one week at a time is the ability to have on hand what you need for seven different meals. I’m not a doomsday kind of person, but given the recent natural disasters around the globe, I’ve got the recommended three days of food on hand. We also have so much snow that I’m sure we could survive a LONG time without water. We’ve even got a water purify and camp stove in the house. Anyway, where was I?

Oh yes, so because I’ve got seven meals planned I can move any meal to any night of the week. On the menu for tonight was “chicken salad sandwiches” but we had that last Thursday because we didn’t feel like the new chicken dish that was planned. So this week, I’ve moved Tuesday’s meal to Monday and I’ll move something else into tomorrow’s slot. When planning, I plan on the three meats we eat: beef, chicken and pork. I also alternate a vegetarian dish and a fish dish every other week. I add a pasta dish, soup and sandwich night and a slow cooker meal to round out the week. These seven ideas give me a starting point for each meal I plan and add a lot of variety to our menu.

After doing a little more reading this week about the cost of food, although we may spending a little more than some, part of the escalation is also related to where you live and of course, where you shop. Furthermore, how you cook should also be taken into consideration. The fact that we live in a northern area, I won’t shop at the discount chain (I cannot stand the crowds) and the fact that I scratch cook, all should be factored into the cost of groceries. Surfing the local papers also scared me into the idea of a food crisis and food shortages so now I’ve got to deal with a little bit of crazy paranoia too!

Here's what we've got planned for this week - how about you?
March 14 to March 20
Monday Mushroom Soup Hamburger Casserole
Tuesday Chicken Salad
Wednesday Taco Salad
Thursday Tuna Casserole
Friday Tater tot Casserole
Saturday Roast Turkey Sandwiches
Sunday Crock pot roast with vegetables

For more great menu planning ideas, check out all the people posting and sharing their menus at the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday!