The Simple Life at Home

Ok, a day early, here is the 8 Week Menu Plan I have come up with. You'll notice that some of the dishes mentioned you may never have heard of. Those would probably be Arabic dishes. My husband is from the Middle East and I try hard to prepare foods for him every so often that remind him of his childhood.

Since I love to cook and hate to have the same thing very often (variety being the spice of life and all that!) there are very few repeats on the menu plan. What I've done is come up with the master list and also compiled 8 weeks worth of shopping lists that include everything needed for the meals of the week. Of course, I'd still need to add things for breakfast and lunch and general household needs, but it seems the bulk of my menu planning time is spent on dinners. I'm hoping that this can save me at least an hour a week and yet still provide my family with nutritious meals. One habit I'm working on is to begin preparing for dinner earlier in the day. I can't tell you how many times 5:30 has rolled around and I haven't even thought about dinner. So I'd like to start making a salad, or bread or some other part of dinner in the morning just to get myself committed to it.

The lists run from Tuesday to Monday, in order to fall in line with my grocery shopping day. Additionally, the general plan is: a crockpot meal on Tuesday (our busiest day), something quick on Wednesday (church in the evening), Fridays are either soup or salad or we host a church small group in our home (I like to experiment with new recipes for this), Saturdays are a casserole that we can reheat for lunch after church, Sundays are something quick and easy to allow for it to be an easy, restful day, and Mondays & Thursdays are just basic meals.

Without further ado, the menu plan:

Week One
Tuesday – Roast w/veggies
Wednesday – Lentils & Rice, Salad
Thursday – Baked Fish, Veggies, Rice Mix
Friday – Cobb Salad
Saturday – Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread
Sunday – Shish Kebabs, Rice
Monday – Baked Chicken Breasts, Rice, Salad

Week Two
Tuesday – Beef Burgundy, Rice, Salad
Wednesday – New Recipe
Thursday –Shrimp Scampi, Pasta, Green Beans
Friday – Small Group
Saturday –Arabic Meatloaf
Sunday - Mezze (small dishes of hummous, tabouli, cheeses, pita bread, etc.)
Monday –Steak & Spinach Pinwheels, Salad, Rice

Week Three
Tuesday –Mexi-Chicken, Rice, Salad
Wednesday - Tostadas
Thursday – Pasta Primavera, Garlic Bread
Friday -Potato Lover’s Salad
Saturday –Stuffed Shells, Salad, Garlic Bread
Sunday – Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Chips
Monday - Roast Sticky Chicken, Salad, Green Beans

Week Four
Tuesday – Baja Beef & Beans, Tex-Mex Rice
Wednesday – Chicken Stir Fry, Rice
Thursday – Zesty Mac & Cheese, Salad
Friday –Small Group
Saturday –Cauliflower Soup, Bread
Sunday –Pizza, Salad
Monday –Chicken Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Broccoli

Week Five
Tuesday –Shredded Beef Sandwiches, Cole Slaw
Wednesday – Tuna Casserole, Salad
Thursday –Salmon, Rice, Salad
Friday –Taco Salad
Saturday –Bezella, Rice
Sunday –Burgers, Chips, Potato Salad
Monday – Roast w/veggies

Week Six
Tuesday – Crockpot Chicken Breasts, Rice
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday –Fried Fish, Steak Fries, Cole Slaw
Friday – Small Group
Saturday –Stuffed Cabbage Casserole, Salad
Sunday – Vegetable Stew
Monday – Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Week Seven
Tuesday – Chili, Cornbread
Wednesday –Chicken Dijon, Salad, Veggies
Thursday – Shepherd’s Pie, Salad
Friday –Blackened Chicken Salad
Saturday –Jambalaya, Rice
Sunday – Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Chips
Monday –Mahlouba, Yogurt, Salad

Week Eight
Tuesday – Slow Cooker Ribs, Green Beans, Rice
Wednesday – White Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread
Thursday – Chicken & Rice Casserole
Friday - Small Group
Saturday – Koosa Mahshi, Salad
Sunday – Grilled Chicken, Corn, Cole Slaw
Monday –Chicken Divan, Salad, Noodles

If anyone is interested in any recipes or a copy of the shopping lists, please feel free to ask!