I regularly follow a weekly menu plan link party... I have gotten some terrific ideas and recipes from looking at what other people have come up with for their dinners each week. Though often, I see menus that are too heavy with meat and cheese and/or too repetitive. How many times a week can you eat chicken?
I try to mix up types of meat and break up eating meat with having vegetarian dinners in between.
Remember a serving of meat should be no more than the size of a deck of cards. Adult's only needs about 3 ounces of protein a day... fill up on vegetables. Use meat, especially red meat, more as a condiment instead of the center of the meal.
I also try to rotate the starch in our meals: potatoes, bread, quiona, pasta, different types of rice: basmatic, jasmine, black rice. We also eat barley and farro a very interesting Northern Italian grain.
I try to serve a variety of cuisines: Mexican, Chinese, Turkish... thought Italian food is my foundation.
Now I don't rigorously follow this guide... especially now that I am letting my older children have more say in our menu planning, my son wants red meat... my daughter wants cheese... but if I glance at my menu and it doesn't look balanced I go back to my guide.
My Menu Plan Guide:
1 chicken dish (usually with potatoes) such as: Chicken Casserole, Herb Chicken, or Man Pleasing Chicken (it makes women happy too)
1 bean dish (usually with rice) such as: Escarole & Beans or Black Beans & Rice, or a Bean Salad
1 red meat dish (usually as part of pasta dish or with potatoes) such as: Shepherd's Pie, Beef Stew, or Steak Pizzaiola
1 egg dish (usually with bread) such as: Quiche, Pizzagaine , Mexican Eggs, or Scrambled Pasta
1 cheese dish (usually with bread) such as: Quesadilla, Eggplant Parmesan, or Cheese Vegetable Casserole
1 ethic dish (Usually Asian dish with rice) such as: Noodle dish, or a Rice Dish
1 fish dish (usually with a grain like quinoa) such as: Sicilian Tuna Pasta, Sautéed Fish, or Breaded Shrimp with Escarole and White Beans
This Weeks Meal Plan:
Sunday: Steak Pizzaiola with Green Salad
Meatless Monday: Eggroll Stir Fry with Basmati Rice
Tuesday: Fried Goat Cheese with Lime Honey Beet Salad and Rustic Bread
Wednesday: Dinner Out
Thursday: Chicken Marsala with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
Friday: Crab cakes, cole slaw and long grain brown rice
Saturday: Quiche Lorraine with cucumber radish salad
I love your blog title it is my philosophy exactly
ReplyDeleteThank you so much... I just checked out your blog. You have some really nice recipes.. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI try to do this too! I'm not all that good, but I hate having chicken twice in a row (or anything for that matter), or even twice a week really. But I do try and cater to the tastebuds in my family. This week I'm giving in to Mark's plea for more pasta.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's hard to do. Everyone in my family wants to eat something different. I told them everyone gets a say in one meal a week.
DeleteThis is a delicious meal plan, and you have shared some wonderful tips for menu planning! too! I especially like the Egg Roll Stir Fry.
ReplyDelete