Menu Planning and Avoiding Food Waste

Menu planning is a great idea. Great idea, hard for me to execute. I am more a "plan options" kind of meal planner. However, in my revived mindset of replenishing the funds spent this summer, and preparing for the final bills from vacation, I think stepping up my game to make sure no food is wasted is not just a strategy to try, but a must. We've done well, easy to do after a big grocery shop like I had last week, but now a week and a day later, the art of planning needs to take hold. Really though, I so over shopped last week since nothing was in the house, I have at least another week of brainless meal planning. The week of September 16th will get harder as DD1 will be staying with us until she finds and moves into her new apartment, and we will have eaten down another weeks worth of groceries. Next weeks challenge.

Here was last weeks meals.

• Sunday-At lake where we had chicken at supper, and lunch was an assortment of salad and fruit and the leftover meat from the previous day (we weren't there yet)
•  Monday-lunch was the hamburgers I had in the lake lower level freezer, the last of the pasta salads, the last of the fruit, and I made a fresh Asian green salad. I honestly cannot remember what we ate for supper once we were all home.
• Tuesday-I had a marathon cooking night since I had a 5# chub of hamburgers, so made chili for supper, while prepping 17 medium size meatballs (2 plenty for DD2 and me, three for DH so two meals out of them + leftovers), a meat loaf, plus more cooked ground beef ready for something
• Wednesday-DH threw chicken thighs in the crock pot at noon, which we had with mashed potatoes and green beans
• Thursday-DH made hamburgers and tator tots
• Friday-I made mushroom and wild rice soup, with a loaf of clearance Italian bread
• Saturday-Cheesy brats, the leftover tots for DD2, and a broccoli salad for DH and I

I saw that DH went to Subway and Burger King, but he also ate the leftover chicken and cold sandwiches. I brought leftover chili two days, a sandwich one day, and the other Asian salad kit. I did not buy lunch at all despite there being a BBQ food truck on Thursday. I've brought one-two servings of fruit and vegetables each day in my lunch. DD2 just eats school lunch. I know it would be more cost effective for her to bring, but she already hauls a heavy back pack and a violin each day to her 8 hours of classes. 

The menu plan of attack this week is:

• Sunday-veggie curry and rice for DD2 and me, three meatballs with brown gravy and rice for DH (which leaves me still with enough for two meals)
• Monday-Spaghetti and meat sauce
• Tuesday-Chicken Cordon Bleu, mashed potatoes, salad
• Wednesday-leftovers as DD2 has show choir and vocal jazz, and I have something that night
• Thursday-Meatloaf, baked potatoes, steamed vegetables
• Friday-Pasta Fagiole soup, grilled cheese
• Saturday-Tacos or burritos with refried beans and rice

I will need milk, bread, more fruit, carrots, and celery. Lunches will be leftovers if any, or ham or turkey sandwiches, egg salad (eggs cooking right now), hummus, cucumbers, carrots, cheese, cottage cheese, and fruit. I can hope DH comes home every day, but I'll settle for two days a week at least, plus he is off Thursdays, and Saturday lunch is provided. My grocery and household budget is at $222.69 after a semi rogue shop by DH. He was only to pick up dishwasher detergent, but somehow he also had a pie, ice cream, the reduced loaf of bread, and items I don't recall. His shopping will be my nemesis in hitting my $350 target as I feel like it is doable under my energy alone. $127.31, $41.80per week when our freezer and cupboards are mostly full should not be a hardship. 

What's on your menu this week? Who else is tightening the budget for fall? If you are, are you dreading meals, or excited about creative use of ingredients in your freezer and pantry?