Weekly Menu Planning and ReCap-We Are the Parents

      I love the  series of Progressive Insurance ads, documentary style doctor, working with new home owners to not turn into our parents. IT has really struck me that yes, we are the parents, and so many of the stereotypical  examples he is trying to  fix are exactly us. DH loves using his speaker phone-not sure if he doe sin public or not. We both have a tendency to strike up conversation with random people in stores if looking at the same things in an aisle. One really struck home- the big meals at noon, followed by just wanting to have a snack later (and probably consume more calories, is us lately. Take a look-it's funny-and this is really part of my post today. 

    Well, we are the parents of a 31, 29, and 19 year old. We have been home owners for longer than we have been married by three weeks, and our hearing and metabolism have devolved over the decades. It is reality. Here's what we ate last week:

• Sunday: We treated ourselves to a donut on route home and then about 1:30 warmed up the leftover pizza from Saturday. (Remember we had just snacked Saturday night). Because we ate lunch later, and really, ate so much all week, Sunday night was also just snacking on fruit, some chips and salsa, and the three taquitos lingering in the freezer. 
• Monday: I used the two large boneless chicken thighs left form last week and thin sliced them, and grilled them on garlic buttered ciabatta roll and mozzarella. They were really delicious and I was happy to have not wasted anything form the cabin. The rolls had a 10/12 date, so need to be used up.
• Tuesday; Spaghetti pizza bake, from the freezer, garlic toast on ciabattas. (My Keto friends are probably overwhelmed with my carb loading)
• Wednesday: Trader Joes Orange Chicken, rice, steamed vegetables
• Thursday: Sausage Apple Cheddar meatballs, cheesy mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables
• Friday: Turkey meatloaf, asian salad (Aldi kit), Air Fryer fries
• Saturday: Neither of us were very hungry as he ate lunch late, and I  just felt like pb toast. He snacked during the Alabama Georgia game on an apple and cheese curds.

     I've avoided take out for dinner but DH did get Arby's for lunch on Thursday. He ended up at work for th emorning and really just wanted to relax in the afternoon. Options for this week include:

• Aldi Red Bag Chicken on rolls, with air fryer  French fries or baked potatoes or wedges
• Roast beef dinner in crock pot
• Homemade pizza flat breads with olives, onions, and pepperoni
• Vegetable beef soup and fresh baked bread (cheated and  will buy frozen bread dough)
• Carnitas (still have the pork roast for this) with tortillas, rice, and cheese
• Tuna hotdish with vegetables
• Chicken skewers with vegetables and rice pilaf
• Vegan butternut squash lasagna (I've wanted to try this recipe for a while since we had squash pizza at Veg fest last year)
• Brats on the grill with onions, sweet potato wedges
• Burritos or Bowls with rice, beans, corn, tomatoes and cheese
• Goulash with green beans
• Meatballs and gravy over rice or noodles 
• Cottage pie (becoming a DH favorite)
• Chicken Wild Rice soup or a hotdish (I've been hungry for a wild rice dish since a  friend whose family harvested it last month posted about sending out packets) If I do the hotdish, it is one from the 1987 church cookbook I got as a shower present and was the first meal I cooked for guests, both sets of parents, after we were married.)

   So far in October we have spent $391 on grocery and household, take out and the meal out on vacation, and including the take out with our daughter (but not her restocking) for all food, household and groceries. The meal out and take out with our daughter could easily just be entertainment, but I'm curious to roll all food together. How are you doing on menu planning and preparing? Did you make a formal plan and stay with it, just wing it each night, or like me, just list options to help out your brain each day?