It didn't take long for a patterns to emerge. Once a week, we'd do an Italian night. Items like Spaghetti, lasagna, Ravioli, pizza, etc. With that came the usual tossed salad and garlic breadsticks. Once a week, we have a seafood night. Fish, shrimp, or other seafood. Sunday meals was always a roast of some kind and there had to be a dessert planned. I usually planned for leftovers of Sunday's fare for at least another night. This could be either a just as it was or made into another dish (roast beef= hash). At least once a week we'd have soup/chili/stew and cheese toast as a crockpot (cook's day off) usually on Saturday. That's five dinners out of seven. so planning a week's menu were really a no brainer.
Breakfast during the summer was always fresh fruit and yogurt or commercial cereals. During the winter it was grits or oatmeal with cinnamon and dried fruit. I make pancakes, French toast and waffles once a month and freeze the excess for sprinkling in during the month. Plus, I'll make cinnamon rolls, Danishes, air fryer fritters, and doughnuts when I feel froggy and have extra time. And, there's always the old favorite of bacon/sausage and eggs with potatoes or grits.
We'd fill in the rest of the week with a grazing night (lunch meat, crackers, cheese, and fruit) And, for me, an oriental food night. Now we'd do a chicken or quail night because we grow our own. We'd supplement lamb/mutton nights when available or beef dishes. Since I rotationally purchase sides of meat during the year, we have choices or alternate meal plans for what we have the most of.
Snacks are simple things like peanuts and M&Ms, or peanut/cheese crackers, or fruit and veggie sticks and dips. Lunches are also simple ranging from snacks or sandwiches. I usually make chicken, egg, or tuna salad each week or maybe deviled ham.
Every meal has at least on starch and two cooked vegetables. So with all of this in mind, planning a meals for a year is really a matter of plugging in what we want when. So planning for a year is not that big of a deal.
Having said all of this, can you see how planning a meal menu plan for a year is possible? It helps me plan when to purchase meats in bulk, what vegetables and how much I'll need for a year. So is there any wiggly room in my menu plans? You betcha! For any Italian night, there's five or six menus and they are interchangeable. The same goes for any night of the week. There's only, at most, five weeks in a month. If you are making a menu plan for a month you are 1/6 there towards a year plan. Figuring you can rotate every month every other month. Do you have to stick to the plan? Of course not! Feel free to play with different recipes, I know I do, but try to stick with the same meat. If the menu calls for meatloaf and you want burgers instead go ahead and make the burgers.
Grow your own, shop locally, eat well and thrive! This is what homesteading is all about.
