Category Archives: Menus

This is a master list of meals we eat on a semi-regular basis. For the most part these are dishes I can make from scratch and from memory without having to look at my recipes (although I do have recipes for almost all of these), because I make them on such a regular basis. I hope to, over time, add the recipes and pictures to my blog as a collection for my own reference and to share with anyone who might be interested.

But the main reason I’m make this list here is to that at three o’clock each day, when I think “what should I make for dinner?” and I have my inevitable brain freeze and can’t think of a single thing, I can pull this list up and figure something out!!

Dinner Ideas:

• Homemade Pizza
• Sweet & Sour Hawaiian Haystacks
• Minestrone soup & sandwiches
• lemon chicken pasta
• garlic chicken
• ranch chicken
• stir fry
• enchiladas
• fajitas
• homemade chili
• corn chowder
• food storage stoup
• lasagna
• tomato basil pasta
• chicken alfredo
• penne rosa
• baked ziti
• stroganoff
• chicken cordon bleu
• tuna casserole
• shepherds pie
• ribs
• pot roast
• steak
• chicken curry
• barbacoa burritos
• parmesean crusted tilapia
• hamburgers
• sloppy joes
• chicken wraps
• stuffing casserole
• homemade mac n cheese
• lime chicken tacos
• pulled pork sandwiches
• manicotti
• meat loaf
• balsamic chicken
• morrocoan chicken
• thai pineapple chicken curry
• chicken divan
• quiche

Sides

• baked squash
• muffins
• cornbread
• refried beans
• garlic bread
• green salad
• tomato cuke salad
• stuffed grape leaves
• summer salsa
• corn on the cob
• mashed potatoes
• twice baked potatoes
• potato salad
• cous cous
• steamed veggies

Desserts

• banana cream pie
• red velvet cake
• cake bites
• cheese cake
• brownies
• zucchini bread
• choco chip cookies
• oatmeal raisin cookies
• pumpkin bread
• pumpkin choco chip cookies
• pears & cheese

So, one of the things I’m pretty good at in life is making dinner. Laundry – not so much (although I am on load #2 for the day as I type this).

Dinner is easier for me because:

1) I don’t mind cooking (usually)

2) I like to eat (always)

But I’m always scratching my head, trying to think: “What should I make for dinner tonight?!”

There are the staples that show up regularly at our house: Lemon Chicken Pasta, Chicken Enchiladas, Stroganoff, and in the summer, hamburgers – easy, have everything in the cupboard sort of meals. We eat those like once every two weeks. But for some reason, if I go more than that, I feel bad. Like I’m not giving my poor family enough variety.

It should be said I cook according to what sounds good to me. I know there are some things Wyatt doesn’t love. I know there are things the kids just plain don’t like. But I make it, so I make what I want to eat. I have tried to tone it down a little over the years – last fall I went on a curry kick, and we were having curry like once a week. Now it’s only once in a while, and I try to make it very mild so the kids don’t have to cry through dinner.

This is getting mo’ rambling.

So in an effort to try and curb the brain effort that goes into “making dinner” I’m creating a little menu for myself. I’m going to list 10 menu plans, with a good mix of slightly complicated to super easy meals so that depending on my mood/time/schedule I will be able to choose seven of these through out the week, have the ingredients on hand, and be able to make dinner without having to worry about it.

Menu #1

Meal 1:
Hamburgers
Corn on the Cob
Watermelon

Meal 2:
Marinated Chicken
Marinated BBQ Veggies
Barbequed Bananas

Meal 3:
Ranch Chicken
Rice
Steamed Veggies

Meal 4:
Pasta Primavera
Steamed Veggies
Eclair Dessert

Meal 5:
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Steamed Veggies

Meal 6:
Shepherd’s Pie
Steamed Veggies

Meal 7:
Braised Balsamic Chicken
Rosemary Red Potatoes
Green Salad

Meal 8:
Chicken Fajitas
Mint Brownies

Meal 9:
Chicken Tagine
Couscous

Meal 10:
Pot Roast
Potatoes, Carrots, Onions & Celery
Salad