Every week, I plan a menu for the following week. I’m not always inspired with what to cook for dinner, so this way, I take the time and plan once and don’t have to wonder about it all week. Planning a menu has saves us SO much money, because I don’t wander aimlessly through the grocery aisles, grabbing whatever looks good or happens to be on sale.
Before I started planning weekly menus, a lot of the groceries that I bought would spoil before I got around to using them. I also had to make numerous trips to the grocery store throughout the week, since I didn’t have one ingredient or another for a recipe. Of course when you go into the store ” just for milk”, somehow you mysteriously come out with several other items that you weren’t planning on. Less trips to the store= less money spent. I wrote a little more in depth about menu planning and Saving Money on Groceries in another post.
Since I am such a advocate of menu planning, I thought it would be fun to share my menu for the week with you. I would love to hear what you have planned to feed your families too:). Let’s share ideas with each other. Many times when I talk to my Mom or sisters and they tell me what they cooked that day, I start craving that dish and end up making it too in the next few days. It’s definitely easier to plan when you don’t do it alone. As a Russian proverb says, “two heads are better than one”.
Sunday: Broiled Salmon, Zucchini Couscous, Cauliflower Tomato Salad
Monday: Russian Mushroom Barley Soup, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Potato Chicken Casserole With Pickles
Thursday: Chicken Noodle Soup, Whole Roasted Fish with vegetables, Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Buckwheat Kasha With Mushrooms, Chicken Kotleti, Tomato, Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Rustic Chicken With Carrots and Onions, Rice
I don’t stick exactly to the plan, sometimes I switch dinners around from day to day. Other times, I decide to go with something else altogether. I don’t really have a set plan for breakfast, dessert or snacks. I usually have a few ideas that I shop for and make whenever I have a bit of time. If not, then we just eat ice cream or toast.
What are you going to be cooking up this week? How do you plan your menus?
this would be my menu Monday – Sunday : rustic chicken with carrots and onions everyday I’d just change it up with rice, mashed potatoes, and pasta to serve with. =) That’s how much I love it.
Sunday: potatoes and chicken “casserole” with some fresh tomatoes on the side
Monday: rustic chicken with carrots and onions with rice ( no leftovers here)
Tuesday: cream of broccoli soup with paninis
Wednesday: chicken noodle soup and for later chicken wing dip with chips and veggies from the “leftover chicken” from chicken broth
Thursday: chicken and broccoli alfredo
Friday: chicken stir fry with rice
Saturday: whatever is left over
Sunday: chicken riggies
went back to your menu and noticed we have some of the same entrees on our menus!!!
That sounds yummy, Elina!
Wow, we are making some of the same things! That’s so cool. Thanks for sharing your menu. I had stir fry last week too and a variation of paninis for breakfast this morning. I guess our tastes are very similar. We must have grown up in the same house:).
My menu for this week is mostly Slavic homely food since my parents will be visiting and that is what they prefer to eat.
I have made pelmeni, shuba. Tushana kartoshka with tomato sour cream salad is a must. Chebureki is on my menue as well.
By the way I have used your mushroom sauce as gravy last night and it was a success with my in-laws. ( I did cubed chicken instead of pork ruletiki) For sure I will make it for my parents as well.
Hi Elena!
Your parents are coming to visit? How awesome! You must be so excited to see them. I’m sure they will enjoy all the food you made. All those traditional meals are great, in my opinion:)
I’m so glad you liked the gravy. Enjoy your visit.
I have two kids, and both my husband and I work full time, so planning our menu for the week is a must!
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Sunday- I made Penne Pasta w/broccoli, cauliflower, chicken, and cherry tomatoes- was an absolute hit and is almost gone (recipe from say7.info), and also made Tomato Meatball Soup (this site). Tzatziki Potato Salad.
Monday- Leftovers from Sunday cooking.
Tuesday- Говядина, жаренная с болгарским перцем; Мясо, жаренное с грибами и морковью, either mashed potatoes or pasta to go along with it and a salad of course
Wednesday-Куриный суп со “звездочками”, and leftovers from Tuesday.
Thursday-Спагетти с грибным соусом + salad.
Friday- my husband has the day off, so we’ll see what he comes up with.
Saturday-Day of rest for us, so we’ll be eating any and all leftovers.
Hi Natasha,
Right now planning a menu is SO important to me, since I work full time too and we have been in the midst of a mountain of paperwork for our adoption. It takes so much time, I’m always thankful when I don’t have to think about what to cook that day. Your menu sounds delicious! I think it’s so interesting to see each others’ menus. We Slavic people sure do cook a lot of similar food:) Thanks for sharing your menu.
We just said our goodbyes to my husband’s parents and baby brother couple of hours ago. My parents should be here tomorrow with my baby brother. Can’t wait!
I’ve been trying to meal plan a bit more now that we’ve begun homeschooling. Tonight we had Shrimp and Guac Tostadas (a pin on Pinterest), Tomorrow night will be Chicken Ponzu with rice and stir-fry veggies (a Publix apron recipe we’ve made several times already), Tues will be leftovers/quick home stuff (maybe breakfast-for-dinner since my hubs plays ball that night), and Wed will be Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon(also from Pinterest)
Jenn,
Those recipes sound great! I’ll have to look them up and give them a try. Good luck with homeschooling:). Homeschooling moms are my heroes. Good for you!
Hi Olga,
Your menu for the week sounds so delicious. My menu this week is:
Sunday: plov with tomatoe cucumber salad
Monday- sharkoye with beef
Tuesday- potato Leek soup and lefovers for vtaroye
Wednesday- farsherovanaya reba
Thursday- leftovers
Friday- Garlic challah bread, couscous salad, rebneye kotlete v tamate, zapichonaya kuritsa s kartoshkay i gribami.
Saturday- leftovers
btw- your sister’s Elina menu sounds so good. She should start a blog as well
I love Russian food and this is mostly what we eat in our family all the time.
Thanks for sharing your great ideas and recipes with us.
Thanks for sharing your menu, Natasha! You’re making me crave Plov and the Roasted Chicken with potatoes and mushrooms. Yummy!
You’re right, Elina’s menu is delicious. She is a great cook:) She’s shared a few recipes for my blog already, and I’m looking to the others that I’ll “borrow” from her in the future. She would do a great job on a blog, I’m sure. She’s also a great photographer, and gives me many tips.
I just found your blog (thanks to natashaskitchen.com) and I’m already loving it! My menu for the week looks like this:
Monday–Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad
Tuesday–Spinach Lasagna
Wednesday–Potato Chickpea Masala
Thursday–Leftovers
Friday–Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Saturday–Leftovers
Welcome Felicia! And a big thanks to Natasha:).
Thanks for sharing your menu. It looks very tasty. I would love to try the Potato Chickpea Masala and Noodles With Peanut Sauce. Everything else sounds yummy too.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you like what you see:)
Hey Olga
Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes! I must have made at least 1/2 of them already 
My menu:
Sunday- LObsters! with Corn and Small boiled potatoes (we live in Maine and lobsters are cheap right now)
Monday: Zuppa Toscana
Tuesday: Chicken Kotletki with Buckwheat, Fresh cucs and tomato salad
Wednesday: Shrimp fried rice
Thursday: Soup with Schavel, and maybe Pasta Alfredo
Friday: Grilled Teriyaki Sirloin Steak Tips w/ Roasted potatoes
Saturday: Hamburgers (I work, and we usually have salmon/, beef or turkey hamburgers so my hubby can work the grill)
I will also make a Peach Galette tomorrow…. and maybe a Jelly Roll later in the week. Or the Pice of Cake cake…. but ALL these comments really
make me want to try the “Rustic Chicken” What time do you go to church on Sundays? Do you make it on Saturday night and reheat it or prep it ahead of time or make it after church? Sundays are hard for us. we normally go out to eat since Church is over around lunch time….
Hi Alla!
What a super menu!
You’re having LOBSTERS! How cool is that? Now I want some too:). I might just change my mind and grill hamburgers on Saturday too.
Our church on Sundays starts at 1, so we usually have a really leisurely breakfast and aren’t too famished after church, so I make the Rustic Chicken Dinner after we come home. You could probably make it ahead of time, though.
Sundays are awesome. They really are a “day of rest”, most of the time, anyway, since we don’t have to get up really early and can relax in the mornings.
I dont plan out menu because I like to plan for meals just a day or so in advance.
yumm
Today we have zucchini for dinner…
*Stuffed zucchini with mushrooms, cheese and macaroni(turned out like mac and cheese)
*Also zucchini banana bread, I am very impressed with zucchini bread… so light and fluffy, didnt expect it that way.
For lunch we had tuna sandwich with whole grain bread
…..
I plan to make this week:
Lentil and Peas soup
Plov with ribs
If I will have friends come by definitely making this, I am worried if I make it just for us I will be gaining too much weight
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=370371083029555&set=a.133319063401426.23060.133222196744446&type=1&theater
Hi Natalya!
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Your chocolate croissants look so yummy. I’m planning on making something sweet this week too, just haven’t decided what.
Tuna sandwiches are great. I like to make those when we go to the beach. We have to watch out for the seagulls though
Yeah I am totally in love with croissants, when we go to France I think I will be more excited about croissants then eiffel tower
lol