Monday – Pork Chops with Baked Potatoes and Green Beans
Tuesday – Spicy Tomato Sausage Pasta with Buns
Wednesday – BBQ Chicken with Thai Style Rice and Bean Salad
Thai Style Rice and Bean Salad
(*Note - I have not yet tried this recipe, we can try it together!)
1 cup Rice, cooled
1 cup Corn
1 cup Black beans (cooked and cooled)
1 Onion, chopped
2 Ribs celery, chopped
1 Red pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
Dressing:
2 tbsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Rice vinegar
1 tbsp Lime juice
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp Ginger, minced
Thursday – Egg Strata with Crusty Buns
Friday – Sunday – We will be away from home at camp, so whatever they serve!!
Breakfasts - Yogurt with fruit and granola, toast, cold cereal or muffins (essentially - you must fend for yourself!)
For more meal planning ideas check out Menu Plan Monday!
Have a happy week!
Christine
Showing posts with label Meal planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meal planning. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Weekly Meal Plan
In the winter I meal plan by the month, but in the summer, with our days and weeks constantly changing, I find it easier to meal plan by the week. So here is what my family will be eating this week.
Monday – BBQ Beef, Spicy potato oven fries and Coleslaw
Tuesday – Spicy buffalo drumsticks with cut carrot and celery sticks and Mediterranean inspired bean salad
We love spicy chicken wings, but chicken wings are fairly expensive, so I altered a recipe that I found to use chicken drumsticks instead. Since this is a very fiery dish, the vegetable sticks and the bean salad have a cooling effect.
Spicy Buffalo Drumsticks:
3 – 4 lbs Chicken drumsticks
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
1/3 cup Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp Butter, melted
2 tsp Cider vinegar
Marinade chicken overnight (or for at least 30 minutes). Shake off excess marinade and either bake at 375 F or bbq over medium heat, brushing meat frequently with marinade.
(Note – for a less spicy flavor omit the cayenne pepper and reduce Tabasco sauce to ¼ cup)
Wednesday – Pork chops, Baked potatoes and Broccoli salad
Thursday – Chicken burgers (made with chicken thighs), Spinach salad
Friday – Vegetarian Burritos
Saturday – Salad with hard boiled eggs and tuna
Sunday – Leftovers and whatever you can make for yourself
Lunch – Macaroni and tuna salad (made on Monday for the week) and leftovers
My sister made this for a picnic once and my kids loved it. It is so easy, no measuring, just pour and mix to taste.
Macaroni Tuna Salad
Cooked macaroni noodles
Canned tuna
Onions, chopped (any onion you like – white, green, purple)
Vegetables, chopped (any you have on hand – peppers, peas, celery)
Mayonnaise
Favorite seasoning blend (we use steak spice)
Mix it all together to your macaroni, tuna and veggies are well coated in the mayonnaise. Chill for at least 6 hours.
Breakfast - Yogurt, granola, fruit, toast, eggs and cereal
One of my goals this summer is to get my grocery bill down, while not sacrificing produce or dairy. Another goal is to add more beans and lentils into my families diet. What are some of the things you are working on right now when it comes to meal planning?
For more meal planning ideas see Menu Plan Monday.
Have a blessed Monday,
Christine
Monday – BBQ Beef, Spicy potato oven fries and Coleslaw
Tuesday – Spicy buffalo drumsticks with cut carrot and celery sticks and Mediterranean inspired bean salad
We love spicy chicken wings, but chicken wings are fairly expensive, so I altered a recipe that I found to use chicken drumsticks instead. Since this is a very fiery dish, the vegetable sticks and the bean salad have a cooling effect.
Spicy Buffalo Drumsticks:
3 – 4 lbs Chicken drumsticks
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
1/3 cup Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp Butter, melted
2 tsp Cider vinegar
Marinade chicken overnight (or for at least 30 minutes). Shake off excess marinade and either bake at 375 F or bbq over medium heat, brushing meat frequently with marinade.
(Note – for a less spicy flavor omit the cayenne pepper and reduce Tabasco sauce to ¼ cup)
Wednesday – Pork chops, Baked potatoes and Broccoli salad
Thursday – Chicken burgers (made with chicken thighs), Spinach salad
Friday – Vegetarian Burritos
Saturday – Salad with hard boiled eggs and tuna
Sunday – Leftovers and whatever you can make for yourself
Lunch – Macaroni and tuna salad (made on Monday for the week) and leftovers
My sister made this for a picnic once and my kids loved it. It is so easy, no measuring, just pour and mix to taste.
Macaroni Tuna Salad
Cooked macaroni noodles
Canned tuna
Onions, chopped (any onion you like – white, green, purple)
Vegetables, chopped (any you have on hand – peppers, peas, celery)
Mayonnaise
Favorite seasoning blend (we use steak spice)
Mix it all together to your macaroni, tuna and veggies are well coated in the mayonnaise. Chill for at least 6 hours.
Breakfast - Yogurt, granola, fruit, toast, eggs and cereal
One of my goals this summer is to get my grocery bill down, while not sacrificing produce or dairy. Another goal is to add more beans and lentils into my families diet. What are some of the things you are working on right now when it comes to meal planning?
For more meal planning ideas see Menu Plan Monday.
Have a blessed Monday,
Christine
Monday, July 6, 2009
How Much Does The Average Canadian Spend on Food?
The actual facts are hard to pull from the data available. According to Statistics Canada, an average family in Alberta spends around $625 a month on food. What makes it so difficult is what constitutes a family – which is anything from a single person living on their own, to a married couple with 10 children. Averages that cover such a broad spectrum are not very good indicators of what an average family – or in my case, 2 adults and 4 children – would spend per month on food.
I feel that I am a very frugal shopper; I don’t buy a lot of prepared or packaged food or too many “snack” items, nor do we spend much on eating out (between $50 - $100 per month) and yet my food budget over the last year (includes all household supplies like toilet paper and personal supplies like toothpaste and shampoo) ran an average of $1,030 per month. This equals out to $172 a month per person, or $5.85 a day per person. Now keep in mind that I am essentially feeding 5 adults and 1 child and that this amount is in Canadian dollars, but I have been determined to make some changes and get this amount down!
So how low can I go without sacrificing health and nutrition and fearing revolt of my husband and children?
Over the last month or so I have been researching what other families are eating, looking for new recipes and essentially trying to find ways to cut costs. I came across a blog that holds a carnival called Meal Plan Mondays. I also have found a blog from a mom that feeds her family of 6 on $60 a week! Can you even imagine? I spend that just on dairy and produce every week (actually, I think I spend closer to $80 on dairy and produce each week)!
So how is she and others like her doing it?
This last month I determined that I would cut my food budget $200 – my goal amount is $800 per month, which equals out to approximately $133 a month per person (or $4.38 a day per person), and to do this I have already implemented a lot of significant changes:
1. I have started making homemade yogurt.
The cost per month for homemade yogurt is $12.50. I was spending about double that before and we were not eating yogurt ever day, just for snacks. Now about 3 of us have yogurt almost every day for breakfast.
2. I started making my own cleaning supplies.
I read a few articles, looked up countless recipes and then jumped right in! It is hard to guess, but I think I am saving about $175 a year, which equals out to a savings of almost $15 a month.
3. I have replaced canned beans with dried beans and have added more lentils and barley.
Everyone in our family has always loved beans, but switching from canned to dried only took a bit of planning, and it costs significantly less! I make all my beans in my slow cooker, so really, the effort involved is minimal and I can make about a side dish of beans for around .50 instead of $2.50. That is a pretty significant difference.
I am not to fond of lentils (I never had them growing up), but I am working on developing a taste for them. My boys like them fine, but my daughter will not even try them (stubborn girl!) and we all love barley. I have found lots of new recipes and will be trying them out and perfecting them for our family over the next few months. When we try something we love I will share it J!
4. I plan for one meatless meal and one frugal protein meal per week.
I was pretty much already doing this; I love having a good vegetarian meal at least once per week and although sometimes the meat lovers in my house complain (quietly – in fear of losing their meal), all my boys love their veggies as much as I do and I have been slowly turning my husband as well. I have been searching for even more vegetarian recipes over the last month and I think I have found some that everyone will enjoy and will cost less then $10 to make.
I also have been diligently making sure that I make at least one meal with eggs or tuna each week, both of which are very frugal and nutritious. A tuna casserole costs around $7 to make and will typically feed at least two people lunch the next day. A meal with eggs normally comes in around $5 - $6 and my daughter will actually eat these meals.
Cutting our food budget is a daunting task for me – we live in Alberta (a wee bit red neck) and a meal is not a meal without a big hunk of meat on your plate! Yet with a bit of creativity and work I am confident that everyone will leave the table full and satisfied.
So here is our weekly meal plan: (added late - but better late than never!!)
Monday - Pork roast with roasted carrots and onions and mashed potatoes; desert - Rhubarb pudding cake with whipped cream
Tuesday - Bbq meatloaf with potato salad, baked bbq beans and corn
Wednesday - Spicy spaghetti with homemade garlic bread
Thursday - Spicy coconut Rice and beans with curry vegetables
Friday - Asian pork hamburgers with stuffed jalapenos and salad (with ginger dressings and white beans)
Saturday - Eggs and toast with muffins or biscuits
Sunday - FREE FOR ALL!! :)
Breakfasts: cold cereal, yogurt and granola, muffins or toast
Lunch: whatever you can make yourself or find in the fridge :)
Possible desserts: Apple-rhubarb crisp, ice cream with fruit and fudge sauce, lava cakes, cheesecakes (I haven't quite decided what I am going to make just yet for the rest of the week, but here are some of the requests and options)
Related Posts:
Frugal Grocery Budget
50 Money Saving Tips
Christine
I feel that I am a very frugal shopper; I don’t buy a lot of prepared or packaged food or too many “snack” items, nor do we spend much on eating out (between $50 - $100 per month) and yet my food budget over the last year (includes all household supplies like toilet paper and personal supplies like toothpaste and shampoo) ran an average of $1,030 per month. This equals out to $172 a month per person, or $5.85 a day per person. Now keep in mind that I am essentially feeding 5 adults and 1 child and that this amount is in Canadian dollars, but I have been determined to make some changes and get this amount down!
So how low can I go without sacrificing health and nutrition and fearing revolt of my husband and children?
Over the last month or so I have been researching what other families are eating, looking for new recipes and essentially trying to find ways to cut costs. I came across a blog that holds a carnival called Meal Plan Mondays. I also have found a blog from a mom that feeds her family of 6 on $60 a week! Can you even imagine? I spend that just on dairy and produce every week (actually, I think I spend closer to $80 on dairy and produce each week)!
So how is she and others like her doing it?
This last month I determined that I would cut my food budget $200 – my goal amount is $800 per month, which equals out to approximately $133 a month per person (or $4.38 a day per person), and to do this I have already implemented a lot of significant changes:
1. I have started making homemade yogurt.
The cost per month for homemade yogurt is $12.50. I was spending about double that before and we were not eating yogurt ever day, just for snacks. Now about 3 of us have yogurt almost every day for breakfast.
2. I started making my own cleaning supplies.
I read a few articles, looked up countless recipes and then jumped right in! It is hard to guess, but I think I am saving about $175 a year, which equals out to a savings of almost $15 a month.
3. I have replaced canned beans with dried beans and have added more lentils and barley.
Everyone in our family has always loved beans, but switching from canned to dried only took a bit of planning, and it costs significantly less! I make all my beans in my slow cooker, so really, the effort involved is minimal and I can make about a side dish of beans for around .50 instead of $2.50. That is a pretty significant difference.
I am not to fond of lentils (I never had them growing up), but I am working on developing a taste for them. My boys like them fine, but my daughter will not even try them (stubborn girl!) and we all love barley. I have found lots of new recipes and will be trying them out and perfecting them for our family over the next few months. When we try something we love I will share it J!
4. I plan for one meatless meal and one frugal protein meal per week.
I was pretty much already doing this; I love having a good vegetarian meal at least once per week and although sometimes the meat lovers in my house complain (quietly – in fear of losing their meal), all my boys love their veggies as much as I do and I have been slowly turning my husband as well. I have been searching for even more vegetarian recipes over the last month and I think I have found some that everyone will enjoy and will cost less then $10 to make.
I also have been diligently making sure that I make at least one meal with eggs or tuna each week, both of which are very frugal and nutritious. A tuna casserole costs around $7 to make and will typically feed at least two people lunch the next day. A meal with eggs normally comes in around $5 - $6 and my daughter will actually eat these meals.
Cutting our food budget is a daunting task for me – we live in Alberta (a wee bit red neck) and a meal is not a meal without a big hunk of meat on your plate! Yet with a bit of creativity and work I am confident that everyone will leave the table full and satisfied.
So here is our weekly meal plan: (added late - but better late than never!!)
Monday - Pork roast with roasted carrots and onions and mashed potatoes; desert - Rhubarb pudding cake with whipped cream
Tuesday - Bbq meatloaf with potato salad, baked bbq beans and corn
Wednesday - Spicy spaghetti with homemade garlic bread
Thursday - Spicy coconut Rice and beans with curry vegetables
Friday - Asian pork hamburgers with stuffed jalapenos and salad (with ginger dressings and white beans)
Saturday - Eggs and toast with muffins or biscuits
Sunday - FREE FOR ALL!! :)
Breakfasts: cold cereal, yogurt and granola, muffins or toast
Lunch: whatever you can make yourself or find in the fridge :)
Possible desserts: Apple-rhubarb crisp, ice cream with fruit and fudge sauce, lava cakes, cheesecakes (I haven't quite decided what I am going to make just yet for the rest of the week, but here are some of the requests and options)
Related Posts:
Frugal Grocery Budget
50 Money Saving Tips
Christine
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday
My days can be summed up as…A. Busy, but running like a well-oiled machine.
B. A blur! Frantic running from one appointment or activity to the next, with nothing ever really getting done.
C. I am slowly going crazy – I don’t know what I will serve for dinner tonight, I have a pile of laundry as high as a 10 year old child, we have been out of milk for two days and we missed the first day of soccer last night.
Having a plan will save you time, money and sanity! Every year in late August I sit down and redo our chore charts for the family. Each of us has lead roles in certain areas, so I after I figure out the children’s chore charts I make one for myself. Basically this is just a weekly schedule of what needs to be done each week, like cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc. It is typically based loosely on last year schedule, making any changes that I think I need due any family or work changes. For the most part things have remained the same for the last few years - this helps the kids get into the routine of what I am doing and what is expected of them, but this is also for my benefit, as the older I get the more routine I like!
Monday
Tuesday
Here is my typical "Wednesday To Do List":
Wednesday is my kitchen day and my kids favourite day of the week. After my quick 20 minute clean I roll up my sleeves and get to work!
1. Baking
I love to bake cookies, squares, muffins, breads, you name it. I have a confession to make here, normally the first thing I bake is cookies, then promptly eat, hmmmm…4…okay, maybe more like 6. What can I say? I have no will power and I LOVE coffee and cookies! After my over-indulgence, I normally have no appetite for anything else I bake, so it all gets stored away, the majority of it in the freezer.
I also will often make 1 – 2 dozen muffins for my parents, which I store and freeze for them. My dad was eating store bought muffins (just saying that makes me cringe), once I found out I just couldn’t abide by that so ever since I make a point of baking them and setting them aside for them.
I also top up my granola, I love homemade granola, as does my eldest son and husband.
2. Casseroles
I always try to have 1 – 2 casseroles in the freezer for those days that nothing goes the way I planned or in case of last minute change of plans. I also do not like to cook much on weekends, I typically love big brunches and no fuss dinners, so casseroles work well for those nights as well. I personally am not found of casseroles, but my boys and husband absolutely love them. There favourites typically include some sort of ground beef, so I just add the ingredients for 2 – 3 casseroles per month into my monthly grocery shopping trip.
Monday
Tuesday
Here is my typical "Wednesday To Do List":
Wednesday is my kitchen day and my kids favourite day of the week. After my quick 20 minute clean I roll up my sleeves and get to work!
1. Baking
I love to bake cookies, squares, muffins, breads, you name it. I have a confession to make here, normally the first thing I bake is cookies, then promptly eat, hmmmm…4…okay, maybe more like 6. What can I say? I have no will power and I LOVE coffee and cookies! After my over-indulgence, I normally have no appetite for anything else I bake, so it all gets stored away, the majority of it in the freezer.
I also will often make 1 – 2 dozen muffins for my parents, which I store and freeze for them. My dad was eating store bought muffins (just saying that makes me cringe), once I found out I just couldn’t abide by that so ever since I make a point of baking them and setting them aside for them.
I also top up my granola, I love homemade granola, as does my eldest son and husband.
2. Casseroles
I always try to have 1 – 2 casseroles in the freezer for those days that nothing goes the way I planned or in case of last minute change of plans. I also do not like to cook much on weekends, I typically love big brunches and no fuss dinners, so casseroles work well for those nights as well. I personally am not found of casseroles, but my boys and husband absolutely love them. There favourites typically include some sort of ground beef, so I just add the ingredients for 2 – 3 casseroles per month into my monthly grocery shopping trip.
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This works for me!
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For more posts like this:
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Have blessed Wednesday!
Christine
Monday, June 15, 2009
Catch All Tuesday
As I stated yesterday, this week I will be outlining my basic weekly schedule. Of course there are always exceptions and changes when need be, but beside my kids weekly chore schedule, I keep this basic outline to help me get the most out of my time. Since I am not a naturally organized person, I feel that sometimes my days can get a little scattered, plus, whenever I feel overwhelmed or tired this really helps - there is not thinking about what needs to get done and it helps me focus on all the tasks of the week.
Tuesday is my "catch all day", Tuesday's schedule becomes Monday's schedule if we had a long weekend or if for whatever reason I had to be out of the house all day long on Monday, but following a regular Monday...
Here is my typical "Tuesday To Do List":
1. Grocery Shopping
Every four weeks I do my big grocery shop, so obviously this is not an every Tuesday occurrence. But the shopping takes all day, I hit Costco, Walmart and Save On Foods, as some foods are cheaper at one place over another.
I have a huge list I go by, that includes all the pantry items and freezer items I will need for my monthly meal plan, plus and extra list of everything I need with regards to household items (e.g., toilet paper), personal items (e.g., shampoo) and some extra staples (e.g., peanut butter, mustard, juice, etc.). Sometimes I guess wrong and run out of baking ingredients or peanut butter, but over all this takes most of the guess work out of shopping and I normally have pretty good estimates of what extras I will need. Typically I always guess on the side of too much for staples or I will buy 2 or 3 extra if I find a really good sale, as extras can just be kept in my huge downstairs pantry that my hubby made for me.
I buy all of my meat in bulk at Costco, so this does take some type to separate into meal size portions. With my meal plan, I also created a list of all the food prep that needs to take place for that month. The list outlines how much hamburger to fry for the month, if I need to separate the bacon (some soup recipes call for just a few strips of bacon), what meat needs to be packaged in a marinade and so forth. Having this all done ahead of time is a huge time saver during a busy week and saves me a ton of money when I buy in bulk, so it is worth the extra effort. Often I run out of time on Tuesday to finish and this chore runs into Wednesday, as my Tuesday evenings are often really busy so whatever doesn't get done by 3:10 (when I have to leave to pick up the kids) typically has to wait till the next day.
2. Appointments
On Tuesdays I will set up appointments needed, like doctor, orthodontist, dentist and so forth.
3. Errands
I always seem to have some errand that needs to be done, whether it is dropping too small clothes of the kids off at a friends or charity, or depositing cheques into the bank, there always seems to be something.
4. Contract/Volunteer work
Whenever I take contract work (that can be done at home) or am helping with Women's Ministry at our church, Tuesday is the day that I set aside a chunk of time to get to work. This is also the day that I will spend more time writing, reading and researching different topics.
5. Baking
Tuesday is not my big baking day, but on those rare Tuesdays that I get everything done with time to spare, I will often bake up a quick batch of cookies or muffins, much to the delight of my kids.
Oh, I almost forgot, there is no way that I can do no cleaning in a day, on Tuesdays I do the basic, sweep the floors, clean up after breakfast, do a quick tidy of the living room and my bedroom (e.g., make my bed, put away anything my daughter or I left out from getting ready in the morning, etc.). I try to limit my cleaning time to 20 minutes, I put on a timer and go (and I do mean go!). I have a tendency to want to clean more than I should (it is a bad habit really), so putting on a timer helps to keep my on track, because I do have other things that need to be done and sometimes focusing is not my strong suit!
So there you have it - my super fun Tuesdays!
For more posts like this:
The Goal of Housekeeping
Making Summer Cleaning Quick and Efficient
Blessings,
Christine
Tuesday is my "catch all day", Tuesday's schedule becomes Monday's schedule if we had a long weekend or if for whatever reason I had to be out of the house all day long on Monday, but following a regular Monday...
Here is my typical "Tuesday To Do List":
1. Grocery Shopping
Every four weeks I do my big grocery shop, so obviously this is not an every Tuesday occurrence. But the shopping takes all day, I hit Costco, Walmart and Save On Foods, as some foods are cheaper at one place over another.
I have a huge list I go by, that includes all the pantry items and freezer items I will need for my monthly meal plan, plus and extra list of everything I need with regards to household items (e.g., toilet paper), personal items (e.g., shampoo) and some extra staples (e.g., peanut butter, mustard, juice, etc.). Sometimes I guess wrong and run out of baking ingredients or peanut butter, but over all this takes most of the guess work out of shopping and I normally have pretty good estimates of what extras I will need. Typically I always guess on the side of too much for staples or I will buy 2 or 3 extra if I find a really good sale, as extras can just be kept in my huge downstairs pantry that my hubby made for me.
I buy all of my meat in bulk at Costco, so this does take some type to separate into meal size portions. With my meal plan, I also created a list of all the food prep that needs to take place for that month. The list outlines how much hamburger to fry for the month, if I need to separate the bacon (some soup recipes call for just a few strips of bacon), what meat needs to be packaged in a marinade and so forth. Having this all done ahead of time is a huge time saver during a busy week and saves me a ton of money when I buy in bulk, so it is worth the extra effort. Often I run out of time on Tuesday to finish and this chore runs into Wednesday, as my Tuesday evenings are often really busy so whatever doesn't get done by 3:10 (when I have to leave to pick up the kids) typically has to wait till the next day.
2. Appointments
On Tuesdays I will set up appointments needed, like doctor, orthodontist, dentist and so forth.
3. Errands
I always seem to have some errand that needs to be done, whether it is dropping too small clothes of the kids off at a friends or charity, or depositing cheques into the bank, there always seems to be something.
4. Contract/Volunteer work
Whenever I take contract work (that can be done at home) or am helping with Women's Ministry at our church, Tuesday is the day that I set aside a chunk of time to get to work. This is also the day that I will spend more time writing, reading and researching different topics.
5. Baking
Tuesday is not my big baking day, but on those rare Tuesdays that I get everything done with time to spare, I will often bake up a quick batch of cookies or muffins, much to the delight of my kids.
Oh, I almost forgot, there is no way that I can do no cleaning in a day, on Tuesdays I do the basic, sweep the floors, clean up after breakfast, do a quick tidy of the living room and my bedroom (e.g., make my bed, put away anything my daughter or I left out from getting ready in the morning, etc.). I try to limit my cleaning time to 20 minutes, I put on a timer and go (and I do mean go!). I have a tendency to want to clean more than I should (it is a bad habit really), so putting on a timer helps to keep my on track, because I do have other things that need to be done and sometimes focusing is not my strong suit!
So there you have it - my super fun Tuesdays!
For more posts like this:
The Goal of Housekeeping
Making Summer Cleaning Quick and Efficient
Blessings,
Christine
Mondays
Since my kids are all in school and I do not work full-time out side of the home, I get asked alot "what do you do all day long?" In order to answer that question I am going to spend the next 5 days outlining my weekly schedule.
Mondays are the most important day of the week for me during the school year (this will change once the kids get out of school, but we still have two weeks of school left this year). Mondays are my cleaning and organizing day, the day I set aside to get the entire week ready and organized.
Here is my typical "Monday To Do List":
1. Laundry
Other then bed sheets, all the laundry in the house needs to be brought down to the laundry room. Our laundry room is in the bathroom on the main floor, and although it is nice not to have to bring the clothes all the way to the basement (especially since that would mean hauling it up and down two levels for 5 of us), the bathroom is not big enough for any laundry piles. So everyone keeps a basket in their room for dirty laundry and on Mondays and Thursdays they need to bring it down to be washed. If they forget (it has happen a few times), they need to wait till the next laundry day to get it done. I do the laundry and put it back in the baskets for the kids to haul back upstairs (or downstairs for my eldest son who is a basement dweller) and put away.
Typically I do about 4 - 6 loads of laundry on Mondays, which unfortunately takes way longer than it should due to the fact that I need a new dryer. I would hang some clothes to dry, but my middle son Justin is very allergic to many different pollens, such as grass, Birch trees and so forth, which causes a rash all over his body, therefore, we do no outside drying.
2. Cleaning
The weekend seems to destroy my house every time, I don't know what happens exactly, but by Monday morning my fingers are just aching to clean, clean, clean!! On Monday I clean the entire main floor (kitchen, dinning room, living room, family room, bathroom, hallways and entrance ways) as well as the two bathrooms on the second floor and the master bedroom.
3. Meal planning
I follow a monthly meal plan and buy all my non-perishables and everything that I can freeze (meat, bread, etc) once a month. I have a list of fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy from my meal plan that I pick up on Mondays (and any baking supplies that I have ran out of), although sometimes this is done on Sunday evenings, whichever is easiest and most convenient for me.
On Mondays I always plan my biggest meal of the week and lunches for the week. For instance, I will cook a roast of beef or pork that is large enough for dinner, then lunchmeat for the remaining four days of the week. If I am planning on a pasta salad or soup for lunches that week, then I would also prepare that.
Monday is also my yogurt making day, since I am typically at home for the majority of the day, this is the best day for me. Although making yogurt is not difficult by any means, it does take some monitoring and planning, this is easiest if you are planning on being home.
4. Weekly planning
I have a basic schedule that I follow, but sometimes we have field trips, or special evening events or extra things that need to be done (like getting my wheels aligned or baking something for a class snack or any other of the hundreds of things that come up with kids!). On Monday I plan out my week, adding appointments, tasks, or making any changes in my weekly meal plan due to evening commitments (which often is as easy as swapping meals around a bit, like Tuesdays crock pot meal on Wednesday), but sometimes that means that due to time constraints, we get a fun pizza or mac and cheese night.
So there you have it, my typical Monday…and since I have the majority of these chores left to do I better get at it!
Have a great week!
Christine
Mondays are the most important day of the week for me during the school year (this will change once the kids get out of school, but we still have two weeks of school left this year). Mondays are my cleaning and organizing day, the day I set aside to get the entire week ready and organized.
Here is my typical "Monday To Do List":
1. Laundry
Other then bed sheets, all the laundry in the house needs to be brought down to the laundry room. Our laundry room is in the bathroom on the main floor, and although it is nice not to have to bring the clothes all the way to the basement (especially since that would mean hauling it up and down two levels for 5 of us), the bathroom is not big enough for any laundry piles. So everyone keeps a basket in their room for dirty laundry and on Mondays and Thursdays they need to bring it down to be washed. If they forget (it has happen a few times), they need to wait till the next laundry day to get it done. I do the laundry and put it back in the baskets for the kids to haul back upstairs (or downstairs for my eldest son who is a basement dweller) and put away.
Typically I do about 4 - 6 loads of laundry on Mondays, which unfortunately takes way longer than it should due to the fact that I need a new dryer. I would hang some clothes to dry, but my middle son Justin is very allergic to many different pollens, such as grass, Birch trees and so forth, which causes a rash all over his body, therefore, we do no outside drying.
2. Cleaning
The weekend seems to destroy my house every time, I don't know what happens exactly, but by Monday morning my fingers are just aching to clean, clean, clean!! On Monday I clean the entire main floor (kitchen, dinning room, living room, family room, bathroom, hallways and entrance ways) as well as the two bathrooms on the second floor and the master bedroom.
3. Meal planning
I follow a monthly meal plan and buy all my non-perishables and everything that I can freeze (meat, bread, etc) once a month. I have a list of fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy from my meal plan that I pick up on Mondays (and any baking supplies that I have ran out of), although sometimes this is done on Sunday evenings, whichever is easiest and most convenient for me.
On Mondays I always plan my biggest meal of the week and lunches for the week. For instance, I will cook a roast of beef or pork that is large enough for dinner, then lunchmeat for the remaining four days of the week. If I am planning on a pasta salad or soup for lunches that week, then I would also prepare that.
Monday is also my yogurt making day, since I am typically at home for the majority of the day, this is the best day for me. Although making yogurt is not difficult by any means, it does take some monitoring and planning, this is easiest if you are planning on being home.
4. Weekly planning
I have a basic schedule that I follow, but sometimes we have field trips, or special evening events or extra things that need to be done (like getting my wheels aligned or baking something for a class snack or any other of the hundreds of things that come up with kids!). On Monday I plan out my week, adding appointments, tasks, or making any changes in my weekly meal plan due to evening commitments (which often is as easy as swapping meals around a bit, like Tuesdays crock pot meal on Wednesday), but sometimes that means that due to time constraints, we get a fun pizza or mac and cheese night.
So there you have it, my typical Monday…and since I have the majority of these chores left to do I better get at it!
Have a great week!
Christine
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