The Heinrich Household Menu for the week of 11 Oct 2010

So, what does this have to do with teaching and learning? A ton.

First of all, menu planning saves you time. By taking 30 minutes to plan out what you and/or your family will be eating, you can plan your shopping and take the guesswork out of "what's for dinner?" When you or your partner or your oldest child get home or whomever, you can say, "Hey, the menu for tonight is right here... Let's start cooking!"

Second, menu planning saves you money. When you have a plan made, you have already taken life's craziness more or less into account. Sit down with your calendar. If you know you have class until 4 pm and have to work at 6, you know you need something quick - sandwiches are always a good choice, or plan for leftovers to eat that night. Or, in our house, you know you have to get home from work, grab the kids, head to hockey practice, and dinner will be after you get back from practice... That night is a good candidate for a crock pot meal that waits there, nice and warm, for you to get home. How does this result in money-savings? You are less likely to get home from work, open the fridge and stare into it, wondering what you should fix, and deciding to heck with it and ordering take-out or pizza delivery.

Third, planning menus and cooking at home is healthier for you. You can make better food choices when you are menu planning in advance than cruising the grocery store aisle at the end of a long work or school day. You can often afford to buy higher-quality food at the grocery store than you could if you ate out for the same amount of money. When you have a plan, you can shop the farmers' market for deals on fresh produce and other high quality food. The fall markets go through the end of this month, and both Minneapolis and St. Paul have winter markets for 4-season shopping.

Fourth, all those things help you be a better student. When you are eating good food, you get sick less often. When you're sick less often, you miss fewer classes and/or work. You can be a better parent/friend/partner/coworker. When you save money, you may find you have to work less, giving you more time to study or just relax. When you can study and find some time each day to relax, you are healthier and do better in school. See how this all works?

So, to help you get started thinking about your week and menu planning, especially if you haven't done much before, here's our household's menu for the week.

Monday (Noodle Night) - Soccer, Ginny out in the evening
[note, in my plan I do a couple of things - I make quick notes about what's going on in the household that night, and I also create "themes" for each night so I have some automatic ideas. Monday is "noodle night." That might mean spaghetti, or lo mein, or pad thai...]

Beef ravioli with tomato sauce, french bread, salad

Tuesday (Soup/Sandwich Night) - Hockey, PTA, LIBT 2210 chat

smoked chicken panini, oven fries, apple slices

Wed (Tried & True) - Hebrew School

Breakfast for dinner - waffles, turkey sausage, grapes

Thursday (Ethnic Night) -

Slow cooker chicken with mushrooms & peppers , brown rice, sauteed bok choi [some bok choi I sauteed up last week with some beautiful mushrooms is my picture for this post]

Friday (Grill Night)

Lamb chops, baked potato, applesauce, Brussels sprouts

Saturday (Kid Pick) -

DS11.5's Pick - [My kids alternate picking the Saturday night meal for our house. This week it's my oldest's pick. They have to include a fruit and veggie, or choose a "one dish" meal like pizza]

Sunday (Oven/Crock-pot Night) -

Wasabi trout, rice, sauteed cabbage