I plan around my proteins. I buy meats first, always have some frozen chicken on hand. I buy beef at Costco, and freeze, so we have a steak maybe every two weeks. Frozen shrimp.

I will change my ideas when I get to the store and find a better bargain in another protein. "Oh, they had pork chops on sale!". But I'd never plan on pork chops and then buy them anyway even if the price is high. I look for bargains/sales.

That's just a start for this discussion. I hope I can learn a lot from the ports that come next!

It varies. Frequently I'm in the grip of some mania or craving - Must . . . Have . . . Shellfish . . . Sometimes I have a specific recipe that I want to shop for and make, so I go out armed with a photocopy of a cookbook page. Other times I just wander around the meat, fish, and produce areas, Alice-wise, until something says ''Eat Me''. Or I'll go rummage around the bargain bin and get experimental about what I can make with it - I found lamb neck bones this way, a couple days ago, tried them, and they were pretty good. Lately, I browse here for inspiration. What I usually don't do, is cook when I can't come up with anything I particularly want to eat. There's leftovers, or freezer velcro, for those days.

I do a bit of both of the above. Usually I wander around the meat/fish area until I am inspired (either by a sale or craving) and then build the meal around whatever I have selected. I am pretty good at remembering my pantry ingredients, so I know if I need a jar of roasted red peppers or something to fill out a particular meal.

I always have boneless chicken of some sort int he freezer along with several packages of prepared food, so when inspiration abandons me I can always pull something out. I was just eyeing a package of ggrilled peppers and onions and some left over grilled corn that has been languishing in the back, so I think this thread has nudged me in the direction of something on the grill with the left over frozen veggies.

Alexa

If I'm going to try a new recipe or make an old favorite for a special family dinner, then I will shop specifically for the ingredients for that recipe. Otherwise, I keep the freezer filled with chicken pieces, cubed steak, small sirloin steaks for stir fry, ham pieces for cooking beans, pork chops, frozen fish, and a few bags of frozen vegetables, peas, green beans, spinach, corn and mixed greens. Then I see what looks good in the produce section or is on sale to round out my meals. I often cook a larger pot roast or whole chicken on the weekend or I'll make a large pot of meat sauce for pasta and freeze it. Often I'll make a pot of soup on the weekend to freeze and have for lunch during the work week.

So, my shopping varies according to what I feel like having and what is already in the freezer.

Teresa

I'm a total nerd in this division. I have a plan within a plan - as if life wasn't busy enough (LOL). I've followed this plan for so many years it's second nature.

We do home food storage similar to what is taught in the LDS Church, so I "shop-at-home" rotating food in and out of storage. Food is purchased at rock-bottom prices and my food budget for 2011 is $125/month for two adults, which is down from $150/month in 2010. Food dollars buy food only!

Meat purchases are kept to $10/week total and I try to stay $2/pound and under. I save unspent food dollars in the summer when the garden is in full swing and purchase grass-fed beef from a friend in the fall for the freezer.

Ground meat (commercial or home-ground) is mixed with ground "wheat meat" (aka seitan or gluten) made from either whole wheat flour or Vital Wheat Gluten, as a high-protein meat extender - so I'm adding a low-costing protein with a high-costing one so I maintain the amount of protein per serving, instead of stretching protein with a carbohydrate (noodles, rice, etc) - which most people consume too many of. Three meals per week include small amounts of meat + meat alternative for a complete protein, and one day per week is vegetarian using meat alternatives.

I also stick to whole, nutrient dense, foods as much as possible. Mill my own flour from a large variety of grains/seeds/beans in storage, and make all our baked goods. I don't purchase any cereal products, I make those from whole grains for pennies. Make my own "convenience" foods from ingredients in storage. We use powdered milk products and I make homemade kefir (a yogurt-like product, but easier to make and better for you than yogurt) from both powdered milk and powdered coconut milk. The curd is drained and used for cream cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, and the liquid form of kefir is used as a substitute for buttermilk.

Fresh veggies come from the garden spring through fall, and in the winter I grow a lot of sprouts and micro-greens indoors, and grow wheatgrass for juicing all year. I do a lot of dehydrating.

The first plan is based on the old Basic-4 Food Group and that's so we consume a variety of foods from all the food groups. I like the Basic-4 because there are generally fewer total calories and less carbs than the Food Pyramid. If I add anything to the Basic 4 it's a serving of nuts each day and possibly more servings of fruit/vegetables.

Total servings per day:

Bread & Cereal - 4 servings
Fruit & Vegetable - 4 servings
Meat & Meat Alternatives - 2 servings
Milk/Dairy - 2 servings

Followed by the meal plan itself. I can take any day and switch it with another day, or leave it out entirely without messing up the rest of the week. Many food items are made once, portioned for 1-2 servings and used out of the freezer for subsequent meals - soup, spaghetti sauce, sandwich meats, shredded beef/pork/chicken, seasoned meat for Mexican entrees, mashed potatoes... I may only make sloppy Joe meat 3-times a year, but maintain a constant stock of it in the freezer.

MONDAY - BIG meal
Large cut of meat with all the fixings. The meat will be used for other meals - sandwich meat, stir-fry, possibly a portion frozen to use later, and often the source for homemade soup (i.e. the chicken or turkey carcass)

TUESDAY - Leftovers

WEDNESDAY - Stir-fry

THURSDAY - International (for want of a better title)
Generally something Italian or Mexican (pasta-related or based on a homemade tortilla)

FRIDAY - Vegetarian

SATURDAY - Soup and/or Sandwich

SUNDAY - Homemade Pizza (or in the summer, a dinner salad)

-Grainlady

What I do:

1. Look thru WFD threads and see what appeals to me.
2. Check my refrigerator and see what needs to be used first.
3. Check what's on sale.

dcarch

What dcarch does except for number one.
I also keep a well stocked pantry and freezer and can typically make what I want without going to the grocery store. But since I go all the time I pick up various produce and meat then figure out what to do with over the next few days. I do prefer most meats fresh over frozen although I might cut big things in chunks for the freezer.

I really don't like to plan more than a few hours ahead because I might not feel like eating what I make then. I am definitely cooking and planning around my cravings and whims. The rest of the family goes along fine as I also crave a lot of variety! I do cook to dh's whims too and he is about like me, that way.

How will I know tomorrow night what I feel like eating until I get there?

I like to plan our weekly meals writing my menus on a piece of paper, then I'll make my grocery list from that if I need something that I'm out of.

Sometimes I go thru cookbooks looking for something new; then I make my grocery list from that. *tip* always write down which book and page # you got the recipe from. I can't tell you how many times I got the ingredients for a certain recipe and then couldn't remember what book I got it from or what I was going to make! hahah!

Then other times, I look in the freezer and pantry and see what needs to be used up.

So it all depends.

wow. If I had to do half what grainlady does just to get food on the table, well, let's just say, my family would be hungry. A lot.
I have trouble planning cause of the crazy sports schedule my darling is on. She practices basketball every day that she doesn't have a game. Twice a week, we leave for volleyball immediately following basketball. It's an hour drive to Vball, so she eats in the car on the way.
I need to make meals in an hour and I try to prepare for shopping all week, then shop early Sunday morning. But I make the same things every week, it seems. Roast turkey, pasta dishes, and chopped salads. Once a week we eat a steak, once we'll eat seafood.
I dearly love to look at the WFD thread. I have my favorite cooks there but my dinners never look like theirs!! Really difficult to take a photo while driving 65mph in the dark, so I can never join in the fun, but I love to look!
I found this forum because I was looking for new ideas. Boy! Are there ideas here!
I also use the site allrecipesdotcom to put recipes in an online shopping list that i can access from my phone. I like to read the reviews and I have found some really good recipes there, too!

I buy meat on sale. A lot from the "whoops we butchered too much" clearance section at Randall's. Some (mostly chicken and steaks) when they are on sale and I bother to look at the grocery store ads. Fish I buy from the HEB near my work that has a good selection and reasonable prices. I go there about once every 4-5 weeks and stock up.

All of that gets frozen into reasonable serving sizes. Then every 7-10 days, I grab stuff out of my freezer for the week. Usually three packages. Then I write out my menu for the next week or week+ based on what I took out. Some meats will make two different meals. Some meals will be leftovers for later in the week. And some leftovers will go in the freezer for a meal in a month. In addition I try to do at least one meatless meal per week.

I do try to do new recipes regularly so for those recipes, I'll write down missing ingredients on the list and make that the following week or whenever I do my next planning session once I have been to the store. I also take into account things that need to be used up when planning. I just made a BOATload of turkey stock (since I made a turkey on Jan 1) so it was time to use up some of my existing poultry stock, so I made soup recently. Perfect time of year for that!

LOL bumblebeez, I understand your feeling! In my case, I usually get myself in the mood for whatever I'm going to cook. I'm making cod tonight and have been thinking about that cod for the past few days, and I'm really in the mood for it! I sometimes forget what is on the menu for a given day and usually look in the morning before leaving for work. By the time I get home, I'm craving whatever it is I'm going to make. I guess that's the way my brain works!

I don't freeze uncooked meat or poultry so that fact somewhat drives the way I shop and plan meals. I go to one or more of our farmers' makets or local fish or ethnic makets once a week and look around for what looks good and/or what is a good value.

Then as I walk around, I think of what items would go with what I'd like to buy. I often remember a dish or combination of ingredients someone has posted on the CF.

When I was working, I'd go home and do what we called a cook-a-thon and patially prepare meals for most of the week. But now that I'm retired, I cook with a different style.

I don't plan a specific meal for a specific day. When our kids were in sports and school activities, we always had homemade soups, stews and vegetable salads in the fridge.

If there's a recipe I'd like to try, I will pick up the ingredients to make it but most of the time, I let the best things I see plan the menus for me.

I usually shop once a week. First I go to the market and see what fish/meat looks good and is reasonably priced. Today I left with some nice flounder, a chicken and some nice beef filee. I hope to smoke the fish and possibly the chicken. Filee gets to be cut to portions and some of it goes to freezer. We usually have one day a week, Friday, when I make the delicious beef steak dinner. After that selection, next stop is vegetables/fruits that I need to stock up, last all the rest of if that is low (eggs, milk products, flour and s.o.).
Once our Smoker/BBQ is fully functional, I see us smoking once a week, or once every other week for most of our meat/fish needs. Then I just need to make side dishes to go with the proteins.
I also usually have at least one soup day a week, to keep the food budget lower.

On my better weeks, my meal planning strives to be closer to grainlady's. On my fall-apart weeks, I just keep digging deeper into the pantry and freezer to come up with something for dinner. But in general, I shop once every week for meat/fish, dairy, fresh veggies and maybe the ingredients for a special recipe. DH usually adds one more trip just for milk (10-yo DS... we should buy a cow). Once a month, I make that a "restock the pantry" trip, where I may include trips to other places like Penzey's, the Lebanese market for bulk grains, etc.

Our meals generally follow a guideline that includes:
1 meat-centric meal such as a roast chicken, grilled pork tenderloin, etc.
1 seafood meal (completely depends on what's available)
1 ground-meat meal (meatloaf with non-meat extender such as oatmeal, shepherd's pie, goulash, etc.)
3 vegetarian or nearly so meals (i.e. veggie soup with one spicy sausage added, broccoli quiche, pasta, stir fry - usually one of these are "assemble" meals using the help of Trader Joes sauces or boxed broths or frozen veggie gyozas)
1 restaurant meal

I often cook by what's available in the garden (right now, zucchini, parsley, onions, meyer lemons, oranges).

I find if I shop too often, I get lazy, spend too much, and the meals contain much more meat.

There's one book that I've recommended to friends and family: Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. Though the recipes may or may not be to your taste (they're often simplified, few-ingredient versions of more complex recipes), what I do like about the book: it's organized by season, then week by week. Each week offers six dinners which typically include one main dish, plus simple suggestions for sides, i.e. baked sweet potatoes, brown rice, steamed veggies, salad, etc.). Each week includes a shopping list broken down by meat, condiments, produce, canned goods, spices, dairy, dry goods, bakery. And each recipe includes dietary info: calories, fat, protein, carbs, fiber, cholesterol, sodium, and exchanges (for WW?). Many meals do not feature meat, though few are completely vegetarian (but could be altered easily enough to be). And there are great tips about what can be prepared one night that will serve for 2 meals.

We have a few easy standards that we manage to have every two or three weeks. Like tomato soup (TJ's low sodium) or clam chowder (TJ's) and grilled cheese. Taqueria style tacos (chopped stew meat, marinated in chili powder and cilantro, stir fried, warmed but soft corn tortillas, assorted toppings), ATK's Shake Shack-style burgers, pasta with EVOO and garlic or homemade frozen sauce, BLTs. There's a store about a mile away and Jim passes it on his way home. We pick up veggies for salads there, other necessities. Once a week, we have either a Papa Murphy's pizza (I have a meeting near one of their stores twice a month) or Mexican take-out from a local place. If there were a decent Chinese place close by, we'd do that, but alas.

I'm glad that there are only two of us, and it's not a big deal. I'd probably crumble if I had to feed kids everyday at this stage in my life!

I shop the sales, like everyone, and have a pretty well stocked pantry and freezer. I usually decide what's for dinner on the drive home. That gives me 30 minutes to do a quick mental inventory of protein, veg and carb options, and to decide what I'm in the mood for. There is a good market on the way home so I can always stop if I think I need something. When I get home it's like an episode of Chopped. Here are your ingredients, see what you can come up with! The family has only Chopped me a few times!!

Or, If I find a new recipe I want to try I may actually do a little advance planning and get everything together. Then there is always the Chinese place, subs, or pizza if I'm too lazy or too late to cook!

Slightly off topic, but I think probably the most fascinating aspect of this forum is getting a little peek into how other people live, kind of like the pictures of my kitchen thread a while ago. Regional likes and dislikes, how you use regional ingredients, how you were influenced by parents / grand parents, picky eaters, and people who eat anything, homey insights, and sophisticated discussions of restaurant experiences. By way of example, I am fascinated with dcarch, all the elaborate plating and presentations and now the sou vide applications, and on the other end, grainlady and annie1992 who are intriguing for their down-to-earth attitudes and applications. It keeps me coming back and reading, and learning. Absolutely fascinating!

Steve

I am a disaster at meal planning. When we are entertaining or having family in, I write out a menu and shop specifically for that/those meal(s). Otherwise, I never plan meals. My pantry is stocked with all kinds of rice and pasta as well as dried beans. Almost all the vegetables are store-fresh, whatever looks good that week. Wish I had a big garden! Having protein sources on hand is easy because we are vegetarian. About the only perishable (refrigerated) protein I use is tofu. The rest is frozen or canned. Meals are inspired by this forum, a cooking show once in a while, or like Steve, something I concoct in a hurry.

Yesterday TJs had samples of sweet potato gnocchi that was so good. By coincidence, the frozen herb bread dough I had given up rising was ready to bake about bedtime last night. Ugh! but I stayed up and baked it. The herbs were same as in the gnocchi. A coincidence tasting the gnocchi, but inspired by it none the less, we had sweet potato-herb bread-sausage stuffing for supper.

Then there are the nights I plan to be home by afternoon, but call DH when he gets home to get his own supper. Frozen pizza - his life saver. :0)

I don't plan much any more. When the girls were home, in school and sports, I planned carefully. They had to sit down weekly with the cookbooks, each made a supper menu for three days, so that took care of six day's worth of suppers. The seventh day was what I wanted. They had to mark the recipe and leave the book there so I could shop for any ingredients I didn't have.

Now I'm mostly here by myself, and I've got a freezer full of home grown beef and pork, chicken and duck, freshly caught lake fish. I've canned and dehydrated everything I could get fresh all summer, so my menu depends on what I want and how much cooking I feel like doing.

Tonight it was chicken livers, mashed potatoes, beets, and I had all the ingredients. Some nights I want breakfast for dinner and make waffles or pancakes, sometimes I'm tired and just have a bowl of cereal or an egg. I do try to make enough things on the weekend that I have leftovers for lunch for the following week.

Now, it's really time to do some menu planning, because it's time to clean out the pantry again...

Like grainlady, I try to make sure I have a rounded menu of proteins, grains, vegetables and dairy. The only difference is with the vegetables, I like far more than 4 servings and the new recommendations are 7 to 9. Many people have trouble getting that many servings of fruits and vegetables and I'm not so fond of much fruit, but I love vegetables.

In the summer my menus are mostly driven by what is currently ready to eat from the garden!

Annie

I agree with Steve, it's interesting to hear what others do (and inspiring sometimes)!

I intentionally didn't mention that I also buy beef and pork from friends, butcher my own chickens, barter for fish, can/freeze veggies and fruits all summer as well as eating them fresh. I now have a food storage plan and probably don't "need" to shop for much.

I guess this is why many of my meals are simple, filling fare. A protein, veggie and starch (or not).

I only shop once every couple of weeks for basics. When fresh veggies run out, I eat canned or frozen stuff.
I'm a sucker for a bargain and stock up!
Thankfully, I've got plenty of fridge/freezer/canning storage.

Why then do I find myself stopping at the store to buy a carton of sour cream when there's plenty to eat at home?
It's always just one or two things that make me make a special stop.

Deanna

I agree, Steve! It is fascinating. I wsa actually thinking about this thread last night. Back in the days before I planned meals in advance, I used to come home from work, look in the fridge and dispair. I couldn't get in the mood to cook simply because, at the moment of coming home from work, tired, hungry, kids needing attention, I just couldn't decide what to cook!

We used to eat out a lot (take out) and do frozen dinners & convenience meals a lot for that very reason. The "I don't feel like cooking" nights were too frequent. It took me a while but I finally came to the realization that simple knowing what I was going to cook in advance made all the difference. I had a goal and knew what I had to do to get there. No dilly dallying, no decision making, no copping out.

I think that is simply an aspect of my personality. I usually decide what I'm wearing to work the night before. Otherwise, I stand in the closet in the morning vascillating for too long. I guess I'm a planner at heart!!

I've always planned our meals based on what I feel like eating.

Years ago when I worked in downtown Toronto, I would stop on my way home from work, getting off at various subway stops to hit the butcher/fish store/vegetable shops and then go home and make dinner.

When I was a stay at home wife/mom for 30 years, I continued to shop the same way. And since I started working 4 years ago, nothing has changed.

I stop at various grocery stores/butchers either on the way to or on the way home from work and pick up anything I need to make dinner.

I do keep chicken breasts and a few steaks and roasts in the freezer, but for the most part I buy meats or fish daily.

I've tried planning for a week, but it doesn't work for me. I end up with much more waste than I do if I plan daily.

Ann

When shopping, I do the meat aisle first.
If I find any bargains, I try to stock up.

Then I hit the other aisles,
Looking for any bargains that would go well
with what I've found in the meat aisles.

As for planning the meals themselves,
It is often late in the day
Before I give much thought to dinner that evening.
Then I pretty much decide from what I have on hand.

Occasionally I will come across a recipe I want to try,
And will have to go shop for some of the ingredients.
But mostly I just put the idea aside until my next shopping trip.

Our menus are not real varied,
As I am the only adventruesome eater here.

Planning menus ahead doesn't seem to work for me.
I did that many years ago.
Now I find that boring.
It basically ruins what enjoyment I get from meal preperarion.
I find I am much happier with the spur of the moment decisions.
And everyone else is happy, too.

Rusty

For me, planning resulted in much less waste. I'd plan things I liked, then after a day or two would be leftover day or perhaps plan it into a hotdish, stew, chili or something. When I have to scavenge the pantry to feed, there's a good chance of leftovers that become science projects.

Those days of good planning and a well organized house are pretty much gone. Physical limitations prohibit a lot of those activities. There's days now that I feel like a decent meal, but physically can't handle the effort. So those days I go without, or go out. I usually try to keep something, whether it's some summer sausage and cheese or (ugh) even a tv dinner in the freezer to put something in me. I used to be able to do a peanut butter sandwich as last resort but I don't keep much bread around anymore.

I don't like making special trips to the store. Staying out of stores and you don't spend. Plus I find it a disgusting waste of my time to go for one or two things. To give up the 1/2 hour or so of my life for that repulses me to no end. I don't enjoy shopping of any kind. Grocery shopping included.

Lately I've had a hankering for a hotdish, chili or meatloaf. Especially meatloaf. I'll probably do a combination. Problem is, for meatloaf I'd have to hit the store but that can still work out well if I make a good sized meatloaf and eat on it for a couple days, then make chili (or stew or sloppy joes or hotdish or a rice dish or whatever) from the leftover. That way I won't get tired of it so easily, I'll eat better and waste less.

Unless I say to heck with it and head to the hog trough...

I have followed the same "routine" for planning meals for years. It's a ritual I thoroughly enjoy.

Sunday mornings, while the house is still asleep, I make myself a cuppa tea and sit down with the grocery store flyers.

I jot down the items that are on sale that grab me price wise and taste wise.

Next I go through my mental list of favourite meals and my many recipes looking for dishes that call me and I jot those down.

Last step, I do a pantry check and then make a list of all the ingredients I need to buy. I never do one shopping for everything because for sure there will be changes to the plan. So I keep the list in my purse and shop daily for the things I need for whatever dish grabs me

Of course a, special, or a craving ,or a post here can set the whole thing off but generally it works for 5 nights of the 7.