Planning Our Menu - Week of June 11-15

I make it a point on Sundays to plan my family's menu for the week.  I write it on a piece of paper like THIS, and hang it on the fridge.  This serves three purposes:

1. I can use what food we already have in the house.  I have a stockpile of food gathered from getting amazing deals on boxed or canned food, frozen food, and meat.  We are on a super strict budget, so I use what we have on hand to make dinner.  
2. It keeps us from eating out throughout the week because I am too lazy or inconvenienced to plan what to eat.  If the meat is already thawing in the fridge, or I already have a meal planned for the evening, I am far less likely to stray from what I have committed to.
3. My family is prepared to eat what I have written down.  They know what is coming!  Plus, on rare occasions, my daughter might even help prep for dinner before I get home.  (I did say rare occasions.  We're still working on that.)

This week on the menu:

• Monday: We cheated this week.  It's the kids' birthday weeks, so we used free meal coupons for them, followed by free ice cream.  Hubby and I splurged on hot wings.  
• Tuesday: Ravioli with pasta sauce, salad, and garlic bread.  (Leftover homemade ice cream from kids' weekend birthday parties for dessert.)
• Wednesday: Hubby works late.  I'll be cheating again by using two more "free meal" coupons for the kids' birthdays.  (Stay tuned for next week, when the menu is a little more normal.)
• Thursday: Grilled pork, steamed veggies & cheese, mashed potatoes.  Jell-o for dessert.
• Friday: Hubby works late again.  Pizza, popcorn & fruit.  We'll probably rent a DVD for some end-of-the-week down time.

Saturdays and Sundays are always up in the air.  We typically do things with friends and family, so I don't plan much on these days unless we have committed ourselves to a gathering that requires planning!