A Week

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Termy

Senior Cook
Joined
Jun 26, 2021
Messages
303
Location
Parma, Ohio
This was on another forum. A weekly menu. They wanted at home, which really I don't plan at home. But I thought what about a hospital, rehab center or other institution ? So I did create a couple of menus that would get through a week at such a place.

I did not include the buying plans, I have no idea what any given place might have in stock, however it is easier said than done just to come up with it.

See what you can do, I'll put in mine later.

T
 
I used to manage a nursing home kitchen and it was my job to create a 4 week menu cycle, prepare an inventory list so the food was in stock and then prepare daily kitchen tasks for the food prep, like when to pull how much meat from the freezer for what meal.

At home, I mentally do such things in my head and plan 3 to 4 days out. Meals depend on what needs to be eaten from the garden, whims, and what is on sale.
 
Hopeless in Memphis

I wish I could plan menus a week or even a few days out. But to be honest, I've wished that for several decades. My Dad's old saying, "Wish in one hand, ..." seems to apply. Mostly, I still just stare into the open door of the fridge waiting for inspiration.

So even though I don't have any useful contribution to make to this thread, I'll follow it hoping someone writes something so inspiring it changes a life-long pattern.
 
I'm hoping for some ideas too. Part of my problem is not knowing how I will feel even tomorrow, never mind for an entire week or several days. I don't know if I will have the spoons or if I will get a migraine. But, if I have some stuff planned and some really easy or no work meals planned, it would help.
 
My work-around for lacking a plan is keeping certain meat, dairy, produce, and pantry items on hand at all times. So I can always cook stuff. But I could expand the horizons a lot more with a menu.
 
Well then it seems I take the first turn.

Day One;
Breakfast; Scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit bowl.
Lunch; Chili Con Carn, plenty of small diced onions and grated cheese.
Dinner; Pork chops, mashed spuds and gravy, veggie.

Day Two;
Breakfast; Oatmeal, lots of fruit to put in it.
Lunch; Hamburger, fries, salad.
Dinner; Meat loaf, noodles with flavor, Veggie, maybe beans.

Day three;
Breakfast; Omelette, bacon, grated cheese.
Lunch; Cold cuts, good soup.
Dinner; Spaghetti and meatballs.

Day four;
Breakfast; Eggs sunny side up, bacon, toast.
Lunch; Chicken breast, noodles and a veggie.
Dinner; Pork chops, noodles with flavor, veggie.

Day five
Breakfast; Scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese.
Lunch; Burger and all that goes with it.
Dinner; Good pizza, good salad.

Day six;
Breakfast; Omelette with pepperoni and cheese in it.
Lunch; Chili con carn with all the extras.
Dinner; Pork chops with mashed spuds and a good veggie.

Day seven;
Breakfast; Deviled eggs, their choice of spicy or mild.
Lunch; Chicken breast with some Alfredo noodles, NO SQUASH !
Dinner; Good pizza, I will teach to make.

1. All come with the basic salad and drink of choice.
2. This does not take into account those who may observe Kosher or Halal.
3. I didn't think what to order, I have no idea what they have in stock.

You can do this, just think if you were in a hospital bed, what would you like to eat ?

T
 
Termy, thank you for the menu. We never seem to plan too far ahead for breakfast or lunch, but we do plan ahead a lot of times for dinners. If I may bore you for a bit, here is what we do.

We keep a list of what is in the freeze. Also keep a folder where I put recipes taped to a sheet of paper that sound real good and we want to make soon. In that folder I have recipes paper clipped together by main ingredient. According to the oldest of an ingredient listed in the freezer, we take the recipes and pull out one or two from that ingredient that appeal to us at that time and set them aside. When we have pulled at least 5 or 6 recipes, DH will then take them and decide which days he wants to make what recipe and tapes a piece of paper with that day on it on the recipe. We also tape things like "marinate over night", or "take out of freezer" on the day before recipe. Or any other special things to do. Then, we take each recipe and check if we need to put anything on the shopping list. Then they go in the "Make soon" folder. Most of the time we stick to the schedule, but there are days when life happens and some things get pushed ahead or put aside for another time.
 
If I may bore you all again, DH and I just worked up a weeks worth of dinners. He is planning on going to the store today. Here is how the week will go. Will be very happy to share recipes if anyone wants one.

Tonight, Fri.- Scallops with Lemon-Basil Sauce
Sat. - Psycho Chicken
Sun-4th of July - Buffalo-Style Ribs with Blue Cheese Dressing
Mon. - Smash Burgers
Tue. - Crispy Chicken Thighs with Basil and Prosciutto Butter
Wed. -Clean out refrigerator
Thur.- Vietnamese Pork in Lettuce Leaves
Fri. - Herb Butter Stuffed Burgers
 
My mother served the same supper on the same night, for as far back as I can remember. I resurrected these meals for my 95 year old father when I took care of him for two years, just for nostalgia's sake.

Monday - Pork chops lightly browned and braised in Campbell's pork & beans (accept no substitutes) and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Tuesday - macaroni with meatballs and Italian sausage in Grandma's sauce and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Wednesday - Beef stew and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Thursday - A repeat of Tuesday.

Friday - My father would pick himself up a fish fry on his way home from work because it was his bowling night. The rest of us would get tuna salad or grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, or tuna patties with fried potato slices and a vegetable and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Saturday - Take-out burgers with fries and and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Sunday - On Sundays we had dinner, not supper, consisting of a beef or pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable, usually corn or peas so we could mix them into the mashed potatoes and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

This is what my father ate, day in and day out, for 60 years, and I ate for 16 years, until I got a job and had to eat supper out. That is why I plan my supper
oin the morning of the day I am going to eat it. I take a protein out of the freezer to thaw, and decide what sides I am going to have and put the ingredients on the counter so I don't forget. Tonight I will make myself an anchovy and pepperoncini pizza in my Emeril LaGasbag air fryer oven, if I get ambitious enough to make pizza dough. If not, I will remove two fish fillets from the freezer. They will be battered, fried with some steak fries and served along with a Bistro turkey and bacon cobb salad.
 
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My mother served the same supper on the same night, for as far back as I can remember. I resurrected these meals for my 95 year old father when I took care of him for two years, just for nostalgia's sake.

Monday - Pork chops lightly browned and braised in Campbell's pork & beans (accept no substitutes) and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Tuesday - macaroni with meatballs and Italian sausage in Grandma's sauce and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Wednesday - Beef stew and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Thursday - A repeat of Tuesday.

Friday - My father would pick himself up a fish fry on his way home from work because it was his bowling night. The rest of us would get tuna salad or grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, or tuna patties with fried potato slices and a vegetable and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Saturday - Take-out burgers with fries and and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Sunday - On Sundays we had dinner, not supper, consisting of a beef or pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable, usually corn or peas so we could mix them into the mashed potatoes and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

This is what my father ate, day in and day out, for 60 years, and I ate for 16 years, until I got a job and had to eat supper out. That is why I plan my supper
oin the morning of the day I am going to eat it. I take a protein out of the freezer to thaw, and decide what sides I am going to have and put the ingredients on the counter so I don't forget. Tonight I will make myself an anchovy and pepperoncini pizza in my Emeril LaGasbag air fryer oven, if I get ambitious enough to make pizza dough. If not, I will remove two fish fillets from the freezer. They will be battered, fried with some steak fries and served along with a Bistro turkey and bacon cobb salad.
This is actually quite interesting. I wonder if anyone does this anymore.

I was trying to remember the meals we had as a kid. My Mom is a great cook, but I don't remember a lot of fancy over the top stuff.

These days her and my sister are always texting me about cool stuff they make, and I do the same thing.

Goulash and creamed tuna on toast are all I can remember. I'll think on it and come back to this thread. I know we ate more than that.

Those were my favorites, so I remember them fondly. Funny how that works.

Though, those, especially creamed tuna on toast shouldn't be used to call my Mom's cooking into question. It's my memory that needs questioning.

My Dad would do salmon or crab he got fresh from the boats down in the harbor.
 
My mother served the same supper on the same night, for as far back as I can remember. I resurrected these meals for my 95 year old father when I took care of him for two years, just for nostalgia's sake.

Monday - Pork chops lightly browned and braised in Campbell's pork & beans (accept no substitutes) and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Tuesday - macaroni with meatballs and Italian sausage in Grandma's sauce and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Wednesday - Beef stew and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Thursday - A repeat of Tuesday.

Friday - My father would pick himself up a fish fry on his way home from work because it was his bowling night. The rest of us would get tuna salad or grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, or tuna patties with fried potato slices and a vegetable and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Saturday - Take-out burgers with fries and and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

Sunday - On Sundays we had dinner, not supper, consisting of a beef or pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable, usually corn or peas so we could mix them into the mashed potatoes and an iceberg salad with oil and vinegar.

This is what my father ate, day in and day out, for 60 years, and I ate for 16 years, until I got a job and had to eat supper out. That is why I plan my supper
oin the morning of the day I am going to eat it. I take a protein out of the freezer to thaw, and decide what sides I am going to have and put the ingredients on the counter so I don't forget. Tonight I will make myself an anchovy and pepperoncini pizza in my Emeril LaGasbag air fryer oven, if I get ambitious enough to make pizza dough. If not, I will remove two fish fillets from the freezer. They will be battered, fried with some steak fries and served along with a Bistro turkey and bacon cobb salad.

This is much like my grandparents! One grandmother's weekly menu changed according to seasons. The other had a base of some kind of bean dish and would build a meal around it. For both, if we did not raise it or grow it, or if it was not caught or hunted, we didn't eat it. Back in a more simple time. :)
 
Sample weekly menu:
Monday
Breakfast" fried corn beef hasg, poached egg, English muffin with strawberry jam Apple juice

Lunch" cheese burger with iceberg lettuce dill picle, catsup, mustard, with a side of potato salad. milk, or fruit juice

Supper' breaded chi ken thigh, baked beans, asparagus, with a side salad, and butterscotch pudding for desert. Milk, tea, or coffee

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, or farina with butter, milk, and brawn sugar, blueberry muffin, cranberry juice

Lunch: chili dog with shredded chase, Caesar's salad with dressing, baked tater tots with catsup 1/2 cup fruit gelatin, small malted milk shake, strawberry or vanilla

Supper: braised country style pork rib. aked potato with butter and sour cream, steamed green beans, Dixie cup ice cream, tea, milk, coffee, or fruit juice

Wednsday
Breakfast: Shredded hash browns, scrambled egg with cheese, ham slice, toast with jam, fruit juice, or milk

Lunch: hot open faced beef sandwich, mashed potatoes with butter, steamed broccoli, small slice apple pe, hot chocolate

Supper: Sliced turkey, savory bread dressing, onion rings, grape tomatoes, fruit cup with cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberry, and watermelon. coffee, tea, milk, or juice

Thursday
Breakfast: red grapefruit half with sugar (if allowed), or orange supremes, toasted bagel with cream cheese. cottage cheese on lettuce leaf with a pear,
beverage of choice

Lunch: baked beans with ham, or bacon in the beans, cole slaw, bundles burger patty with chees, 1 cup grapes, beverage - chocolate milk

Supper: 1/2 ear of corn with salted butter, sloppy joes, shredded carrot salad with pineapple, and raisins, small slice carrot cake with cream cheese frosting,

Friday
Breakfast: cheese omelet with home fries, cottage cheese with pea, or peach half, orange, cranberry, or apple juice

Lunch: Spaghetti noodles in marinara with shrimp, garlic toast, fruit cup with strawberry, raspberry, blue berry, vanilla panna Cota, herbal tea, milk, or juice

Supper: baked salmon fillet with tartar sauce, bruschetta, buttered and
jasmine rice, fried bandana in brown sugar/butter sauce, limeaid

Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry pancakes, breakfast sausage links, strawberry jam, apple butter, or maple syrup, orange slices, juice, or milk

Lunch: baked kielbasa, col slaw, baked beans, confetti corn, sticky bun, or doughnut, beverage of choice

Supper: chicken-fried steak, scalloped potatoes, baked cauliflower with cheese sauce, slice of cherry pie, beverage

Sunday
Breakfast: Huevos Ranceros, chorizo, sautéed noon, lime-aid with coconut, pastry cream filled Bismarck (yeast raised fried doughnut)

Lunch: seasoned ground beef burrito filled with beef, guacamole, onion, sour cream, and tomato, with refried beans, salsa, tortilla chips, beverage - horchata, desert, churro

Supper, shredded beef taco, in hard corn tortillas, with hot sauce, avocado slices, chopped onion, cilantro, and sour cream, served with Spanish rice, sautéed mushrooms, and a small bowl of tortilla soup. desert - flan, beverage - blended pineapple juice with lime, crushed ice, and coconut

One example of a week's menu:mrgreen:

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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