Can someone plan my weekly menu/grocery list? Or offer suggestions?

First before anything else I want to THANK your dear husband for his service to our country. He is to be honored for this work that many of us would not undertake.

Now to the cooking, eating , shopping.

If you want to follow through with your plan you can do it all it takes is determination and some guts to get down on the floor with your newspaper on the day the sales come out and plan accordingly.

Check the grocery ads look at the meat first so you can plan around one of them at least to carry you through the week. For example this week of course people are buying turkeys for Thanksgiving and they are so cheap I got one for 78 cents a pound and we might not eat it for the holiday but we will eat it for sure. Attack the ads like your life depends on it. It is very challenging to make this part of your life fun and like a game. After you select the meat then check the produce ads to see what they feature if you shop this way you save money and can then come up with a game plan what veggies to put with what meats..and sometimes we have vegetarian meals or soup and stew nights it does not always have to be the same old menu.

When my dear husband used to work shifts I would have something to reheat that was healthy or I'd prepare him breakfast that we ate anytime of the day it's not just for morning you know...

What I do often is make different ethnic meatballs they can be served over just about anything or eaten alone as a appetizer. Whatever group you want to make add those spices to the meat.

Italian...oregano, basil, garlic and parsley chopped green pepper

Asian....garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce, minced onion

after making the meatballs i freeze them in freezer bags and label them so when i need something fast they are cooked and only need a little quick cooking and on the table it goes.

You can make a nice chicken soup also with a few ingredients

1 whole chicken cut into quarters

without the liver, heart and gizzard

a few stalks of celery washed and cut into med. pieces

carrots peeled and sliced

1 whole onion peeled and cut in half

peppercorns

salt

parsley fresh

bay leaf

water

bullion cubes

bag of egg noodles

Place everything in the soup pot and bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer...test with fork to see if meat is done then remove and debone. open the bag of egg noodles and add them to the soup when they are done add the meat back in soup and let simmer.

Now get busy and make some grilled cheese sandwiches or peanut butter crackers to serve with the soup ..it's very comforting and much cheaper and tastes better than bought canned soups.

Make some jello with fruit ahead of time or some chocolate puddings that are fat free and sugar free.

Concentrate on making things that you can make while he is working and freeze just label it and date it so you know what you have in the freezer and plan each week so you keep something new in there and use it. Keep a journal a notebook on your plan It's up to you to make it work you will feel so much better mentally and physically with a little effort. I've been married for so so so many years and can't tell you how much the time I spend in the kitchen means to me when I know I have done my best to give my husband the best I can...he really depends on me the older we get...so I'm happy to share with you and hope you take good care of your husband too. They are precious and need us.

Best wishes with your dishes

Mama Jazzy Geri

My husband is in the army too and his schedule can be a little crazy so I understand. I use recipezaar.com a lot, it is really easy to use and there are so many recipes! Usually before we go grocery shopping I will browse around for new recipes for an hour or so and make a list, planning what meals I'm going to make. My husband thinks it's weird to focus that much time on what we're going to eat, but before I started doing this I bought too much produce and wasted a lot. You can create your shopping list on that website, too, and it will tell you the general area of the store and the exact amount of stuff you need to buy.

I don't know what you like to eat, but pasta type things keep pretty well and with whole wheat noodles can be healthy, I like to make different types of casseroles with chicken and rice and vegetables, you could make stuff for burritos or tacos and he can heat and assemble his own when he gets home, turkey sloppy joes, turkey chili, chicken dumpling stew/soup, chicken lo mein or fried rice with lots of veggies, chicken salad, tuna casserole or pasta salad....just search around and find stuff you think sounds good.

Also if you're shopping at the commissary, I would go for more frozen and canned veggies...just because they're not very good there or spoil quickly, from my experience. Or get them somewhere else.

I work 6 days a week so I know what it is like to have a hot home-cooked meal to come home to. I don't cook much either because of my work schedule but when I'm not too tired and on my day off I make things that you can have during the week. I make a pot of sauce (gravy) with turkey/veal meatballs. Make enough sauce so you have leftover and during the week, just make the pasta. Also, homemade chicken soup is good, too. Meatloaf made with part veal/pork/lean beef is great with a baked potato (I put mine in the microwave..much faster) and a salad. Pasta is easy and there are many ways to make it. I usually make Pasta Fagoila (beans), peas and carrots over linguine, chicken w/tri colored peppers and onions over angel hair, marinara sauce, etc. You can make these type sauces ahead of time and just put up the pot for the pasta. Same goes for everything else. Another quick, healthy dinner is a romaine or spinach salad with cooked chicken strips, You can add what you like (tomatoes, olives, cut up cheese, bacon bits, anything!).

As for grocery shopping-just have the basics in your fridge and pantry. Pasta, canned sauce, consomme, etc. If you buy meat and decide not to cook it, just freeze it until you're ready or just cook it and heat it up when your husband gets home.

Grilled Sausages and Mash. Grilled Chicken with Mash or boiled potatoes. Spaghetti Bolognaise Lasgne Pork Chops Lentil Bake Roast Chicken/Pork Sheppard's Pie Creole Sausages Oven Chips and Fish Fingers Fish in Mushroom Soup

Stock up on the canned / dried / frozen stuff and get a good basic pantry to fall back on when he comes home hungry. I might have an advantage over you in that I email hubby during the day and we discuss what's for dinner.

On rainy weekends, I spend a little time in the kitchen doing some investment cooking - it's like home-made tv dinners and better for us. Soups, casseroles, refried beans and meatballs freeze and thaw very well and a freezer runs more efficiently if it's packed full of food. Both of the following recipes freeze very well.

This recipe originally called for one shredded, cooked chicken breast instead of ham-

Split Pea Soup

1LB (about 2 – ¼ cups) green split peas

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 whole clove

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery rib with leaves, shopped

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 carrot, chopped

1 small potato, unpeeled and diced

1 cup diced cooked ham

Wash and sort the split peas. Put them in a 6-quart kettle with all the other ingredients except the ham. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the peas from sticking to the bottom of the pan, for 2 to 3 hours. The peas and vegetables should be very soft and begin to fall apart. The thicker part of the soup will tend to sink to the bottom of the pan and should be stirred up before serving, or you can puree the soup before serving. Stir in the ham about 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Meatballs

I know this sounds like a lot of work but it makes about 16 meatballs and they have this complex, fantastic taste. These freeze and thaw beautifully, although they rarely stay in my freezer more than 2 weeks. If you like, add beef bullion cubes to the milk and skip the liquid beef broth.

Delicious with cooked pasta or as a meatball sandwich.

½ cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs

½ cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, finely grated

¼ cup whole milk

¼ cup low-sodium beef broth

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried pepper flakes

Pinch nutmeg

1 LB ground turkey or ground meat of your choice

Yield: about 16

Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly with a fork.

Bake at 450F for 25 minutes or fry as desired.

Good luck feeding your man.

first i would think about getting some frozen healty choice meals.that would be something fast for you or hubby to just throw in the microwave and eat.and also i keep soups around for something fast just heat and serve.and you could buy ground turkey thats what i use also and you can make some quick burgers or hamburger helper or something like that.or you can cook on the days you feel like it and just freeze the food untill you are ready to eat then just heat up for a quick healthy meal.also i keep turkey breast in the frezer so i can pull out a few and grilll them or fix them how ever you want and throw in a good veggie and you are set.for a good and healthy meal.

I'm not much of a cook, but can understand the eating at varying times of the day.

So, can't help with recipes and such - but any "fancy multiple course meal" will not be fancy any more at 3am.

I live on healthy choice meals. They taste OK, are easy to prepare, and can be cooked at 3pm or 3am without difficulty.

I know you'll get better ideas, but that's my take.

Ok!! Here is a good SUPER EASY sandwich recipe-

You Need:

Potato Rolls (they are just like regular rolls)

Roast beef from your deli

Provolone Cheese

Put the roast beef and cheese on the roll. When your husband comes home, just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds.

DELICIOUS!!

This is really a great idea to make weekly grocery list. In this way you can maintain your budget.

But You can save lots of money by use Free Grocery Coupons in your local store, Lots of Free coupons available at http://www.clickmycoupon.com/grocery-coupons.htm

I always find good ideas here- http://allrecipes.com/

also- when I shop I open the packages of chicken or fish & seperate them into baggies in the portion that I would actually use at one time & keep them in the freezer-

(otherwise it can get really expensive to waste these high-cost foods)