I'm a List-making Fool!!

Now that we've started back to school, it's time to get (re)organized! There's something about a new school year that makes me want to revamp absolutely everything possible about our day-to-day routine. This year, that goes double. After moving last fall, immediately finding out I was pregnant again (before getting organized in our new space) and now starting this school year with a new kindergartener AND a new infant, I'm drowning in the chaos!

So I'm making lists like crazy: home school checklists for myself and the boys, menu lists to simplify shopping and meal times, chore lists for me, chores to train the boys in, lists of craft projects I want to do this year, even lists of things I want to blog about! *grin*

Now, I'm not claiming that many of these lists are actually being implemented all at once here, but it's a start!

My primary list-making obsession focus this week is making a set weekly menu for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, then using that to create a master shopping list that will cover those meals for the whole month. In other words we will eat the same breakfast every single Monday, etc. I'm hoping that this will significantly simplify shopping and meal prep, and also help me cut down the grocery budget by knowing exactly what to stock up on.

I've got a basic list going, which I'm sure will need tweaking as I actually put it into action. It'll be a process to make sure my meals are nutritionally balanced throughout the day and to see how much of each ingredient we actually use in a month. I have a feeling that's going to be eye-opening for sure. My bunch can EAT!!

Here's my (very general) plan so far:

Monday--breakfast-scrambled eggs, fruit, bread*--lunch-baked pasta (pasta, sauce, mozz. cheese), veggie
Tuesday--breakfast-oatmeal, fruit--lunch-ham or turkey sandwiches
Wednesday--breakfast-cereal w/milk, fruit--lunch-hummus with whole wheat pitas and veggie dippers
Thursday--breakfast-scrambled eggs, fruit, bread*--lunch-grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup
Friday--breakfast-oatmeal, fruit--lunch something with eggs? maybe a quiche or egg salad sandwiches?

*the bread item can be toast, pancakes (I cook extras when I make them on Saturdays), muffins, bagels, etc.

It's still pretty general. I think I want to make it really specific, so I can have an exact shopping list that repeats every week. The other challenge I have right now is trying to incorporate what we are growing ourselves, so there is no waste. We have large quantities of a few different kinds of veggies, and we're also getting about 7 dozen eggs a week. I'm obviously in dire need of some creative ideas for using up eggs, lol!

Once I get my menu plan and shopping lists finalized, I'll be sure to share them--and my other lists-in-the-works, too! :) I'd love any feedback on easy (and cheap!) breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas as well...or any ideas on what to do with all these eggs!