How do you decide what to cook each week?
 

When i first moved into my apartment back in November, I always had few dishes lined up for each week. After a while I got tired of them and looking into recipes. Unfortunately now I don't have much time to look up new dishes to make. So I was wondering how some of you busy people decide what to make each week after you have exhausted your usual dishes?

I used to eat at work. If I worked the baking shift or brunch, it would usually be whatever was in my fridge. I wish I were organized enough to plot out a week's worth of meals and buy enough to produce them, but that didn't happen. If I were you, I would probably prepare some stuff that can be frozen and reheated later like soups, lasagna etc. That way when you get home from work you don't have to slave over a oven for an hour just to eat. Top Ramen is also good heh.

My wife and I go to Costco and Safeway every two weeks. At that time I make a list using what we have and a recipe spreadsheet. Takes about 5 minutes.

Well, I just go grocery shopping, and buy stuff. I have an idea of what I want to cook, but if there is something in particular, I'll write it down. For the most part, I decide when I get home from work.

Yep, working in a kitchen means I eat whatever's on the menu for most of the day. It also means that after 8 hours of cooking, the last thing I usually want to do is come home and cook.
When I cook at home, I try to make enough food so that I have ample leftovers, enough to feed me 2 or 3 more times. (Edit - Curries make awesome leftovers, they usually taste much better after they've had a day or two in the fridge)
I don't plan my meals very far in advance, I go grocery shopping 2-3 times per week, buying 2 or 3 days worth of food at a time. Sometimes I know what I want in advance, other times I just buy what's on sale and work with that.

My wife and I used to work in the food industry. We never cooked much then. The last thing you want to look at after cooking for 8 hrs is more food.

We have a few tried and true favorties that have a regular place in aour weekly diet but we also alternate making a new dish each during the week to try new things and open ourselves to new foods and or cuisines. Very interesting and rewarding. It's something we actually look forward to each week and plan for.

I get alot of Ideas off the cooking channel, and try something new at least once a week...

I just open the fridge and see what I have and go from there. I have a couple of (single) guy friends that come over a few times a week to get a home cooked meal and I usually ask them what they want.

I made a list of all the dishes that I can cook.

We look at the list and decide what we are going to have for the week and I try to dovetail things together, such as making a beef roast? couple days later it's going to be beef stew.

making a ground beef type stir fry? couple days later it's used as stuffing for stuffed veggies.

That seems to be the main arugment between my roommate and group of friends. All of us LOVE to cook (some of them just love to eat) but no one knows what everyone wants. We end up just eating out for lack of ideas. I end up choosing what we are cooking (depending on if I cooked at work that day) and just flip through my recipe books till I find something I want. Or I just sit and daydream about food till something makes my stomach rumble :).

I try and do a new recipe each week. I go to All Recipes to pick out a new recipe with a four or five star rating, and then for the rest of the week stick with recipes I know. I also try and make stuff that I can fridge or freeze, and take to work for lunch the next day, or later that week.

We ussually take meat out at the beginning of the week and marinate it or somthing. so meat 3 days and maybe some past or fish the other...