Signora Sheila

Everything I know about cooking I learned from my Italian mother-in-law! (Wouldn’t that be a great title?) Except it’s not true. 🤔 I already knew how to cook and didn’t need any lessons from Mamma Anna. But she did teach me about menu planning, albeit second-hand. And I learned a lot about cooking from living in Italy. (Eating with Italians is a cooking lesson in itself).

I never had the privilege of getting to know my mother-in-law, as we always lived far from her. And by the time we moved closer, she had developed Alzheimer’s. But I still got some helpful menu tips from her!

Mamma Anna’s menu

Hubby has often reminisced about his mother’s simple menu with the same meals every day of the week. For example, spaghetti every Sunday or pasta and beans on Monday. He liked knowing what to expect for dinner every day. And he anticipated it throughout the day. (Is he Italian, or what?!?) 😉

But unlike Mamma Anna and her daughters, I didn’t inherit a strong cooking gene. Although I’m a good cook, I don’t have the same passion for it. And I dislike menu planning even more, it stressed me out and always has!

Until I started following Mamma Anna’s menu. Or at least my own version of it, which, like Mamma Anna’s, really is simple. And because it uses alliteration, it’s easy to remember. (Alliteration* means pairing words that start with the same letter, like Monday Meat or Friday Fish). I think you’ll love it too! So let’s get started!

My menu

Main meal of the day

DINNER	Plan your main meal of the day around:
Monday Meat	🥩 MEAT (beef, lamb, veal, pork, etc.)
Tuesday Beans	🥣 BEANS & Legumes (beans, lentils, split peas, tofu, etc.)
Wednesday Wings	🍗 POULTRY (chicken, turkey, duck, goose, etc.)
Thursday Eggs	🥚 EGGS & Dairy (eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese)
Friday Fish	🐟 FISH & Seafood
Saturday Soup	🥪 SOUP or Salad + Sandwiches
Sunday Spaghetti	🍝 PASTA

Complete each day’s menu by adding side dishes, in-season fruits and vegetables, grains, etc. Make sure you’re including all the food groups.

Lighter meal of the day

Do you need a plan for lunch too? You could have sandwiches or leftovers. Or mix up the main meal a little by changing the order and choosing lighter dishes. Or try a typical Italian lunch with tomato salad, salame, olives, bread, and vegetables.

Plan this lighter meal of the day around:

• Monday Macaroni
• Tuesday Taters
• Wednesday Casseroles
• Thursday Dairy (eggs & cheese)
• Friday Fowl (poultry)
• Saturday Sandwiches
• Sunday Seafood (fish)

With these suggestions, Monday’s Dinner would center around a main dish of meat (like beef stew). But you could serve pastina or a light macaroni casserole for Lunch.

Planning your meal and shopping

• Make a list of favorite recipes that you can choose from each day. For Monday Meat you could list things like meat loaf, pepper steak, beef stew, and meatballs.
• Decide upon the main dishes you want to serve that week and make a shopping list of the ingredients you’ll need.
• Add plenty of grains, dairy, and in-season fruits and vegetables to your list.
• Check your supply of basic grains, nuts, seeds, etc. and and those to your grocery list.
• On cooking day, gather what you need for your recipe early in the morning, which will allow time for defrosting things.
• Add whatever fruits, vegetables, and side dishes you need to make your meal well balanced
• Happy cooking!

This menu ensures a well-balanced, varied diet. And by using in-season produce it’s also frugal! Plus you can swap days if necessary, depending on how much time you have that day.

But above all it’s so simple and easy to remember! Give it a try and you’ll thank Mamma Anna too!

(*Tuesday and Thursday don’t use alliteration because I couldn’t think of any foods that matched them.)

📷 Image credits: salad; spaghetti