On Saturday or Sunday morning I generally make a menu plan of our meals for the coming week. This based on what is in the fridge, freezer, pantry and garden and is used to create a shopping list for any additional requirements. I try to incorporate a mix of fish, chicken, red meat and vegetarian meals.
The next couple of weeks are very unpredictable due to family issues and will mean that I am not at home some nights but potentially with very short notice. So I used a different method today and simply made a list of 20 meals for which we have the ingredients. We will need some additional fruit and vegetables during that time.
1 Pizza
2 Grilled salmon and vegetables
3 Tumeric chicken and rice
4 Pumpkin soup
5 Chilli con carne and rice
6 Nachos
7 Sausages and vegetables
8 Vegetable pie and salad
9 Hamburger patties and salad
10 Celery soup
11 Beef curry and rice
12 Tuna patties and vegetables
13 Shepherd’s pie and vegetables
14 Scrambled eggs with bacon and avocado
15 Chicken stir-fry and rice
16 Pizza
17 Chilli con carne and rice
18 Pumpkin soup
19 Lasagne and salad
20 Chilli chicken and corn chips
The entire plan is gluten-free. I make my own gluten-free pizza bases and hamburger patties, buy gluten-free sausages from Aldi, buy gluten free corn chips and lasagne sheets and use gluten-free flour as required.
I intend to work roughly from the top of the list and we had home-made pizzas tonight. This is how I make them.
Do you plan your meals? How closely do you stick to a plan?
organised castle 
I generally make a weekly menu, too, and stick to it fairly closely. My method is similar to yours. But unlike 30 years ago when I barely had two pennies spare to rub together, I no longer _have_ to stick to it for my family to manage financially and nutritionally. However, I do add in new considerations, such as the need to eat quite lightly some evenings because of choir rehearsals afterwards, and things like that. It’s all good. 🙂
Like you, my menu plan is for my sanity rather than stringent financial considerations. I also factor in things like meetings etc that can impact on the plan.