I have a weekly menu plan that generally remains the same:
Mondays – Chicken
Tuesdays – Beef
Wednesdays – Soup, Pork/Lamb, or Beans/Vegetarian meal
Thursday – Fish
Friday – Fun Dinner (Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Hot Wings, etc) or eat out
Saturday – Pasta
Sunday – Leftovers

Based on my research, these foods have important nutritional benefits and I try to include these every week: Yogurt, apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, grapes, kiwi, oranges, plums, beans, salmon, fish (2 additional servings), pasta, rice, artichokes, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (2 servings), and winter squash. And, of course, dark chocolate! Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen (of RealAge.com) have some great info on their site about what food and vitamins do for you, and I highly recommend their books.

I also scope out the store_ads for the week and see what is on sale that I might incorporate into the menu. Our family is big on food storage so we always stock up on things that keep when they are at a good price. A well-stocked pantry is a life-saver. Be sure to have things that you use a lot on hand, and try buying two of something and storing one when you are shopping for the week. Soon you will be able to go into the pantry and whip up something for dinner without needing to shop first! Very handy when budgets are tight or you’re too sick or busy to go shopping! (See the post referenced below for more info on food storage.)

If you are really serious about saving money on groceries, try http://www.thegrocerygame.com. They have a 4-week trial for $1. If you like it please let me know, I would love for you to enter my email as a referral! For a little more info, I have posted on it here http://www.mymommytime.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=276589#p276589, and here referenced as “GG”: http://www.mymommytime.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=284056#p284056 – just scroll past the food storage stuff, hehe.

When you get a weekly menu that worked well, be sure to save it for use again in the future. I print it up with recipes and a shopping list and save it.

I usually stick with our favorites (last count there were over 200!) but one or two days of the week I will work on a recipe or try something new. Thursdays is usually my baking day where I will make cookies or breakfast breads or dessert for the week.

I bought the book “Once-a-month cooking” in the early 90s. It is fun, but fairly hard work, and be prepared to spend two-and-a-half days preparing and fixing meals. And have lots of freezer space! I don’t normally do a month at a time, but when some things are on sale I will stock up and prepare multiple meals. Meatloaf, for example, tends to be time-consuming on the ingredient-gathering portion (I use a ton of ingredients in it lol) so when ground beef is on sale I will buy a lot and make multiple loaves at the same time, which hardly takes more time than one! I shape them in a vacuum bag in my crockpot, so when I fix meatloaf, I grab one out of the freezer and set it inside the crockpot and add a glaze about 30 minutes before we eat. I do the same with meatballs; although the ingredients are easy, I save tons of time on prep, cooking, and cleanup. I cook those in advance and freeze, so we just pop a few out per person on pasta / meatball madness night, or for a meatball sandwich. When our garden is prolific in tomatoes, I prep a huge batch of spaghetti sauce with the tomatoes and spices (except for preparing the tomatoes I don’t cook it, just freeze in individual containers), and then I can pop a frozen container into the crockpot and add meat and veggies as needed.

If you are just getting started with cooking, or eating healthy, or just really need ideas for the week, I highly recommend http://www.savingdinner.com/. The recipes are simple, clear, and planned for the week along with shopping lists. She has different menus according to your preferences. Many of her recipes I have adapted and incorporated into some of our family’s favorites! Try the Asian Picnic Chicken, it is a free recipe linked on the homepage. Also try the Veggie Soup.