Here are my Dinner Preparation Guidelines (aka The Rules):
1) Make nothing too complicated. I like to cook but I cannot read a recipe while helping with homework, moderating tattle-fests, wiping bottoms, answering a million questions, and playing dinosaurs (and um, facebooking).
2) Cook something everyone will eat or at least eat part of (no short order cooking for me!)
3) It must be something that can wait for the husband in the warming drawer if necessary
4) Dinner must be quick to the table (Again, it's hard to chop and saute with 5 kids running circles around you. The neighbors are here a lot.)
I typically don't plan our meals exactly because I don't like to be tied down to a meal if it doesn't sound good at 4:30. I have a weekly shopping list that is also pretty vague. My plan usually looks like this, but in any order:
Day 1: Meat, potato, vegetable
Day 2: sandwiches, salad, soup, or a variation thereof
Day 3: Vegetarian (beans, baked potatoes, eggs, grilled cheese)
Day 4: Fish, vegetable, grain, salad (This is a night the kids usually eat mac and cheese or chicken nuggets. Not even I would make a little kid eat fish.)
Day 5: Leftovers (but in a different form. I don't like leftovers for dinner)
Day 6: Quick pasta dish, crock pot meal, or freezer meal
Day 7: Eat out/order in