I agree with the OP, jjquantz, and my method is very similar.
I shop weekly, but some weeks I don't get as many main dish items as others. I like going to the grocery store; I go with a list, but look for items on sale. I avoid most processed and pre-packaged foods. I bought 9 strip steaks on sale--and prepared 6 with prefrozen marinade, and vacuum sealed them for future. The rest were cooked before their expiration date. Another time I got 10 lbs of pork for $10. I cut it up, put BBQ rub on the 2-3 lb pieces, then sealed them and froze them. Never again--too much pork. One store sells 2 lb tubs of "bacon ends" for $2/lb. I divide it up, vacuum seal, and freeze. Then I thaw and cook as desired, for breakfast, or to make plain veggies more interesting.
I look at the calendar-who is home in the evening, so do I need to plan for myself, me and DH, DS, or all three? I've put a tentative protein source on the calendar on days that I cook so we all know. Other days I write in "on your own" which means leftovers, or frozen stuff, or whatever you want. DH doesn't cook. DS is learning to cook for himself but isn't ready to cook for all of us yet. He's likely to move out soon anyway. (maybe in two weeks, as he just had a fantastic job interview).
I tape a small notepad inside a cabinet door with masking tape. As I notice an item we will need, it gets written on the notepad. When I'm ready to shop, I tear off the list so it's mostly ready.
Before I shop I plan the evening meals for the week and write them on our family whiteboard calendar on the fridge. I do something simple, e.g.baked fish, look for recipes online, make something up, or use an old standby, such as a family recipe such as beef stroganoff or authentic from scratch Italian pasta sauce-- using stuff from the garden in the summer. This year I've grown zucchini, lettuce, spinach, and kale and I've incorporated these into meals in different ways.
I use sous vide a lot for beef, sometimes for chicken breasts, lamb, which I cook rarely, and pork. Thank you early-retirement forum for introducing me to sous vide. It really simplifies many meals and makes them restaurant quailty. Veggies are usually microwaved, roasted, or sauteed, or included in a stir-fry. I'm personally low carb, but I do a simple starch for DH and DS. Rice or pasta a pre-made garlic bread sticks.
I've learned to use my foodsaver vacuum machine to allow for more salad in my life. I chop up iceberg or romaine lettuce, put it in mason jars and vacuum seal. Stays perfect for two weeks.
Some things are decided by the time of year. My small garden is supplying us with greens, zucchini, and some tomatoes. By using my friend google, I've made zucchini or cauliflower-based pizza crusts or cheesy appetitzers. In the winter, more broccoli or frozen veggies.
Sometimes it's worth going ethnic--Indian food, Ethiopian dishes (the secret is in the spice mix, frankly), Mexican, Thai shrimp curry, stir fry, either Japanese, Chinese, or Thai style dishes, depending on the added flavors. It's easier to get more veggies into the main dish that way.
I always plan for leftovers. In my working days, that was important. In a small family, a good main meal can provide at least two more leftover meals when people are busy.
roasted chicken recipes. It was like the scene from Forrest Gump when they talked about shrimp recipes. He rattled them off like a machine
