Menu Planning should be easy and manageable. The point of it is to save time and give time. By giving time I mean that I should be able to free up a few minutes to do something else. Well, lately I have been dreading menu planning. Even though I have a system it wasn’t working.
By the time I would look at the flyers and get my sale items lined up and ready the day would pass and I would have to start all over. Yes, I had the menu planned but something would change due to the sales.
After taking an hour to lay everything out on the table (literally) because I am a visual person to see how I could make this system more manageable.
The steps to approach it were simple:
1. I needed something reusable.
2. Something quick, but frugal.
3. Good easy meals that rotated.
Rotating meals are needed so that I can allow my 16 year old and 6 year old to cook. On the inside door of my cabinet are listed several menus to reuse.
The only part that does not seem as easy is putting it all together.
My grocery day is dreaded to me because it was NOT easy or quick to put together the recipes or the actual items that I needed to buy.
While I had everything still layed out on the table that is when the puzzle pieces came together.
MY QUICK TIPS TO A WEEKLY MEAL PLAN;
1. Write out the menu for a month, but use the same recipes for the same days each week.
2. Write out a master ingredient list and master grocery list.
3. Lamintate the the menu plan, ingredient list and grocery list.
4. Do the same thing for next month on meal plan day, then rotate the months.
5. Try to stay on a fall meal plan (Sept, Oct., Nov.), winter (Dec., Jan., Feb) etc.
Finally, post it in a FUN way for you family on a chalkboard restaurant style.
Follow me on Pinterest on my quick tips meal planning board for more great ideas!
Cheers,
Michelle
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