Meal Planning

How I Plan My Meals

I often get strange looks when I tell other moms that I plan my menus out a whole month at a time! It does take some time at first, but the time you will save is so worth it. I have been following this meal planning technique for 15 years, just shortly after my second child was born. Here's how I do it:

What you will need:

Binder
Dividers
Notebook paper
Pen
Meal Ideas (cookbooks, Pinterest, other sources)

Step 1

Label a sheet of notebook paper like this: "Monthly Menu - November, 2012"

Next number your paper 1-30

Start filling in the lines. You are coming up with 30 meal ideas. This is not by date - meaning November 1st does not correspond with line #1. These are just 30 meal ideas so you will already know what you will be fixing the month of November.

If you already know 4 days in November you will be eating out, then on four lines put "out to eat". Leave one line, or two, open for "Thanksgiving".

Scour cookbooks and Pinterest to get meal ideas if you need some. Make sure you print out the recipe when you find one or write it down on the line so you will know where to go back and find the recipe when you are ready to use it.

Also, add in a couple of "new recipes" to try out.  If they are not big hits, don't make it again.  If they are, jot down a quick note to make it again!

My monthly menu looks something like this:

There are standby meals we have every month. For example, my family loves tacos, so I know every month that will be on the menu. As well as breakfast for dinner one night.

If possible, write down a complete meal. Meaning something like this:

Meatloaf/mashed potatoes/green beans

That way you have a complete meal planned and it will be easier to grocery shop and have the items you need on hand when the time comes.

Step 2

After you have your menu sheet 1-30 filled in, make a grocery list on another sheet of notebook paper labeled "Grocery List, November, 2012". Check your pantry, cabinets and go line-by-line, meal-by-meal filling in on the sheet of notebook paper the ingredients you need.

Next, go grocery shopping. You do not need to buy everything on your list at once. Maybe you shop once a week, twice a week or even daily! Just pick out however many meals you are going to purchase at a time and buy for that.

Step 3

Place Menu and grocery list in the binder behind the "November" tab along with any recipes for that month you have printed out. When it is time to cook, get out your binder and everything is together.

Make sure to mark off on the sheet of paper when you have had the meal so you know you will not need to fix again that month.

It is handy keeping your meal plans because you can look back on them and see what you want to fix again or not.

A Step Further:

One thing that I do, is after I have my 1-30 meals listed, I take another sheet and rewrite the meals in date order. 1-30 and actually put what I plan on having on November 1, 2, 3, etc. SO, one sheet I have 30 meals, I take that list and put it in actual order of when we will be having those meals.



Final Thoughts:

I really hope this technique is easy to follow.  I usually take a 1/2 to a whole day to plan my menu.  If this is not feasible for you, find what works best for you, maybe a couple hours a day will work.  You will be so glad you took the time, because you will not have to give it a second thought for the rest of the month!  If you are like me, I don't mind cooking, it's "what to cook?" that's the problem.

When the kids or hubby say "what's for dinner?" I will be able to tell them, all month! No guess work.

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