Menu Planning

Menu planning has been a LIFESAVER in the Shaner house.  No longer am I running to the store two or three times a week and exceeding my grocery budget.  My pantry isn't overflowing with expired goods and well-intended purchases.

So, I do a little couponing and my husband and I have a large deep-freezer in the garage for freeze-ahead meals (when I have time) and  sale purchases.  My menu planning is far from fancy.  I do not use a special form or an app on my phone (tried both and they were too much work).  My list usually appears on a used envelope, note card, or receipt.  On Saturday or Sunday (usually after Eric has run out to grab papers) I sit down and do a brief mental run down of what I have in the freezer/pantry, check for coupons, and pull out the Martin's sale flyer. 

The first thing I do with my menu is write down any special events.  These would be nights when one or both of us will not be home for dinner, available to help with dinner, or too busy to mess with dinner.  Next I fill in meals that I did not make last week (there is usually one) that I already have all of the ingredients for.  Borrowing from my friend Sheila, I plan one Mexican meal and one Italian meal.  Usually I pull these from my staple list of favorite meals - tacos, quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas, lasagna, lasagna roll-ups, tortellini, etc.. - once in a while I try a new recipe from Pinterest.  Following this I scan the sales flyer and see if anything inspires me - chicken drumsticks on sale, GREAT!, BBQ chicken and sweet potato fries with any fresh veggie I can find on sale.  Last but not least, I ask Eric for his input so that he can not complain about the meals for the week. 

To help my sister get used to menu planning, I made her note cards that had the name of the dish on the front, and the ingredients on the back (with serving suggestions) so that she can pull out the meals her and her fiance want and quickly jot down her shopping list.  If you do not have many recipes committed to memory, I would highly recommend sitting down in front of the TV and making these cards.  Again, they aren't anything fancy - just a reference!  (Make sure you include where to find the recipe so that when you go to cook the meal you can quickly located the directions.)

All in all, after a few months of practice, my menu planning takes about 30 minutes (including the time needed to make a cup of coffee), keeps my budget under control, and ensures that my family has 7 home-cooked meals each night of the week.

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MONTHLY Menu Planning