My sister is getting married on Saturday so this week looks like it will be a whirlwind of last-minute wedding preparations and time with out-of-town guests. I'm excited about it all, even if the to-do list looks a little daunting. One way I'm attempting to keep things more organized and sane this week is by having our menu be as simplistic as possible.
To save myself some time, I'm skipping going shopping this week and we're having an Eating From the Pantry/Freezer Week using up some of the stuff in our freezer and refrigerator. However, since half of our dinners are already taken care of this week due to wedding activities, it's really not going to require much creativity!
Here's the plan:
Breakfasts
Kashi Waffles, fruit
Oatmeal, fruit
Cereal, fruit
Muffins (from the freezer), strawberry/banana smoothies
Whole-wheat pancakes, fruit
Cereal, fruit
Lunches
PB&J sandwiches, tomatoes, carrot sticks
Baked potatoes, broccoli and cheese, cherries
Pita pockets with cheese, apple slices
Apples with peanut butter, crackers, cheese
Leftovers
Lunch out
Lunch with family
Dinners
Cheese quesadillas, apples (Jesse has night court.)
Meatballs (from the freezer), homemade bread (from the freezer), cucumbers/tomatoes, corn on the cob
Chicken Bean Tortilla Roll-Ups, Tossed Salad, fruit salad
Dinner with family
Rehearsal Dinner
Dinner with family
Snacks
Fruit
Carrot sticks
Crackers and Cheese
Strawberry/Banana Smoothies
Eggo Bakeshop Muffin Tops
One thing I find which helps me to actually follow our menu once I've planned it is to write it out in an organized fashion and stick it on the refrigerator.
If you don't already have a Menu Planner which you use, here are a few great links to free downloads:
::A great article on menu-planning plus some free templates from Organized Home
::Organizing Junkie's Menu Planner Template
::The Homeschool Mom's Daily Planner and Menu Planner
::Free menu-planning template from Faithful Provisions
If you need some help and ideas for menu-planning, you can sign up for Menu4Moms which sends out a free full menu with recipes every week.
Have you found an excellent resource or website you've found which helps you with menu-planning? If so, tell us about it in the comments section.
I got a free excel template from the Microsoft Office site, which allows me to fill out my menus for breakfasts, lunches, and suppers, and then print!
I use the meal planner from http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2007/12/meal-planner.aspx. We eat takeout on Fridays, so it has the perfect number of spots for me! And it’s super cute hanging on my fridge.
I have a friend who uses http://www.e-mealz.com, recommended by Dave Ramsey. It looks at your local sales and generates a week of meals based on what’s on sale. The recipes didn’t really grab me (uses canned soup for sauces, onion dip packets for spices), so I didn’t sign up, but my friend loves it!
Madeline
I use a weekly calendar on my fridge for all the happenings for the week. I then plan my meals and use a sticky note on my calendar that lists the menu plan…works great! No more…”What’s for dinner?” questions anymore…ahhhhh! I also use a magnetic notepad on the side of my fridge for my grocery list…keeps things simple!
I use this one:
http://api.ning.com/files/vvA9GPTP2BLK*mAim0PQGy405KxrdggVaC9DtpzVQCc9q0ouuY2zzRQ3N9*JJvizSWjh5dIN0kbu3tNATUldzN*lrToLY4uV/blank_menu.pdf
Maybe not fancy but very simple and I like the format!
I found some simple yet very useful little notepads at Micheals for only $1. I have the magnetic shopping list that I keep on the fridge, the weekly menu plan pad also has a magnet on the back (and I keep that on the fridge as well). It’s not complicated and works great!
If you want to see pictures, you can see them on my blog. Follow this link:
http://happilydomestic.blogspot.com/2009/07/arent-these-adorable-i-found-them-at.html
I’ve happily discovered a few places on the web that offer free monthly menus. I pick and choose which meals I think my family and I will like and incorporate them into my weekly menu plan, which is posted on my fridge (and now on my blog too!).
Here are a couple of links that have helped inspire me:
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food/Month-of-Menus!.html
and
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/meal-planner/index.html
Last week I bought a Menu Planning list pad from Micheals. It just lists out each day of the week with space to fill the menu. It costs a dollar so I thought why not give it a try!!!
Initially I used rough paper to write menus randomly now I keep the list pad on the fridge so its Handy and cute too!!
I wish I could give you our five unopened boxes of Eggo muffin tops!! I bought six, at Target of course, when they were 50cents a pop…and no one here likes them! They’re in my deep freeze, without a permanent home!! (already tried donating them…they don’t take frozen items!) Have fun at the wedding and enjoy your easy meal week…we’re having an “eat from the pantry/freezer/fridge” week here, too!
http://www.makedinnereasy.com
Crystal –
I just want to take a moment and say thank you for your posting on menu planning. Regardless of couponing and sales, I think this is the #1 thing that helped me to trim my grocery budget. We used to spend $800-1000/month on food (yes, a lot of it from eating out!) but have moved that number down to about $300 (for drug store purchases too!). I used to go to the grocery store and buy stuff, and not even think through dinners for the week. Then, it would get time for dinner and I’d get frustrated and we’d end up going out.
It wasn’t until I found your site that I ever gave menu planning a try. And, my family has experienced many related benefits: huge savings, family eats more healthfully, husband is happy because he is fed, and I don’t experience the stress of “what should we eat tonight!?”
And guess where that extra $500+ that used to go to food is now going? Emergency fund!!!
So, thank you, thank you.
i’m a calendar junkie so i keep one by my stove just so i can look on there and see what i have planned for that day. it helps a lot to know what you already have planned so you know what to pull out of the freezer. also, helps eliminate arguments cause everyone can see in advance what is on the calendar and they can voice opinions prior to that day.
Funny. I stick my plan on the cabinet above my cutting board. That’s where I usually start to prep the meals so it makes it easier. You gotta do what works for you!
The Container Store carries a pad called “Feed Me” by a company called lobotome ( http://www.lobotome.com/brainiac.htm ) and it keeps us functioning. I plan the meals for the week on one side and keep a grocery list going during that week on the other. It reduces the stuff that I have on my fridge and at the end of the week I tear it off, add any sale items, take the list to the store and plan the next week on the next page. It’s right on the fridge next to the calendar so I can see what’s happening every night during that week when I am planning meals. Everyone in the house can see what’s for dinner and whomever gets home first can begin to prep for the night. Both the Container Store and the lobotome site carry really fun stuff for organization and the Container Store is on ebates so you can get some money back for your purchase and you can even do purchase online and pick up in store so you get your ebates but don’t have to wait for (or pay for) shipping.
lotsofkids.com is a great site and it has a meal chart generator, where you can type in all 3 meals, or just dinners, and then print it out to post. It has cute graphics on it too.