My nemesis: Menu Planning

I used to hate planning a menu. Understanding what my family liked to eat, being responsible for their food intake, making healthy meals with lots of varieties (I might have a slight problem with always wanting to try new recipes). That is a lot of pressure! I have tried so many ways to be successful and make it easy on myself, and therefore our family. Do you know how many ways there are to plan menus? I bet I have tried them all!

I tried making a calendar and writing it down on each day, I made a simple chart in a Word document where I would input the menu and print it off to hang on the fridge, I used someone else’s spreadsheet and would input my menu in their document, I tried just writing it down on a blank sheet, I made a pretty laminated sheet that I would write on with dry erase markers. So many ways!!!

I would be successful for a short time, but inevitably, would fall back to not menu planning at all, therefore the 5 pm meal dash would begin. I had realized early in my marriage that I was not one who could be in the kitchen and successfully put something together without prior planning, even if the fridge and cupboards were stocked with food. Weird, right?!

I know another thing that I needed was more flexibility in the assignment of meals. All of these methods I had used required me to write what meal was on a specific night. I would frequently get to a night, look at what we were ‘supposed’ to have for dinner and not want it. Because I had taken the time to write it down, my brain was telling me we HAD to have it that night, and I see the flexibility. Also another problem I ran into was if I wasn’t in the mood for that particular meal, it wasn’t easy for me to move around.

I feel I am a good cook and can follow a recipe with great success. I simply need flexibility built into the menu plan! I haven’t always like to cook. I don’t know if that played into the failure of the many menu plans or not. I felt it was more something I had to do for me and my family. I do love to bake, however! Sweets always are better than food, but not the healthiest. A few things changed recently, and one is this menu plan method, and I think the other is the way we have had to change our food again. It seems that change is our never-ending reality.

I have now found that I look forward to cooking each night. It is therapeutic for me, and I find I am proud of myself for being able to take my menu and implement it! Finally, I found a way that I could consistently use, and have continued to use for the last few years!  I slightly modified it from what the original intent was, but that is the important thing, isn’t it?  Taking an idea and utilizing it how it best fits for you or your family, making changes so it fits best for you.

Want to know what it is? Simple ruled index cards. I use white lined cards, and store them in a recipe box. You could use colored ones and have one color for every season. As I explain the way to use it, it will make much more sense. I took one index card per meal, and wrote the main dish on the top line in black ink. Under the main dish, I wrote out the side dishes for that meal, in a light blue pen.

On the right side of the index card, I wrote out the unique ingredients for which I would need to shop, using a pink pen. If there is a specific recipe I need to follow, I write the book and page number on the top line, in orange ink.

When all the meals were written in this way, I mixed them up so we weren’t having too many of the same meals too close together. I put them in my recipe box, and when planning the meals for the week, I look at the first 5 or so cards. I take them out of the box and add the ingredients I need to the grocery shopping app I use. Then I take my phone and go through my freezer, fridge, and shelves to take off anything I already have on hand. Then I go grocery shopping.

This method has been a lifesaver for me!! I love it, and can easily see what the next meal is. If I don’t want that one, I look behind to see what the other ones are, and choose one. Easy peasy, and I have not ever felt bad making changes to our meal. I also love that the side dishes are planned out! I would not always think that far ahead, and wouldn’t feel like my former methods were feeding my family a complete and well-rounded meal.

Taking this method and using the color-coded index cards will allow you to plan for each season, mostly regarding the seasonal veggies and fruit for side dishes. Spring could be one color, followed by a different color for Summer, and on through Fall and Winter.

Good luck with menu planning! It is a challenge I never loved, and now look forward to. If you end up using this method, let me know how your box turns out!

Thanks!