I make menu plans because it saves me time, money, and reduces our food waste. In a previous post, I shared how my menu planning has changed over time. There are so many different ways to make a menu plan, but the best way, is the one that works for you!
It is important to remember that menu plans are more like guidelines than actual rules. Don’t feel bad if something comes up and you don’t/can’t follow your plan. If my husband decides to surprise us with Chinese food, I will say thank you and put what ever I was planning back in the fridge for the next evening. If we have unexpected guests, I will rearrange our menu to accommodate them. And if, like last week, my youngest and I are both sick, I am grateful for anything my teenagers make!
Here are the steps I take to create my menus:
1. Look at schedule. Determine how many people will be home and decide how many meals I will need to prepare. I usually plan to cook meals 4 days, use leftovers in meals 2 days, and take one day off from cooking all together (YOYO Dinner = Your are On Your Own).
2. Take a look in the freezer, refrigerator, and the pantry to see what is available.
3. Decide what meals can be made from the ingredients I have on hand.
4. Decide what meals I have most of the ingredients for and start a shopping list for the ingredients I will need.
5. Check grocery store circulars to see if there are some great deals that I may want to use as a foundation for a meal.
6. I decide what meals go at the beginning of the week based on how many of the ingredients I already have on hand, how fresh the items are, and if I need the leftovers for another meal.
Menu Plan – Week of April 19th
Monday – Pulled Pork, Corn on the Cob, and Strawberry Spinach Salad
Tuesday – Enchiladas, Black Beans, and Mexican Rice
Wednesday – Use leftover beans and rice in Black Bean and Cauliflower Chili. Serve with salad.
Thursday – YOYO Dinner
Friday – Pizza Casserole and Salad
Saturday – Grilled Steaks, Basmati Rice, and Garlic Green Beans
Sunday – Use leftover steak and green beans to make stir-fry and use leftover rice to make Orange Rice with Cranberries.
Have you found a menu planning system that works for you? If you don’t create a menu plan, have you found another way to minimize food waste or last minute trips to the store?
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Struggler says
I follow a very similar process, although I admit I don't look at special offers. I also try to predict my mood and willingness to cook; for example, if I know I'll come in late after a yoga class, or at the end of a weekend day of DIY, I know dinner needs to be ultra-easy (or, preferably, made by hubby!).
Melissa says
My planning process is much like yours. And I totally agree that it has to be flexible: it's a tool, not a boss. 🙂
Sheila says
Menu planning never seemed to work for me when I tried it years ago. I think I was being too rigid with it though. I like the idea of making a plan that was more flexible. Some days I just don't feel like eating what I had planned to cook so maybe I run out and get fast food. I think I'll try the menu plan again and just use it as a guideline for what to have that week. That makes much more sense to me than just giving up. Thanks for the help.
mrs green @ myzerowaste.com says
I really admire people who can menu plan. It just doesn't ever seem to work out for me.
What I do is go through the fridge on a Sunday evening and plan meals around what is leftover. But apart from that, my DD's appetite fluctuates so much I don't think I could plan the right amount of food. I bet it makes a huge difference to your food budget though. I'm trying to get our food budget down, but it seems to be going up LOL!