Monthly Menu Planning

What's for Dinner? How many times a day do you hear that or think that exact question? Well with a monthly menu there is no questions or worries about whats for dinner! Not only will Monthly Menu Planning save you a lot of time, but it will also allow you to save money each week by setting up a well planned list and cut out extra trips to the grocery store!

So what do you need for a successful Monthly Menu Plan? It's really a lot more simple then you might think! Here are some things that I recommend having for the ultimate meal planner:

A Three Ring Binder

Monthly Calendar Printout

Recipe Cards & Box

Notebook

Unfortuntately Blogspot will not let me upload a Word Doc to show you my calendar but here is a picture of it and I will give you step by steps on how to make it:

To make this simply open a word doc, change the layout to Landscape. I then clicked insert, table, and first did a 1x7 for the dates so I could have that thinner. Then went back in and did a 5x7 table for the week days. I made sure they were fairly large so I could write out the meals in them easily. Underneath the table I simply did an ingredient list. I elected to do 5 lists since I had 5 weeks...this way I could group my ingredents per week based on what I already had in the kitchen and pantry.

Now here is the point that you will need to decide how far into the menu planning you want to get, either one week at a time or the full month at a time. Its totally up to you and how far out you like to plan, but for me I think its easier to just tackle the full month so I am all set with no worries. Keep in mind though I do mine in pencil so I can adjust as I go if necessary depending on sales or mood changes.

Here are the steps I go through to get mine going:

1. Go through the calendar and mark off dates that you won't be home for dinner...no sense planning for a day that doesn't need planning! In ours we knew we were going to be out of town the weekend of Mothers Day and Memorial Day so those I put an X through them

 

 

2. Once I have my dates figured out, I like to put Leftovers as the meal plan the night before we will be out of town. This way I am not making a meal that will be wasted if we don't eat it all, plus its a great way to save you time on a packing night, and clean out the fridge before being out of town. Along with doing leftovers before going out of town I also like to do them once a week, even if we will be home. I usually pick a night that we tend to be busy due to what ever our schedule has planned.

 

 

3. Now its time to start plugging in meals! Remember I suggested having recipe cards...well this is where my meals come from. I try to make it as easy as possible so what I did was get a recipe box in the $1 section at Target...they always have them in various colors and they come clear plastic dividers in them. I also get lined recipe cards to use in them so its all organized. Then its time to start putting down your recipes! Now this sounds harder then it really is...you don't need to hunt down long lost recipes or find a ton of new recipes. I literally write down all the things the family loves to eat, even if I don't need a 'recipe' for it persay. Example, this week we had Pigs In A Blanket...I obviously do not need a recipe for it, BUT I write down all the ingredents that I need for it. This way I don't miss anything when I am going to the grocery store. Plus I find that if I don't write them down and have them available to pull out I forget to add them into our rotation. **I will do a post on recipe cards and how to organize them later.** Finally I select a side to go with each meal. Usually just rotate out veggies that we like. Again I have recipe cards for various sides so I have the ingredent list needed if any!

As I go through the week/month I try to pull from different food groups so we don't end up having 3 italian dishes in one week. I also try to lump meals together by what types of protiens are in them, this way I can save money by purchasing meats in bulk. I don't necessarily like to have chicken two nights in a row, but will have it several times in one week in various ways. Check out my Saving with Whole Chickens Post to see how easy this is.

4. Lastly...Go through the ingredents. All you need to do is go through what you have on hand and what the recipes call for. Simple as that! I section off my grocery needs at the bottom of my mothly menu so each week I know what I need for the specific recipes that I have listed. Then all I have to do is add those items to my weekly list when I go shopping. This way, one trip to the grocery store and I am set! You will save time, gas money, and added 'extra' purchases at the grocery store!

**To help save even more, try variations on your recipes that include protiens that you have on hand from previous meals that week. So if you have grilled chicken breast on Monday, then on Wednesday when you have tacos, repurpose your grilled chicken into chicken tacos! Or if you have Spaghetti one night, brown up extra hamburger and set it aside for enchiladas the next night!**

After I have my meal plan for the month, then each week I post it up so everyone knows what we are having. This way if I am busy my husband knows exactly what to make for dinner! You can do this by actually hanging up your calendar or have a weekly meal board. I made one out of a cabinet door I got in the AS-IS section at IKEA. **Post to follow with how to make!!**

So now you know how to get your Monthly Menu Planner Started...but my guess is you would love to have some meal ideas to start off your planner!! Well here are some that are on my calendar now:

Meal Ideas:

Chicken:

Chicken Fajitas

Tacos/Nachos

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Kabobs

Grilled Chicken

Enchilada Lasagna

Hamburger:

Spaghetti

Grilled Burgers

Lasagna (can be chicken)

Chilli

Pork:

Grilled Brats

San Fran Pork Chops

Family Favorits:

Breakfast for Dinner (will switch out between pancakes, french toast sticks)

Pigs in a Blanket

English Muffin Pizza

Wraps (usually leftovers for fillings!)

Grilled Ham/Turkey Cheese Sandwiches

Homemade Pizzas (BBQ, Asian, Buffalo, ect)

Homemade Mac'N'Cheese (usually have chicken with this)

Now you have the basics to get your planner rolling! I hope that this gets you motivated to get your dinners under control! Once you have your dinner plan down, try branching out and planning your lunches too! Whether you are a SAHM or a working mom, you will find that this will help you out a lot! Lunch is much easier to plan out, but you will find that just being able to take that task out of your daily routine will save you lots of time!