I am a huge proponent of menu planning. It is the top way I have saved both time and money when it comes to food.
It may take a few tries to figure out the best way menu planning works for you. I know a lot of people plan all three meals a day. I have tried that several times and it just doesn’t work for us. What I do instead is plan dinners and keep the basics like cereal, oatmeal and frozen (usually homemade) pancakes on hand for breakfast. Lunches are almost always salads, sandwiches, or quesadillas.
In the Menu Planning Basics series I wrote back in April I introduced my Master Menu which is my list of dishes that I know that my family enjoys. I have made a few tweaks to the master menu and now have one that is more like the one I use than the previous version. It has spaces for 45 main dishes, 20 side dishes, 15 breakfast and 14 snack ideas. It is a PDF Download for you to print and fill in.
Just take a few minutes and sit down with your family and ask them what their favorite meals are and fill in the blanks. It shouldn’t take very long and it can keep you out of the rut of serving the same foods over and over because you just can’t think of anything else.
More Menu Planning helps:
- Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie
- Customizable Menu Planner Pack from Money Saving Mom
- Weekly Meal Plan with Printable Grocery List at $5 Dinners
- Menus and Grocery Lists from Eat at Home
Do you menu plan? What are some of your favorite resources?
To find all the posts in the series click the button on the sidebar.
I love comments and read each one I get
Sign up for updates via email or RSS. It’s free and easy. You can also find Cookin’ Mimi on Twitter or on the Facebook Fan Page
Micha
I am so looking forward to your series! My food bill is the most overgrown part of our budget and I need to start meal planning – I have in the past, but it is sporadic.