How could planning a menu be healthy? Easy. If you’re planning a menu and cooking at home, you’ve already won half the battle. I already detailed my feelings regarding eating at fast food establishments versus in your own home, but when it comes right down to it, eating whole food, real food is important to your overall health and the health of your children and everyone else who’s eating with you. Not only is it better for you, but it can also help you save money by keeping you away from expensive takeout, drive-thrus and sit-down establishments where the price per plate can often be more than the cost of the entire meal cooked in your home.
Once you’ve decided to plan a menu, finding what works best for you and your family is key to its success. Trying to work with something that doesn’t mesh well with your family’s unique schedule and eating habits will only flop when it comes time to get in the kitchen to cook. There are many ways to do this.
:: We plan for the week, incorporating ingredients from meals earlier in the week to meals later in the week and focusing on things we can do ahead to make the preparation on busy nights easier, something I’ve just started detailing as I share my menu weekly.
:: Trisha and a large group of similarly-minded folks dedicate an entire day to cooking, stocking the freezer with a month’s worth of meals at a time.
:: Tsh tackles her menus monthly as well, with weekly theme nights. Planning a month out and sticking to it is a feat I think is very impressive.
:: Laura starts by browsing the week’s deals and then basing her menu off of that, looking online and through cookbooks to take advantage of the savings.
These are only a few ways to tackle the great menu planning obstacle, and once you figure out which one you want to try, just go for it, or you could create a method all your own. If you try something and it doesn’t fit, just try something else next week.
Finally, to help you stay organized, check out these fantastic printables to help you build your menus and your shopping lists!
Grocery List and Menu Planner Templates | Org Junkie
Weekly Menu Plan and Shopping List | Organizing Your Way
Weekly Menu Plan | Organized Home
Menu Planning Form | The Project Girl
Freezer Cooking Day Ingredient Planner and Master List | Money Saving Mom
Tanna has also created a Simple Menu Plan Printable you can download for free right here!
Have you found a menu-planning system that works well for you?
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Thanks for all the great links! I’m going to attempt not one but TWO — massive cooking days during spring break so that my freezer is STOCKED since I’m due mid-late April. I’m hoping to do a little extra here and there along the way to just make everything hunky-dorie! :)
We shall see!
Great Ideas! I’ve always made up a rough menu, especially planning for those times I know that I just can’t be in my kitchen, and then a couple extra meals in case something goes awry in the grocery store (like $8 for 3 chix breasts and $4 for 4 pork chops) that way I can substitute something out and still get the better deal!
This is SO true. If I don’t plan my meals or have any idea of snacks for the week, I will fall off course in my wellness plan. And it just makes life easier less stressful at meal times when I know what I need to prepare. I also do a fair amount of make ahead meals like soups, chili. And I try to have some brown rice etc. steamed then frozen in single servings for me. My family…..hubby….doesn’t like healthier carbs so this way I stay on track and he is happy. : ) Thanks for the helpful info.