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We've spent some time talking about why we should menu plan, and I've shown you how to make a menu. Now, let's talk about the only right method  of menu planning.

Um.

Just joking! There are probably dozens of different time frames and menu planning methods. The possibilities are endless. My basic menu planning how-to could be used to implement any of these methods or use with any of these tools.

Here are some ideas to get you started and help you figure out what works for you.....

TIME FRAMES

~Weekly planning - This is probably the easiest way to plan. In the end, it is also probably the most time consuming because it requires a few minutes every single week. I usually plan for just one week at a time because I just haven't gotten in gear to do it for longer.

~Bi-weekly planning - This method saves a little time, and it sometimes happens naturally. Often, when I'm planning for just one week, I'll think of more meals than I have room for, so I'll fill them into the following week's calendar.

~Monthly planning - This is my preferred time-frame for menu planning. I'm always glad when I've planned for the entire month. I even figured out how to juggle a monthly menu with our irregular schedule. So, don't ask me why I don't do this every month. I've got issues. Clearly.

~Seasonal planning - Some people like to plan for every individual season (winter, summer, etc.). They either plan out three entire months of meals for each quarter, or they make a one-month plan that they repeat for three months. One benefit of this is that you could simply save the seasonal plan and use it year after year.

SPECIAL METHODS

~Certain types of food - When planning a menu, it can be helpful to schedule certain types of food on particular days. For example, we regularly have soup on Tuesdays because my husband might make it home from work in time for dinner that day. He enjoys soups, and it isn't something that will be wasted if he ends up working late. I also have days that I tend to schedule homemade pizza, pasta, and pancakes for dinner.

~Certain cuisines - You could schedule Mexican food on Mondays, Italian on Tuesdays, etc. I've never tried this, but it sounds sort of fun.

~Same meals, same days - I know that some families are happy to have the exact same meals on the exact same days every week. You know....tacos on Monday, spaghetti on Tuesday, Chili on Wednesday, etc. My family would mutiny. I guess I follow this method a little bit by planning certain foods on certain days (see above), but I don't think I could use the exact same plan every single week. To each his own, right?

~Two week rotation - I've also heard of using a combination of some of these methods by making a one week plan that gets repeated for two weeks in a row. I can see how this could save time and money by only needing to spend planning time twice a month and allowing for stocking up on items that will be used for both weeks.

SPECIAL TOOLS

~Once a Month Cooking - There are people who do once-a-month cooking for the freezer.  Those people are my heroes.  My friend Kayse even shared how she made 112 meals in one day.  Uhh...wow! Sometime, I'm finally going to figure out how to do that whole freezer-cooking thing to make menu planning easy as pie.  Jami totally made me believe it's possible with her 7 easy steps to planning a freezer cooking day.

~Cookbooks - Some cookbooks come with pre-planned menus.  In the past, I've used the book Saving Dinner to give me seasonal menu ideas, although I've never used it for complete menu plans (that's just not me).  I've also heard that my friend Leigh Ann's book 20-Minute Meals comes with some menu plans.  I've not read it yet, but I will soon (it came with my Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle). I honestly can't wait to try some of the recipes because I've seen her dinner pictures.  Yum. 

~Plan to Eat - This is the thing I'm most excited about.  I just signed up for a free trial of Plan to Eat, and I'm so anxious to try it out! You can use it to store your recipes, plan your meals, and generate shopping lists. You can even use the grocery list right from your smart phone...which I don't have...but if I did...just sayin'. This could really save me a lot of time and money once I learn all of the special features.  

Alright, now it's your turn to share.  What are some special methods, systems, or tools you use to make a menu plan?  Please share in the comments!  

More Menu Planning 101...
Why Menu Plan
How to Make a Menu Plan

I've been menu planning since baggy jeans were in style. Yes, my friends, I've been at this gig a long, long time.

But at the beginning of my marriage, I didn't do any meal planning.

I also didn't go much cooking.

Or laundry.

Or dusting or vacuuming.

Ahhh....those were the days....

I suppose it was after we had a kid and started spending more time at home that I began to plan our meals each week. We didn't have any extra money to spare, and I needed to know the exact items to buy at the store so I didn't waste a single penny.

Well, it's eighty-three years later (give or take a few years), and I'm still planning. There are lots of reasons why I menu plan, and it has become one of the most valuable tasks I do.

My "system" for menu planning is pretty basic. I don't want you to think this is a long, drawn out process of jumping through the right hoops every week. It only takes a few minutes each time, and the more you do it, the easier it will become.

Also, it doesn't matter if you plan for one week (what I usually do), one month (what I wish I did), an entire season, or something in between. The basic steps are still the same. Of course, if you've never done much menu planning, you should probably stick to doing one or two weeks at a time until you get comfortable with the process.

HOW TO MAKE A MENU PLAN:

This is my process for planning our dinner meals. At this stage in our family life, I simply have a basic list of breakfast and lunch suggestions (listed on my Menu Plan Monday posts), unless I expect us to all be home on a particular day. If you will benefit from planning specific items for the other meal in the week, just follow these same steps for each category.

A. Make a list of possible meals.

On a scrap piece of paper, I jot down at least seven meals (or however many I need to fill my menu, plus a couple more when possible). I follow this order:

1. Meals that weren't used from last week's menu.

2. Requests or special occasions. (This is rare for us.)

3. Meals that can be made mostly by "shopping" the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry.

4. Inexpensive staple meals (spaghetti, beans and rice, homemade pizza, soups, etc.).

5. Meals using what's on sale in the grocery ads or by using coupons.

B. Schedule the meals to specific days.

Some people might be happy to keep the above list posted and casually choose what's for dinner each morning. That's what I do when we're on a staycation. But on a normal week, I schedule the meals to the days they will fit best. Things always get switched around, but it helps me to have a plan to follow.

For scheduling the menu, you can use an actual calendar, an iPad (or iPhone) app, or even a piece of paper with the days listed down the side. I usually opt for the paper or an app.

1. Plug in any meals that are needed on a particular day or for a special occasion (birthdays, husband's day off, company coming, etc.).

2. Assign easy meals to busy days.

3. Fill in the blanks with the rest of the meals, keeping that week's scheduled activities in mind.

4. Tweak or rearrange, as needed. Be sure it makes sense (ie. the meatball subs are scheduled two days after spaghetti-and-meatballs).

5. List extra meals, when possible. It can be helpful to have a couple of ideas for back-up meals, just in case a day falls apart. These extra meals can be put on the plan next week if they aren't used.

C. Follow the plan, but don't be too rigid.

Remember that this is just a plan. It's a tool. Use it however it best serves your family.

I rarely ever follow my menu plan exactly. If we have unexpected leftovers, the plan changes. If we get home really late after a ball game or I'm especially tired, the plan changes. If my husband orders pizza so I don't have to cook, the plan changes (and I do a happy dance).

And that's alright.

Any meals that get bumped off this week will be moved to the next, and the cycle will begin again.

Round and round.

Probably until baggy jeans are back in style.

But we should all hope that isn't any time soon.

Shared with We Are That Family.

More Menu Planning 101...
Why Menu Plan
Menu Planning Methods

Okay. It's confession time....again.

I really don't enjoy menu planning.

There. I said it.

Since I told you I was going to spend some time this week talking about meal planning and how I do it, I thought you should know that it isn't something I like. It's something I do because I need to. It's a "must-do" not a "want-to-do" for me.

Sometimes I feel the same way about cooking dinner, too. I love to cook, but not so much at the end of the day. Or after a baseball game when I really wish the kids were in bed instead of circling the kitchen like vultures. Much of the time, I'd rather order a pizza.

I just don't want you to think that menu planning is something only perfect people do. The fact that I do it sort of shoots down that theory. Planning meals ahead of time actually helps cover up some of my imperfections. It makes me look a little more put-together than I am.

So, lets think about some good reasons to menu plan....

- My number one reason is that it saves money. It keeps me from buying unnecessary groceries, and it helps me not step foot inside the store mid-week. Because what self-respecting woman can walk into a grocery store and leave with just the one item she went in for?!?

- It makes me more efficient, which also saves money. I can plan on using what I already own, which means fewer items on my shopping list and less food being wasted.

- It saves me from thinking. I don't have to trudge into the kitchen every single day and try to come up with some brilliant meal idea for that evening. Anything that rescues me from thinking gets a thumbs-up from me.

- It allows me to plan around our crazy schedule. It gives me a chance to glance at what's going on for the week and write in meals that will fit the time (and energy) I'll have for cooking.

- It keeps us away from fast food or take-out (another money saver). As tempting as it is to grab dinner out, my menu calls me back home empty-handed.

- It makes us healthier. I feel guilty if I don't plan some sort of vegetable into our meals. That guilt means my kids often eat peas on the nights I fix pancakes for dinner. Peas with pancakes might sound gross, but it's on the plan. Don't argue with the plan, man.

- It opens the door to variety. I say it "opens the door" because it doesn't guarantee variety; it just encourages it. The whole guilt-thing that forces me to add in some veggies also limits how many times I can serve pasta in a week. Without my menu plan, I would likely serve it every couple of days. Because it's easy and I'm lazy.

- It tells me what I need to do. Since I know what's for dinner, I know what I should do ahead of time to be prepared. I can thaw out meat, make chicken stock, or mix up bread. I don't have to wait until the last minute, only to discover that I've run out of time.

- And finally, it gives me an easy answer when my kids say, "What's for dinner?" Am I the only one whose kids ask that question several times every day? I think they have a scheduled rotation so they can take turns asking (and re-asking) once every hour.

I'm pretty sure there are more good reasons for menu planning, and I'm pretty sure I can't think of any of them right now.

So, how about it you take over? Share the reasons you menu plan (or wish you did) in the comments....

More Menu Planning 101...
How to Make a Menu Plan
Menu Planning Methods