Some of you have expressed interest in how I plan for meals. Meal planning a big deal for my family. There are 9 of us after all. I can’t just wing it every day, unless we want to eat frozen pizza and corndogs for supper. So, a few years ago, I began intentionally making a weekly supper menu. And let me tell you, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. About anything. Seriously.
Today, I’m going to break it down for y’all.
But first, this is where the menu is posted:
Close up:
Each day gets a clothespin, where I slip the paper into. As you may or may not be able to see, I begin my week with Friday because that’s the day I get groceries. I actually make the menu out on Thursday and put any recipes I may need in the clothespin next to the meals, as seen above.
Here’s a close up of a pin:
And here’s a look at the back side.
As you can see, I bought some little square magnets from Hobby Lobby and stuck them on the clothespin. On the back side of the paper, I’ve put an abbreviation for the recipe book where that particular meal can be found with the page number.
At first I wrote up new slips of paper every week after discarding the old ones, but then I quickly realized that that was a stupid waste of time, as I usually make most of the same things anyway. So, I started saving the slips and putting them into jars.
I have one jar for main dishes and one jar for sides, like salads or vegetables. I store these jars in the same cupboard that holds my recipe books and my recipe box.
And there you have it!
Recap
When Thursday morning rolls around, I take all the clothespins off the refrigerator and pull last weeks’ slips of paper off. I grab my two little jars. I flip through the main dishes and select 7 new entrees, which I arrange next the most suitable days. Then I add any sides.
I then pull the corresponding recipes from my box and start writing down any ingredients I need to buy on my Grocery List. I do the same for the sides. Then I put the new menu back on the refrigerator, for all to see (and sometimes to complain about). I put the recipes that I’ll need into the Recipe Clothespin and put it also on the refrigerator for easy access.
Lastly, I stuff my Grocery List in my purse, so it’s ready for grocery shopping on Friday.
Anyone else have a good system?
