This is how we plan our meals...

A few of the sites I read have talked about how they go about planning their meals so they don't feel like their only option each night is takeout (fresh or leftover), pasta with jarred sauce, or cereal. The NYTimes had an article about this type of thing last week, but I didn't like it enough to archive it. Check it out for yourself (hopefully it will still be free)>

Here's what I do:

1. First I print out my menu planner sheet (warning: it's a PDF). I used to buy a pad of almost the same thing, but the company discontinued it. So, being the crafty bugger I am, I created one myself. I put in more than 7 meals because sometimes I have to plan 7+ meals in a week (for example, my aunt is coming for Sunday lunch, but I still have dinner to plan too).

2. I figure out what nights I know we're eating out either at restaurants or someone else's place (I like these nights) and mark those in the appropriate day/meal sections.

3. For the nights I know we'll be eating in, I decide what meals will be good each night. I factor in lunches (for example, Fridays at Bella's school are pizza day, so that's out for Friday night). I usually write my ideas in pencil. Sometimes I'll do the math and figure out that spaghetti and meatballs aren't good on those nights Bella doesn't get a bath (so sue me - my kid gets a bath every other night!). So sometimes I switch things around.

As I write down each meal, I write down the groceries that go along with it in the bulleted list below the menu. I usually group them by produce, meats, dairy, etc. I didn't label the planner with these tags because it was too limiting. Some weeks I bought more produce than household stuff and vice versa. I didn't want to be contained by the number of lines on my list! I also added a notes field. This is for anything you want, but I use it for things like reminders about Bella's school - last week she needed an empty egg carton, so a dozen eggs went on the list (as well as a Quiche for Wednesday night to use all those eggs).

4. And before I go shopping, after I've added all the other household stuff I'll need from the store (TP, bleach, etc), I do a quick scan in my pantry one last time to make sure that I really don't have a can of chicken stock in the pantry. I have a small house, so I take the space saving where I can get it.

And that's it. The menu is posted on the fridge for the week. I can tell Mark what's for dinner (so he doesn't have the same thing for lunch), and I don't stress out about what we're having each night.

Try it yourself. It works for me, it might just work for you.

What do you do?

My next post will have some of my favorite standbys for meals that everyone in my family eats. Stay tuned...