Menu Planning Ideas?

Question

Hello, I want to plan menus for my family and ive looked up recipes and added them to a calendar but I only have 2 meals written down

Anyone have ideas that are helpful to planning a menu and actually using it? Thanks

Answer 1

http://www.mealsmatter.org/
http://www.allrecipes.com

Try these two sites. Between them, you could probably eat a different meal every night for the entire year! They have meal planning options that add the ingredients to a shopping list you can print along with your meal plans :)

Answer 2

I don't 'schedule' my meals for the week, but I do know what I'm going to have for the week - based on what I cook over the weekend.

My favorite thing to do, is pull out both crock pots, make a pot of chili or stew in one, and soup in the other. Portion it out and freeze it. That way, I just pull one container out in the morning before work, and I've got dinner when I get home - pop it into the microwave to heat it up, get together a salad, and 10 minutes later we're eating.

My schedule doesn't allow for me to cook every night, but I don't want to order takeout or burgers and pizza every night. So with my weekend cooking, I can have great home cooked meals really fast.

And an added bonus - Not much clean up on the week days! Everything is cooked and cleaned up on Saturday so I still have my Sunday's free (except for unloading the dish washer LOL ) - that's about the only night I cook a 'fresh' meal.

Answer 3

Have you tried Rachael Ray's magazine or site? She has grocery lists and menus in there for a week at a time.

I can't follow it and plan that far out. Our appetites vary every day. I just work with whatever's in the fridge and freezer.