Spaghetti Again?

How  I Plan My Weekly Menu

I began meal planning years ago when I was teaching full-time and my children were small.  After many. many nights of having zero energy or brain capacity to figure out what to make for dinner, I realized I needed to come up with a plan.  It seemed that when I didn’t have a plan, we would eat the same things all the time.  Meal planning was a game changer! Meal planning ensured we would have a healthy, balanced meal, and not be eating spaghetti three times a week.

I typically plan out only a few breakfast items such as overnight oats or muffins, but dinner for six nights a week.  On the seventh night, we eat leftovers or go out to dinner.  Meal planning took a little getting used to, but after a while, it became a fun challenge for me.  I get excited looking for new recipes and also love serving my family’s favorites.

I plan my meals weekly, and find the best time for me to plan is Sunday afternoons.  I will first look at my calendar to see what we have going on that week, and how I need to adjust the menu accordingly.  For example, if I will be gone all day with little time to meal prep, I will throw something in the crockpot early in the morning.  After looking at the calendar, I write out the days of the week on a piece of paper, and plan away!  As I figure out each meal, I will write the ingredients needed on the back of the paper.  When I go shopping on Mondays with my list, I am able to see what we are having for dinner each day.  If I am having difficulty finding an item for the recipe, I can change the days around or substitute an item because I am able to see my menu.

Where I Find Menu Inspiration

~ My Recipe Folders

I use folders like these and have each one labeled.  I have a folder for these categories:

breakfast items, appetizers, vegetables & side dishes, salads, soups, fish, poultry, beef, and pasta

 In these folders are recipes I have printed from food blogs, torn out of magazines, or family recipes.  Every once in a while, I look through the folders and throw out recipes we don’t eat anymore.

~ Cookbooks

Even though I can find a million recipes online, I still love looking through cookbooks. It’s fun to browse and look at the beautiful photos and to get recipe inspiration.  I have quite a few cookbooks, and usually, after I first get a new one, I will put a small post-it on pages that have a recipe I want to try.

~Recipe Screenshots

I subscribe to many food blogs and love taking screenshots with my iPad.  I then sort recipe photos by category, such as desserts, dinners, etc.  Recipes that I repeat often are stored in my “favorites” section. This method has been the most common way I look for dinner inspiration.

~Magazines

I subscribe to a few magazines or my mom will buy some for me if she sees one that she knows I will like.  I also find great recipes in Sunset Magazine and Better Homes & Garden.  I will typically tear out a recipe or take a screenshot with my phone.

As I said at the beginning, I have been meal planning for years, and I love how much time and money it saves me.  When I have meals figured out, I don’t throw random things in my shopping cart because I know exactly what I need.  I hope these tips have helped and will encourage you to try meal planning.

What is your favorite way to figure out what’s for dinner? I would love to hear 🙂

Natalie xo