You arrive home, and the first words out of your family's mouths is, "What's for dinner?"
There are no high fives for an awesome day.
There is no sympathy or concern about the rough day you experienced.
There is no talking through it.
No, you've come home to a hungry crowd, and they are demanding to be fed.
Wouldn't you love to change all of the above?
The answer is so easy and simple.
Monthly menu planning will help with time management in your life.
You'll even find that you have time for some rest and relaxation each afternoon.
Best of all is that your family will be invested and involved with this plan, taking some of the responsibility off of your shoulders!
Steps for Easy Menu Planning
Step 1: Make a list.
What are your go-to meals? What about elaborate meals? What are your all-time favorite meals?
Brainstorm a list of these meals. I like to use this FREE form to make a master list.
Brainstorm a list of these meals. I like to use this FREE form to make a master list.
Step 2: Plan meals around the ingredients you have.
By planning meals around the items in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer and the list of items you plan to purchase, you will save time during the month by not making multiple trips to the grocery store.
Step 3: Include your family.
Including your family once a month for menu planning is a great learning activity for your kids and keeps everyone involved and invested. Have your family help fill out the "Master List of Menus" you downloaded above. Make sure that each family member has his or her favorite dishes and meals included each month.
Step 4: Plan out Your month on a calendar.
I like to plan my month in PENCIL. Inevitably, something happens to change at least one night during the month. Think about these things before listing your meals:
- Is there a set night of the week for church, sports, meetings, etc.?
- Is there an activity (conferences, PLC, faculty meetings, kids' soccer practices, piano lessons, etc.) one or two afternoons a week that makes you arrive home later?
- Is there a day of the week when you are always super tired? (Mine is always Monday and Thursday)
- Do you like cooking a big Sunday meal?
- Do you have the same meal one night a week (ex: taco Tuesday or pizza Friday)?
Keep these answers in mind as you pencil in your monthly menus. My personal plan always includes:
- one or two "easy" nights each week
- a night for someone else to cook (Remember, even younger children can put a loaf of bread, cold cuts, chips, and plates on the table.)
- a leftover night (Keep younger children busy while you rest by letting them make menus of the foods available.)
Refer to #3 above, and include your family. Let each family member choose his or her favorite meal, and pencil it in on a night that will work best.
Complete the entire month, and hang the calendar on the fridge so that all family members have access.
(Don't forget to save this pin to your favorite Pinterest board so that you can refer to this post as needed.)
Step 5: What's for Dinner?
Each night of the week, quickly check your menu for the next evening's planned meal. Prep ingredients, or remove items from the freezer that need to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Set out the crockpot if you need to add items the next morning before heading to school.
You will no longer have to start thinking about your "second job" of cooking dinner every night. You can now come home to rest and relax for a bit because you have a plan in place for the evening's meal.
Best of all, when your family asks, "What's for dinner?" Just point to the refrigerator while laying on the couch without opening your eyes or saying a word.
Helping you with a plan and some rest time after a long day of work, that's just...
My Kind of Teaching
