Solving The Great Dinner Problem...

I've been asked to write about my menu planner by multiple people... though I was not certain that I should actually divulge my awesome secrets (insanity, be be more specific) I did realize that it might benefit other similarly crazy people out there.

To understand my process, it is important to understand its history. When my husband and I first shared an apartment, we were in college, thus our income was almost nothing. One thing we had going for us was the fact that we enjoyed eating at home and we enjoyed eating foods that were rather cheap. As our family grew our need to eat healthier increased, but our monetary supplies did not increase as would have been helpful. I learned by necessity how to cook healthy homemade meals using a very limited means of money. This has really shaped by shopping brain and has solidified my basis as to how I cook today. In truth, because we struggled early on- we learned how to manage ourselves in such a manner that we still eat well and shop within our means today.

I do openly admit that because of job changes, our income is very different than it was when we first started out and I do spend quite a bit more on food, because I can. However, I still spend MUCH less than many people I know and we eat very well. The most important factor in saving money when shopping and menu planning is the PLANNING portion. Knowing exactly how much you need and how to share materials amongst meals is a necessity.

When you have a fully stocked kitchen and a specific menu in place, most of your problems are removed when it comes to frivolous food spending. Please note, fully stocked does not necessarily mean FULL. It means, you have what you need to cook the foods on your menu. Also, this means you have taken into account breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack foods in between. If you are hungry and looking for food, if you cannot satisfy this craving- you're in trouble. You'll spend. If you do not know what you are going to make for dinner or have a set plan for meals, then food is used vicariously and not there for other meals. Most often ALL of these problems are fixed by running to the store or heading out to eat. Both costly solutions.

To begin: Create a menu. Not just for the week... broaden your horizons. My menu plan is set for 6 weeks. I shop every 2 weeks, thus I have a 2 week rotating plan. This works marvelously because we do not ever eat the same meal twice in a six week period of time. This seems like a daunting task to begin with, but really it can be fun. Sit down with your family and ask what dinners they love best. Instantly, everyone has already contributed and everyone's favorites are included.

Ponder your cookbooks for ideas... not necessarily for new meal ideas (not that this is a bad idea, hint hint) but for things that you may have forgotten. We all come across meals that we love but tend to forget about. We mean to make them, but are filed away... and we get stuck in a dinner rut- eating the same foods time and time again. This is your chance to pull yourself out of the rut- pull up old ideas and integrate new ones. If you are going to make a 6 week plan, you need 42 meals.This may seem like a lot, but when you really start listing out meals you know and love... it is far easier than you'll realize.

Once you have a list of your meals, take a look at them individually. What do you serve with them? Think of side dishes, vegetables and breads that you enjoy. Make a separate list of vegetable you love and incorporate them into your meal plan. Treasures such as deviled eggs, potato salad and asparagus do not have to be brought out for special occasions only... integrate them into your plan. Once you have them noted, you'll be able to shop accordingly and enjoy them regularly.

With your meals planned and balanced, it is time to organize. I used MS Word to print my meals off on 1.5"x1.5" squares... the complete meals! I noted the main dish, the side, the vegetable and the bread if applicable. I printed all 42 meals and cut them out. I carefully arranged them into 1 week groupings. This ensures that I do not have an entire weeks worth of eating Italian dishes. I also carefully planned more expensive meals, such as steaks and turkey, into separate shopping cycles. This allows us to eat great food- and even the spending each pay check. Afterall, this is all about saving money as well as your sanity.

Using the system.

After I put together my meal plan and sorted out my squares- it was time to get crafty. I began with 4 sheets of 12"x12" cardstock and created a grid system. I cut 3 of  the papers to 6.25"x10.75" and the final piece to 3.25"x10.75". I drew in grid lines to separate my menu squares so that I had 2 rows of 7. Begin from the bottom up on the larger pieces of paper- you'll note that on the smaller piece, there is room for exactly 14 squares and a boarder edge.

I covered all of my menu squares and grids with clear contact paper (I call it cheap crafter's laminate.) It really helps keep it firm and long lasting. It also helps with the next step, which is placing all your squares onto their grid pages. I use reusable wall putty, which comes by lots of names and is rather inexpensive and found everywhere. A small bit of it on the back of each square and you can move your pieces around with ease.

This is helpful particularly with the lunch menu- as I didn't want to create separate weeks, but I hide my extra choices on the back.

Now, after all your menus have been planned, sorted and organzied, you should have a collection that looks similar to this:

42 organized dinner meals, 5-7 breakfasts foods and a supply of lunch ideas. Dinner meals are contained on 3 rotatable cards and can be moved about as needed.

Now, what to do with them? Mine hang up next our family calendar. I used 2 3M Mini Wall Hooks, evenly spaced on the wall, and hole punched my cards so they hung up. Notice breakfast and lunch hand above the dinner meals- and the other dinner plans hand behind the one in use.

What I love about my system is that I have complete freedom of choice- no matter how much you may be thinking otherwise. Looking at my plan, I have 14 choices to choose from. All foods that I know my family and I love to eat. This means that I know my kitchen is stocked to prepare these meals, so when I want them- I can make them. No further thought required. I can pick and choose from my choices depending upon my mood and know that everything will be there as needed.

When it comes time to making lunches, fixing breakfast and grocery shopping... I don't have to think. All the thinking is already done- now, I'm free to fix the meals and move on. It is a rather liberating thing. Also, after a few times around... you can reuse shopping lists. Print them up on the computer- adjust as you learn the method... and congratulations- shopping lists come pre-fashioned as well. I'm not sure about you- but for me? This is a HUGE time saver. Sure, I have to add toiletries and such... but that's nothing when compared to trying to recreate meal ideas and plan for dinner in your head. Having everything laid out for me to work around is more than a relief to my already busy day.

I have other projects that need that time and mind space, thank you very much.



**Special Note- if you become bored with your rotations, change it up. If you come across new recipes- add them in! You don't have to become completely fixed to the system once it is in place... but you'll love it just the same.***