My menu planning process may seem a little “involved” for some but it’s a system that works for our family. I plan ten to twelve meals for two weeks depending on what our weekly schedule looks like. Sundays we have dinner at my parents house and we sometimes go out to eat out at least one day every two weeks. We shop every two weeks (payday weekends) leading to ten to twelve meals I need to plan and shop for. I don’t plan for lunch as lunch is leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. I do put together a propsed calendar for our meals but I make this calendar with a complete understandng that it can change or get thrown out the window all together.
1. Review the last menu – If there is anything I didn’t get around to making and still want to eat I add it to the new menu.
2. Ask husband if there is anything that he really wants on the menu.
3. Pull out cook books and the binder – begin the search for recipes.
4. Begin making two lists: the menu and the ingredient list.
5. For the ingredient list I write down everything that each recipe needs. Even if I know that I have the ingredient I write it down anyway. I may know I have two onions but after the ingredient list I may find out that I need three.
6. After all then meals have been chosen and all ingredients have been written down I scour my pantry.
7. If I have an ingredient in my pantry I cross that ingredient off the list and bring it upstairs to my kitchen cabinets. I don’t have tons of food space in my kitchen so I only have the food we are using in the kitchen, everything else stays in the pantry in the basement.
8. Ask husband if there is anything he needs from the store and add it to the ingredient list.
9. Check to see if I ran out of any pantry staples and add them to the ingredient list.
10. Make the shopping list based off of the remaining items on the ingredient list.
11. Dig through my coupons and paperclip those to the grocery list.
12. Head to the store!
This does take at good hour for me to complete but it’s worth it. When I go to the store I know exactly what and how much I need. I make sure to use items that I have already in my pantry so I don’t buy duplicates. Buying what I need and shopping with a list helps keep our grocery budget under control. I don’t shop sale ads and I’m not a slave to coupons. If an ingredient I need is on sale it’s a bonus. If an ingredient I use frequently is on sale I will pick it up. If I have a coupon I will use it.
