Hey there humans and robots alike who roam this world wide inter-web! I was ashamed at how long it'd been since the last post.....but let's be real, it's not like I have many (if any) avid followers who need a blog update! (I only say that with the tiniest bit of embarrassment knowing that I am one of those blog readers who is stupidly sad when some of my favorite blogs haven't been updated recently.....clearly I have a grand and exciting life).
Anyway, I digress into another regression: where have I been? Well, for the most part, nowhere. But let's be real, summer is the time of year when all sense of pattern and rhythm you had in life is instantly thrown out the window and leisurely/chaotic life ensues. What is it about the sunshine and heat?
But, needless to say, I am making a valiant effort to get back into the swing of things here on the good old blog.
Anyway, I digress into another regression: where have I been? Well, for the most part, nowhere. But let's be real, summer is the time of year when all sense of pattern and rhythm you had in life is instantly thrown out the window and leisurely/chaotic life ensues. What is it about the sunshine and heat?
But, needless to say, I am making a valiant effort to get back into the swing of things here on the good old blog.
Do you ever have those areas of your life that are just good thinking times/spaces? Here are a few of mine, to demonstrate: the shower, driving to work, doing dishes, etc. Mindless (mostly) activities (I promise I am a mindful driver....) where you can think about totally meaningless or completely meaningful things? Well, with the hubby back in the hallowed halls of law school I am finding that I have more of these good thinking times. I was having one of them the other day, as I was bent over the dirty dishes, about this blog that I have been so woefully neglecting. And here was the topic:
Now, I know that everyone who has a blog- whether it be about food, lifestyle, healthy living, travel, pets– has a blog post about menu planning. BUT I thought it was my turn to give my spin on the topic. Who's to say if my approach to this topic is any different from anyone else's but sometimes it's nice to have something to write about :).
In thinking about menu planning and how little-ol’-me wanted to approach this subject, I knew that were several points I wanted to emphasize that have made it easier for me, but as I started to write those out I thought that it would be prudent of me to first outline how I even go about doing the often-berated task in the event that anyone who reads this post is a novice on the subject. Then the post was getting too long so this post is Part 1 on Menu planning. Consider it your crash course on how I plan my menu.
Here’s the down & dirty outline of what you need to know about Menu Planning
Deciding How and Where to Plan Your Menu
Before you decide on the How and Where of the matter at hand, you need to decide on if your menu is going to be a weekly or monthly or longer affair. I personally do a monthly menu because that works best for my sanity but you may decide on a different time period.
Moving on.
How
Hand-Written vs. Typing
Well, you do need to decide how you’re going to menu plan! Between the two methods, I really don’t think there is a best method, in fact, I doubt that these are your only two options! It is a totally personal choice as you decide what will be in your best interest. In figuring out which will work best for you, it will probably be helpful to contemplate the question of:
Where
When I say “where” I’m saying, where will you access and reference your menu and when it comes to this question, there is no this vs. that. I know some people who have their menu written up and posted on a chalk-board in their kitchen. Or people, like my mom, who have a binder with the monthly menu and all of the corresponding recipes (oh to be that organized!). You are just going to have to figure out what suites your jam and flow with it. Here are a few questions to ask yourself in your contemplation of this matter:
Here is what I have come up with to answer the “how” and “where” of my personal menu planning.
How: I decided to type my menu out because my handwriting it not the most beautiful and because my menu order changes a lot! (which is totally normal and ok). I like to document where I moved the different meals around from day to day in order to look back and reference it at a later date.
Where: When I first started “officially” menu planning, and I had already decided to type it, I was just typing it out in a Word Document and then pulling it up on my laptop when I needed to reference it. But then I started working and I didn’t have my personal computer at work to reference it in the event I needed to run to the grocery store on my way home, or mentally prepare for what prep work needed to be done on a timeline, etc. Eventually I remembered this beautiful gizmo known as Google Drive which would allow me to access, edit, ponder my menu from either home, work, my phone, or wherever! I moved my menu to a file on my personal Google Drive and have never looked back. Storing it on my google drive account enables me to not only access it (and edit it) from multiple locations, but it also allows me to share it with my husband and either give him access to edit or just view. It’s pretty cool.
Setting Aside Time to Physically Plan Your Menu
I know, I know. You’re busy! Believe me, I know. And you just don’t want to have to add one more thing to your to-do list but I promise that if you take the time to consciously set aside time to plan your menu, it will save you more time.
Think about it, here are the ways that I have come up with that Menu Planning saves you time:
But I need to warn you, that the time you are allotting for planning for your menu should be ample. I’m talking like an hour…..at least. The more time you put into it initially will be all the more time you get out of it later.
Taking Inventory of Pantry, Freezer, Etc.
This is really helpful part of menu planning. For those of you have food storage, planning a menu is a wonderful way to rotate thru some of that older food to make sure everything is still useable and good in time of crisis. For those of you who don’t necessarily have food storage, but still have a pantry, freezer, any extraneous food that you have on hand, menu planning is great way to make sure that you are using it effectively. It also ensures that you aren’t buying doubles (or triples…) of items that you already have an abundance of which saves you money <<insert happy dance>>.
Last of all, taking inventory is also a way to make sure that your grocery list is completely flushed out with all the items you will need for your menu. I cannot tell you how many times I didn’t buy certain “stock” items (beans, frozen veggies, etc) because I was so sure I had them on hand, when I really didn’t and it completely ruined my dinner plans! Worst. Ever.
When I say “take inventory” you can make it as intense as you like. Honestly, I am not a huge in-depthy inventory taker. I don’t have running lists of items in my pantry and freezer. For me, inventory is a quick look in my storage areas for rough counts of common items like:
Grocery List as a Part of Menu Planning
Most, if not all, of you will probably be like – duh to this point. But, grocery list making is such an important part of menu planning! There is nothing worse than going to the store and not knowing what you needed to buy unless that worse is making dinner and realizing you didn’t buy the right ingredients, or enough of them. So exasperating.
And when I say, make a grocery list as part of your menu planning, I mean, put a grocery list on your menu. I do.
I guess now would be a good time to introduce the template I use to plan my menus. The Buttons below are links to Word and PDF versions of the template I use.
In thinking about menu planning and how little-ol’-me wanted to approach this subject, I knew that were several points I wanted to emphasize that have made it easier for me, but as I started to write those out I thought that it would be prudent of me to first outline how I even go about doing the often-berated task in the event that anyone who reads this post is a novice on the subject. Then the post was getting too long so this post is Part 1 on Menu planning. Consider it your crash course on how I plan my menu.
Here’s the down & dirty outline of what you need to know about Menu Planning
- Decide how and where you want to document your menu*
- Setting Aside Time to Plan Your Menu
- Taking Inventory of Your Pantry, Freezer, Etc.
- Creating a Grocery List As Part of Your Menu Planning
Deciding How and Where to Plan Your Menu
Before you decide on the How and Where of the matter at hand, you need to decide on if your menu is going to be a weekly or monthly or longer affair. I personally do a monthly menu because that works best for my sanity but you may decide on a different time period.
Moving on.
How
Hand-Written vs. Typing
Well, you do need to decide how you’re going to menu plan! Between the two methods, I really don’t think there is a best method, in fact, I doubt that these are your only two options! It is a totally personal choice as you decide what will be in your best interest. In figuring out which will work best for you, it will probably be helpful to contemplate the question of:
Where
When I say “where” I’m saying, where will you access and reference your menu and when it comes to this question, there is no this vs. that. I know some people who have their menu written up and posted on a chalk-board in their kitchen. Or people, like my mom, who have a binder with the monthly menu and all of the corresponding recipes (oh to be that organized!). You are just going to have to figure out what suites your jam and flow with it. Here are a few questions to ask yourself in your contemplation of this matter:
- How often am I going to reference it?
- Where will I be when I need to reference it?
- Are there multiple people who will need access to it? (husband, kids, etc)
Here is what I have come up with to answer the “how” and “where” of my personal menu planning.
How: I decided to type my menu out because my handwriting it not the most beautiful and because my menu order changes a lot! (which is totally normal and ok). I like to document where I moved the different meals around from day to day in order to look back and reference it at a later date.
Where: When I first started “officially” menu planning, and I had already decided to type it, I was just typing it out in a Word Document and then pulling it up on my laptop when I needed to reference it. But then I started working and I didn’t have my personal computer at work to reference it in the event I needed to run to the grocery store on my way home, or mentally prepare for what prep work needed to be done on a timeline, etc. Eventually I remembered this beautiful gizmo known as Google Drive which would allow me to access, edit, ponder my menu from either home, work, my phone, or wherever! I moved my menu to a file on my personal Google Drive and have never looked back. Storing it on my google drive account enables me to not only access it (and edit it) from multiple locations, but it also allows me to share it with my husband and either give him access to edit or just view. It’s pretty cool.
Setting Aside Time to Physically Plan Your Menu
I know, I know. You’re busy! Believe me, I know. And you just don’t want to have to add one more thing to your to-do list but I promise that if you take the time to consciously set aside time to plan your menu, it will save you more time.
Think about it, here are the ways that I have come up with that Menu Planning saves you time:
- You are deciding, ahead of time, what to make for dinner! (that’s not only time, but heartache you’re saving)
- In the process of Menu Planning, you are also making a grocery list which means you will already have all the ingredients on hand to make dinner.
- Planning your menu allows you to make notations about dishes or items that need to be made in advance so that you can prep those at the right time and not have to push dinner back in order to have enough time.
- When kids (or spouse) ask you what’s for dinner you will already have an answer, thus forgoing the annoyance of having to come up with an answer on the spot.
- Bonus: Since time is money (or so they tell me), menu planning helps you save money! (more to come on that later)
But I need to warn you, that the time you are allotting for planning for your menu should be ample. I’m talking like an hour…..at least. The more time you put into it initially will be all the more time you get out of it later.
Taking Inventory of Pantry, Freezer, Etc.
This is really helpful part of menu planning. For those of you have food storage, planning a menu is a wonderful way to rotate thru some of that older food to make sure everything is still useable and good in time of crisis. For those of you who don’t necessarily have food storage, but still have a pantry, freezer, any extraneous food that you have on hand, menu planning is great way to make sure that you are using it effectively. It also ensures that you aren’t buying doubles (or triples…) of items that you already have an abundance of which saves you money <<insert happy dance>>.
Last of all, taking inventory is also a way to make sure that your grocery list is completely flushed out with all the items you will need for your menu. I cannot tell you how many times I didn’t buy certain “stock” items (beans, frozen veggies, etc) because I was so sure I had them on hand, when I really didn’t and it completely ruined my dinner plans! Worst. Ever.
When I say “take inventory” you can make it as intense as you like. Honestly, I am not a huge in-depthy inventory taker. I don’t have running lists of items in my pantry and freezer. For me, inventory is a quick look in my storage areas for rough counts of common items like:
- Canned items: Beans, Veggies, Stocks, Marinara
- Carbs: Pasta, Rice, etc.
- Meats in Freezer
- Kitchen Staples: Flour, salt, oil, sugar, etc.
Grocery List as a Part of Menu Planning
Most, if not all, of you will probably be like – duh to this point. But, grocery list making is such an important part of menu planning! There is nothing worse than going to the store and not knowing what you needed to buy unless that worse is making dinner and realizing you didn’t buy the right ingredients, or enough of them. So exasperating.
And when I say, make a grocery list as part of your menu planning, I mean, put a grocery list on your menu. I do.
I guess now would be a good time to introduce the template I use to plan my menus. The Buttons below are links to Word and PDF versions of the template I use.
If you looked the template over, it goes thru the monthly menu, but at the end there is a table with some basic grocery categories:
Quick side bar: I plan my grocery trips so that I go the store about 2 times a month (not including emergency trips). I take a trip at the very beginning of the month which is my BIG trip. This is where I buy all of my meat, non-perishable items, and bulk of my produce. The 2nd trip is about half-way thru the month and it is when I stock up on the rest of my produce and perishable items and any other items that I either forgot or added to the menu since the major planning (yes, that is allowed) or sale items that I saw in the weekly ad.
That’s it! Those are some points to get you started if you weren’t already planning a menu. I would love to hear from you on your menu planning tips and tricks.
My next segment will be more fun as it will go over how I make menu planning less of a chore, which it can be if you’re not doing it “right”. So stay tuned!
- Produce
- Meat
- Dairy
- Canned Items
- Baking Items
- Freezer Items
- Specialty Items
Quick side bar: I plan my grocery trips so that I go the store about 2 times a month (not including emergency trips). I take a trip at the very beginning of the month which is my BIG trip. This is where I buy all of my meat, non-perishable items, and bulk of my produce. The 2nd trip is about half-way thru the month and it is when I stock up on the rest of my produce and perishable items and any other items that I either forgot or added to the menu since the major planning (yes, that is allowed) or sale items that I saw in the weekly ad.
That’s it! Those are some points to get you started if you weren’t already planning a menu. I would love to hear from you on your menu planning tips and tricks.
My next segment will be more fun as it will go over how I make menu planning less of a chore, which it can be if you’re not doing it “right”. So stay tuned!