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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Menu Plan Monday?

In the past few months, I’ve been trying to plan ahead as far as a menu for the week or maybe a week and a half at a time depending on my level of creativity and/or what we have going on in our calendar.  We don’t have a lot of activities outside of the house, but it seems like there is always room for better organization.  In the past year, I hate to think about how much food went to waste in our house due to lack of planning.  I was ashamed to think about it when there are so many people who go without food on a regular basis.  I decided we desperately needed to improve, and planning ahead seemed like the most logical and easiest step to take.  I think it really has helped as far as creating far less waste, so that makes me feel better.

Then last week, in looking at different blogs (although I’m a loser for not remembering which one), I ran across a link to the Organizing Junkie website and was in awe over how organized this chick is.  I have no hopes of ever being so organized (I sort of prefer a more-organic quasi-chaos), but I figure I can check it out, learn something along the way and play along on a much much lower level.  If nothing else, I hope to get more ideas of what to make for dinner.  Friday is always the “eat out” night.  Since I do 99% of the cooking, dear hubby has now gotten into the routine of giving me the night off.  But for Menu Plan Monday here goes the week ahead…

Credits: Jenn Barrette - Kitschy Kitchen Organized


I sat down and came up with a month of non-repeating menu items and am going to re-create a master dinner ideas list that we used to have, so we can add to it and keep branching out.  Tonight, since little mister is in Oregon with Jessica, it will be a quiet evening around the house, so I plan to sit with my magazine collection (Everyday Food, Cooking Light, Food & Wine and Food Network) and see what I can find to add to our repertoire. 

And for a food-related scrapbook LO... little mister is eating something, making a mess, but enjoying it fiercely...

Credits: Jenn Barrette Scrap-like-me Template & Jenn Barrette/Sahlin Studio - Kitschy Kitchen kit

Do you have a rotating menu?  Do you plan ahead?  If so, how far in advance?  Do you have any great recipes that are a hit with your family?  Where do you come up with new ideas for cooking?  Do you use your camera to document your cooking skills or scrap recipes?

10 comments:

JJ Sobey said...

Oooo - love the contrast of the doily with the wood-grain - perfect!

Amy said...

I think I'd like to come over for dinner -- that sounds like a lovely weeks worth of meals!
I do meal plan, one week at a time, but have never documented it in this way :-)

StacyC said...

We make a meal plan each week, but nothing as delightful as your menu!

Visiting from Shimelle's blogging class. Nice post!

Unknown said...

Love the layout! Very very cute! I also saw the link to the same site somewhere (probably on the same blog as you) I don't do any meal planning but I really really should.

Lynn said...

Hi - another visitor from BFS - I started Menu planning at beginning of year when I started WW but have fallen off the wagon lately. Well done for doing a whole month.

Unknown said...

Love your site ;) You have some adorable scrap layouts - I'm in awe ♥
Menu planning helps us to eat better as I know what to defrost/buy and so don't fall back on take-outs and junk.
I don't have a rotating plan, hubby and I just sit together (usually on a Sunday) and plan the week ahead.
Some things will get made several times over the space of a few months and then tail off as hubby gets a new fave, then old ones come back in when the new ones aren't new anymore - if that made any sense...

Sian said...

Every so often I do make a weekly plan - and it does help. Cooking the same things all the time just gets so boring for everyone (especially the person doing all the cooking!)

Thanks for dropping by my blog today. You would be very, very welcome to join in Storytelling Sunday. I'd love to see you there :)

Michelle S said...

I try to follow a weekly meal plan but never stick to it! :( I LOVE ur LO its gorgeous and bright!

Sandra said...

What a lovely blog you have - I'm visitng from BFS too :)

I do, do a weekly menu plan, but it does tend to be much of the same from week to week. I'm always looking for new recipes, and I have a passion for cookery books :)

Shannon said...

I totally feel the same as you about wasting food! I've figured out that I don't mind cooking if I just know what to cook and I can't figure it out when I'm hungry! I really like allrecipes.com - they have an online recipe box - so I get recipe notifications via email and then I save the recipes in the recipe box - it works pretty good - you might want to check it out. I love the scrapbook page - Kennedy is such a cutie. I really like how you use feminine details but when you look at the overall page it doesn't look like a girl page. I think its so great that you've been posting so much - you're inspiring me to work on my blog!