How to Master Menu Planning and Grocery Shopping, Pt. 1

Posted on 09.16.08 in Family Menu Plans Productivity and there are

Photo by carlosluis
It happened everyday at 4:30pm. At the peak of my exhaustion from the day, when all I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and take a nap, instead I had to answer that dreaded question that rings in the halls of homes across America…

“What’s for dinner?”

At this point I’d put my hands to my cheeks and scream, Macaulay Culkin style, then I’d pray for divine inspiration and desperately search the cabinets, hoping to be surprised by a fully cooked gourmet meal.

A few months ago, I got tired of my Daily Dinner Freakout and I decided to get organized. Here is the method I use now that has allowed me to save money, get dinner on the table by 5:30pm most nights of the week, and have a blast at the grocery store.

None of it is rocket science (although I do have a couple ideas that I think you’ll love). All it takes is a bit of planning.

1. Select recipes for the week.
I keep it simple. Not being a big cook and having 3 small kids, it’s not realistic for me to make 5-6 big meals a week. So for now, I just plan 3 full meals. The other nights we eat leftovers, sandwiches or cereal (we LOVE cereal). And 1 night a week we go out for dinner.

Know your limits and be realistic. Don’t plan according to what you think you should do. Plan according to what you can do....then stretch yourself a bit at a time.

Here are the meals that I plan to make this week (the recipes are at the end of this post):

- Honey Glazed Chicken
- Fish Tacos
- Chicken Pasta Salad

2. Assign the Meals.
This has been a key step for me. I used to just list out meals I wanted to make but I never decided which day to make each one. As a result, I often wasted ingredients because I never got around to making at least one recipe because it didn’t really fit into the schedule for that week.

So now, I look at all our commitments and activities for the week and assign each meal to a day that is appropriate for the amount of time that we have to prepare dinner, eat dinner or clean up after dinner.

For example, on Wednesdays we have a small group Bible study and dinner time is pretty rushed as we try to get out the door in time. So on Wednesdays, I assign a meal that’s easy to transport (if necessary) and requires very little clean up.

I even decide on which days we’ll eat leftovers and go out to eat.

Now obviously, this isn’t all set in stone, but when things get busy and crazy having it all written down makes it SO much less hectic.

3. Shop the Pantry
Once I select my meals, I use my recipe program to make the shopping list.  I print the list out and then I “shop the pantry.” This prevents me from buying another bottle of honey only to come home and find that I already have a collection of 5 honey bottles in the pantry.

This is especially important for produce and perishable items that will just go to waste if I buy too much.

That’s it for Part 1 of this series. If you have any tips on meal planning, please share them in the comments.

Click here to read Part 2 of this post. In part 2, I’ll show you how to get crazy organized with your shopping list (so you don’t have to go back to aisle 5 seven times because you forgot the ....). I’ll also share how I made grocery shopping the highlight of my week. Stay tuned…

This post part of Works for Me Wednesdays. Read more great tips here.

Recipes

Here are the recipes mentioned earlier.

Fish Tacos
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix
4 medium tilapia fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package Corn Tortillas
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 lime
1 tomato, chopped

Directions:

1. COMBINE sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix in small bowl. Mix with some of the cabbage.
2. COMBINE cod, vegetable oil, lemon juice and remaining seasoning mix in medium bowl; pour into large skillet.
3. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork.
4. FILL taco shells with fish mixture. Top with tomato and sour cream mixture, lime juice and taco sauce.

Honey Glazed Chicken
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Butter
6 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Mustard
2 Teaspoons curry powder
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Salt chicken and set aside.
2. Put butter in 9 x 13 pan and melt in 375 degree preheated oven.
3. Melt.
4. Add honey, mustard and curry powder.
5. Place chicken in sauce, turning evenly to coat.
6. Arrange in one layer and return to oven.
7. Bake 45 minutes, turning often.

Notes:

This is particularly yummy with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.
1/4 cup mustard 1/2 cup honey

Jen’s Chicken Salad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

16 ounces bag of rotini
1 small granny smith apple
2 tablespoons sweet relish
1/2 cup cheese , grated
12 1/2 ounces chicken, canned
1/2 cup mayonaisse

Directions:

1. Cook noodles and let cool.
2. Dice apple
3. Mix all ingredients together.
4. Chill for 1 hour.

The Comments:

Skip to comment form

I am all about planning meals and shopping lists!  Since we got married last June, the hubby and I have planned out meals every week.  We used to plan 6 meals a week, but just recently we cut it back to 5 because we found that we usually ended up just snacking on stuff on Sunday nights.  We also go out one night a week.  One thing I also did recently was make a “master list” of meals that I make, and I ended up with 25 different meals!  Now, I just look at that list, let hubby pick the 5 he wants, then I make the list and assign each meal a day.  It’s great!

Oooh, would you care to share a favorite recipe or two?

I love menu planning! It has simplified my life so much!! I need a lot of direction, or I just wind up lost at 5:30, with hungry people pulling on my legs.
This is going to sound crazy, but I came up with a 6 week rotation of meals, complete with master shopping lists for each week, and one stock-up/Costco trip. Then when I plan the meals for the week, I basically just review what I need, plan around any events that are coming in the week ahead, and I’m done!

I LOVE and NEED this post, Kat!  Thank you!  What is this recipe program you are talking about?

Thanks for the post! I am on the verge of “The Menu Planning Lifestyle” and need all the help I can get. I’m with Steph S. above: what recipe program are you talking about?  I’d love something where I could plug in what I have, and it could pop out a few recipes that are healthy and not just for a particular type of product (i.e. Betty or Kraft). Thanks!

Great ideas!  I like the three big meals a week idea.  I’m guilty of planning too many meals, then having too many leftovers.  And it’s so tiring too.  Thanks!!

So, I have no children or husband. It’s just me and myself here in this apartment, and I NEEDED this. Most days I get home exhausted from 8 hours of class/meetings and stare at the fridge blankly before just popping something into the microwave. I’m implementing a system!

Love meal planning! It makes life so much easier!!  I meal plan for 2 weeks including breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.  Although we have dinners usually set in stone, I keep the other ones a little more free flowing.  I would also suggest meal planning with what is on sale at your local store, too.  You can also be creative with leftovers.  I use http://www.recipezaar.com to help plan meals and leftovers.

Thank you for sharing!
Sherry

I do this too! another tip is that after I shop the pantry, I make my grocery list and then re-write it according to the store layout.  My 2-yr-old hates shopping and tries to make it a miserable experience for me too.. so this helps me save TONS of time having to go back and forth from the front of the store to the back when I forget stuff.

Thanks for sharing! I do the same thing! Life is so much easier when there is a plan!

I just wrote about this very thing on my blog!  You can read my tips via this link http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2008/09/kitchen-tip-tuesday-question-answered.html

Thanks for the tips. I’m still working on mastering menu-planning. Sometimes I do it and it works well… other times life and scheduling just get crazy and I can’t plan anything for a couple of weeks… its a vicious cycle!

Hi, it’s my first time here.  I’ve been desperate to find a recipe program to help me get organized with my weekly menu planning.  Can you share what yours is?  I’d love to know! (I might forget to come back here and check for an answer, if you don’t mind emailing me, too!)

Thanks for sharing what works for you, it’s so nice to get more ideas!

Love your blog. Subscribed to your reader. I have to make that pasta salad!

I’m so gonna try that chicken! Looks delicious! 

I’m curious, what is your “recipe program?”

I’ll expound on it more later, but the program I use is called MacGourmet.

As you can tell by the title, it’s a Mac only program…

http://www.macgourmet.com/

Just popped in to say I tried your honey glazed chicken recipe today and it was really, really good.  Thanks for sharing.

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

My Twitter Posts