Menu Planning

Menu Planning Tools

• Menu List  This is the best idea I've heard of!  Keep a general schedule of what you make each night of the week (Chicken Monday, Pasta Tuesday, etc.), and then plan your menus around it.  This is my list.  On Wednesdays I have a "?" because we have a shared meal with our Home Community Group that evening every week.
• Menu List 2 This one is a little more detailed, but similar to the above idea.
• The Cost of Food, by Brenda Scott This is an article to help you determine how much particular foods will cost.
• Blank Calendar  I think this could easily be a useful tool for menu planning.
• Big Blank Calendar 2 page layout, more room for writing!
• Blank 7 Day Menu Plan
• Blank Detailed Menu Plan If you're making different foods for the kids, and your menu planning seems complex, this blank menu plan might help you.
• Blank 3 Day Menu Plan With a spot for writing down a grocery list and staples to make sure you have on hand.
• Favorite Recipes List  Keep track of your family's favorite meals for the next time you have to plan a menu!
• Kristi's Grocery List
• Jenne's Grocery List
• Brenda's Grocery List
• Tea Menu If you're ever hosting a tea party, this will come in handy.

Menus I have Created

Wow, I did a search through my word docs and found menus I had created!  I had no clue I had created so many...Well, here you go!

• 5 Day Menu Plan  This menu does not include a shopping list or recipes, but it is a rough outline of some foods to cook for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner for 5 days.

• 1 Week Menu Plan This is similar to the menu above, but it is for 7 days.

• 1 Week Dinner Plan  Again, no shopping list or recipes, but a week's worth of dinner ideas.

• 5 Days of Dinner  Similar to the one above, but 5 days worth. FYI, there is pork on this menu plan.

• 6 Day Dinner Plan  6 days, but similar to the ones above.

• 3 Day Detailed Dinner Plan Including recipes and grocery list!!

• 3 Day Detailed Dinner Plan 2 Similar to the one above.

• 3 Day Detailed Dinner Plan 3 Similar to the ones above.

• Gluten Free Menu  There aren't any recipes here, just do an internet search--but a general idea of some GF recipes to make. You'll have to make a lot of your own breads, or go to a specialty store and buy some GF Rice Bread or something like that.

• Current Menu Plan  I call this my "Current Menu Plan" because it is the most current out of all of these.  We don't eat pork or pasta anymore, so this menu does not contain either of these.

• Low Carb Menu I was so excited to find this menu on my computer!  It's a 20 day menu plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks & also kid foods) based off of the ideas from The Schwarzbein Principle.  If you don't have that book, I'm sure you can do an internet search and find recipes that are similar. (Though I do recommend the book, it is very good!) 

Menus that Jenne Created

Jenne is one of my good friends & when I was creating this page, I e-mailed her to see if she had anything to share. Well, by golly, she did! :)  Note that in Jenne's house, they don't eat any creamy sauces or tomato sauces, and they also eat mainly chicken.  With each recipe it has suggestions of what to serve it with, and the ingredients for these side dishes are on the grocery list (so if you don't want green beans and baked potatoes, for example, scratch them off of the grocery list).

• Week 1 Recipes

• Week 1 Grocery List

• Week 2 Recipes

• Week 2 Grocery List

• Week 3 Recipes

• Week 3 Grocery List

• Week 4 Recipes

• Week 4 Grocery List

• Week 5 Recipes

• Week 5 Grocery List

Toddler Menus

I think we all have the goal of our toddlers eating everything we eat, but let's face it, it doesn't always happen.  For me, it was a preemie who had texture issues, didn't gain weight & threw up when we tried to get him to eat things he didn't like....that led us to "catering" to his eating needs.  Let's all give each other a little grace in this area!  I think I copied these menus from a daycare's website and pasted them into a word doc, probably 2 years ago.  I have no idea what site they were from or I'd give credit where credit is due!  :)

• Toddler Menu 1

• Toddler Menu 2

Menus on Other Sites

• Meals.com I just found this very neat tool!  You can search 15,000 recipes, add it to your "recipe box" and then generate a shopping list, and it is all free! 

• 5 week meal plan This is a 5 week plan for dinners that are traditional American style, including spaghetti, hamburgers, soups, and more.

• Saving Dinner The woman who created this site has also written books with menu plans and grocery lists. You can sign up for list (for a subscription fee) and receive menus, grocery lists & recipes via e-mail. There are also some sample menus on the site.

• $45 Emergency Menu for 4 to 6  This menu is to be used when you're in a pinch.  It includes recipes and a grocery list.

• $70 Menu for 4 to 6 Similar to the menu above.

• $30 Weekly Grocery List and Menu Ideas Some more frugal menu ideas.

Articles About Menu Planning

• Corn and Toast, Anyone?  This is an article by my good friend Jenne about her struggles and triumphs with menu planning!

• Meeting the Food Stamp Challenge with Local Foods An article about how 2 people ate on $60 for 1 week.

• Menu Planning by Crystal Miller
• The Kitchen, The Heart of My Home, by Crystal Miller
• Cut $300 or More Off Your Grocery Bill
• Shopping-Cheap and Frugal Shopping Tips