How to Plan the Week's Menu
- Nancy Wilson
- Apr 23, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 27, 2020
My husband and I are not vegetarians. We cannot pass up a good, grilled medium-rare steak or juicy burger! We love to eat.
In the interest of eating healthier, however, we do eat more non-meat dishes throughout the week: 3 days non-meat, 2 days poultry, 1 day seafood and 1 day beef/pork. I've designated Fridays the "meat day" so, if we have difficulties digesting the meal throughout the night, we won't feel guilty waking up late on Saturday (of course, our dogs don't understand the concept of sleeping in!). Thursdays are "fish day". This allows my husband to look forward to his favorites: sushi (yes, we eat out), crab cakes, tuna casserole, salmon teriyaki, salmon papillote, grilled mahi mahi with mango salsa to name a few. So, our weekly plan is ideally scheduled as:
Monday - meatless
Tuesday - poultry
Wednesday - meatless
Thursday - seafood
Friday - beef/pork
Saturday - meatless
Sunday - poultry
I love cooking so I savor new recipes like one reads a good novel. I can virtually taste the combination of flavors. I get email newsletters about cooking and read my favorite blogs daily (my favorites are Martha Stewart, Bon Appetit and Smitten Kitchen). I read magazines like Real Simple and Woman's Day regularly. On a daily basis, I cut out or print interesting recipes I find and save it into its appropriate file folder (Meatless, Poultry, Seafood, Beef/Pork). This may not be normal, I'll admit.
Every Sunday, after I've shopped the Farmers Market or ordered my box from Farm Fresh to You or visited the local strawberry farm, I plan the week's meals based on what inspires me. One week, the Farm Fresh To You options included watermelon radishes. I quickly researched recipes and found that they can be roasted! (Is there any vegetable that doesn't taste better roasted?) I, also, remembered a delicious salad where watermelon radishes were featured at Lemonade a few years ago so I figured I couldn't go wrong. During strawberry season, I always add a good salad with strawberries or a small bowl of strawberries for breakfast to the menu. I've had successes with leeks, chard, beets and other uncommon vegetables but, then, that's my inquisitive, research-y self.
It doesn't have to be complicated. There are really a few basic steps.
Step 1: Plot Out the Week's Calendar
The easiest way to plan the week's meals is using Post-It Notes on a large sheet of paper but I just finished researching "planning week menus" on the Internet and found that there are several templates you can print (see Resources below). Bottom line, I plot out the days top to bottom and the meals left to right. To remind me of what protein I'm using, I add that designation to the day (i.e., "Monday V" for "Vegetables", etc.).
Then, I add scheduled events to the calendar. If there's a practice or event where the dinner has to be planned earlier or simpler, I add that to the calendar. I note when we're going to order take-out or go out to dinner or if we're having visitors. Late night working or on-call? I add that.
Step 2: Take Inventory
The first place that I assess what I have and what NEEDS to be prepared soon is the refrigerator. I, also, check the bread box to make sure I use the baked items before they mold. A quick check of the freezer helps, too. There may be a meal or two that I froze earlier for a rainy day.
Step 3: Find Recipes and Create Menus
I start by planning a week of breakfasts. Yes, Pop Tarts count. We try to include fruit in every breakfast because it seems their fiber helps digestion. Sometimes, I'm so happy to discover a Costco/Trader Joe's goldmine in my freezer: frozen waffles, bagels and muffins (that I had packaged in storage bags to freeze), frozen almond croissants. Also, if we've got a particularly harrowing morning planned, I'll schedule a quick grab-and-go breakfast of an oatmeal bar and orange juice, or peanut butter and jelly toast. We try to make our weekends more special with eggs and bacon, baked oatmeal, French toast or pancakes - something cooked up in the kitchen so we start the morning much more leisurely with warm aromas.
I plan the dinners next because lunches can be created from the previous days' leftovers. If there are fruits or vegetables that are quite ripe, they become the first items to use. If the day's planned events are expected to encroach on the time needed for preparation and cooking, I look for a crock pot recipe that I can prepare earlier in the day or a quick meal that will finish cooking in the oven when we're walking the dogs or we plan to eat out or grab a to-go order. I hunt through the filed recipes and cookbooks I've collected or use online sites such as AllRecipes.com to search by protein and ingredients. It's the recipe with the sweet combination of ingredients, method, difficulty and prep/cooking time that becomes the perfect meal for that day. Also, take advantage of creating a new meal out of another meal. A rotisserie chicken will normally make two meals - the leg/thigh piece with vegetables and brown rice the first day and the shredded breast meat in a chicken enchilada a couple days later, for instance. Another great example is using breaded chicken cutlet leftover from one meal to make Chicken Parmigiana later. Creating meals that use similar ingredients saves money and reduces spoilage. If a meal uses 2 cups of chicken broth and another uses 3 cups, I will use a large chicken broth package rather than 5 cans. A can of adobo chiles in chipotle sauce can be used for three meals!
Finally, the lunches are planned. Because we normally have lots of leftovers, we either freeze them for sometime later or they become our lunches in the same week. I try not to schedule them the day after they're served for dinner so we are just as excited to eat leftovers. I add my freezer finds like bean burritos (on meatless days), pizzas or sandwiches to fill out the week. If I have plans to bake cookies or we've just bought a box of oatmeal bars, I'll add snacks to the week's plan.
Each meal is written on a Post-It Note. I find that this method gives me the flexibility of switching items because I hadn't remembered that I was planning to spend the day working on my taxes, for instance.
Step 4: Make a Grocery List
I list the ingredients and cross reference it to what I have. What's missing and when do I need it? If there is something I can substitute and I feel comfortable doing it, I'll use what I have rather than buy another ingredient. If I'm short on a common pantry item, I'll add that to my list as well. By the way, this is another time I might move meals from one day to another based on when I plan to go to the market.
Step 5: Post the Week's Menu
I have posted the week's menu on the refrigerator before. I remember when my brother was visiting and I wasn't at home, my husband and he followed the menu so diligently for snacks and lunch. They didn't raid the ingredients I was saving for the remainder of the week!
Since those times, I have found a free app that I can use on my PC and my phone. Cozi has both Meal Planner AND Shopping (to list the ingredients) sections. There are so many other features that are useful - a calendar (where I list the regular events such as Trash Pickup and Landscaping) and a To Do section to maintain a number of lists. I can add the Cozi calendar widget on my Android phone that displays what's on the menu for the day and I use the grocery list when shopping at the market. And it's shareable! My husband can look at the calendar to see what's on the menu.
Comments
This planning chore has become easier and easier. I've made some meals several times because they are such hits and we crave them! There are, also, some weeks where I only try one new recipe and stick to the tried-and-true favorites because my week looks too stressful but, if trying new recipes is not your goal, don't! A pasta dish almost always finds it way into the weekly menu because it is so versatile. And I've found stews and soups are my go-to when I need to use my vegetables soon. Adding canned beans or quinoa makes it heartier.
Sometimes, I change a planned meal because I find a special deal at the market or have made another Costco run and/or have found a new frozen entree that looks interesting and easy.
I have had accidents where the bread is stale or I'm missing an ingredient (generally because I couldn't find it at the market). This is a good time to order take-out or find a frozen pizza or, if I'm ambitious, create a completely ad lib meal. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Resources:
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