Revealed - The New Dinner Plan

In our ongoing quest to simplify that which we have control over, I've standardized our 8 or 9-week dinner menu plan. It seems to obvious - why didn't I do this long before now?

I actually enjoy browsing through cookbooks and picking out new meals. I'm always on the lookout for one that will become a family favorite. The reality is that I'm the only one in our family that is enthusiastic in this area. I probably have to cook 25 new dishes to find one that the family loves enough to want to see on a regular basis. Enter the new plan...

I made a table in Word for 9 weeks. For for six days a week I typed in our favorite dinners. I allowed one night a week for a convenience food meal (usually our AWANA night during the school year). I made a "brinner" night almost every week since eggs are a inexpensive source of protein. I left one night a week blank to try a few new recipes so keeps things a little fun for me.

When it's time to big grocery, I check the freezer and switch-out some meals to use up what we have on hand. After printing out the menu, I write the dates in the boxes to look more like a calendar. Then I pick which cookbook I'll be selecting the new recipes from and write them in the empty spaces. 

Voila! Nine weeks of dinner meals planned out in less than 15 minutes! Another benefit of this plan is that, since these are mostly meals that I can make blind-folded, I can do the grocery list quickly without searching recipes for the needed ingredients. More time saved!

In case you're interested, I'm working to get the Master Meal Plan into the download tab.