Wednesday, May 15, 2013

What's for dinner?

I think you all know by now that I am a list-maker.  I like my life all planned out and written (typed in a cute font preferably because I don't like my handwriting) nice and neat on a pretty piece of paper.  I don't always stick to the plan but I like the thought of having one on paper. 
Last summer, I tackled meal planning.  I got so tired of realizing it was almost dinner time and I had completely forgotten about dinner!  We were in a bad habit of grabbing something out or doing what my family calls FIFI.  Find It, Fix It.  When I got on my health kick, I realized this would not do and only a cute list could solve a problem like this.  So I decided to come up with a weekly plan.  I knew that if I was going to stick to it, we needed it to be simple so we went with this idea:

Sunday - Beef Night
Monday - Breakfast for Dinner Night
Tuesday - Chicken Night
Wednesday - Fish Night
Thursday - Pasta Night
Friday - Pizza Night
Saturday - Soup, Sandwich or Salad Night
 
 
I then listed all of the meals in these categories that I knew most of my party of five will eat and put it on a magnetic chart for the fridge.  On Sundays, I go through the list and usually let the kids help decide. 

 We check off what we are having and then no one asks all week "what's for dinner?"  It has worked great.  We don't stick to it ALL the time but for the most part, we've got a pretty good system going.  I've added lots more meals into the rotation since joining a freezer meal cooking group which has been awesome!  Now that we've been using this system for almost a year, we pretty much have it memorized so I decided an upgrade was in order for the fridge. 
 
I tried taking a pic while it was on the fridge but I kept getting a horrible glare.  I'm not a photographer, so I gave up.  You get the idea.  This is one of my dry erase boards and I put magnets on the back so I could hang it on the refrigerator.  I see it every morning when I'm getting my Diet Dr. Pepper so I am always reminded if there is something I need to thaw or put in the crockpot. 
I put the old chart in my binder to use when I'm planning out the week.
 
 
This system works great for my family!  The kids always know what's for dinner and they like that I let them choose which meal to check off.  I always have veto power but I do let them choose the main dish for the most part.  It's made grocery shopping so much easier too!
 
Would this plan work for your family?  If so, leave a comment telling me your favorite meal to cook for your family and one lucky reader will win a Menu Board personalized for you!!

© 2012 paperdoll designs

21 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Well my husband does the cooking in our family! I know ladies you can be jealous. Our favorite meal he makes is chicken marsala...the homemade sauce is divine!!

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  4. This would so awesome, love it! I'm a spaghetti girl!

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  5. I love the idea that the responsibility of choosing the menu is a family task! Great idea!

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  6. Our favorite meal (and the one the boys eat the best) is breakfast for dinner. I'm happy it made your weekly list!! I meal plan but just on a notepad; this is much cuter!!

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  7. I love your work, I have been so happy with my purchases!
    I am new to cooking, but thus far I love to make mac and cheese, as my daughter is 2 and is going through a very picky eating phase right now!

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  8. I love this post and love the board!! My favorite meal to cook is beef stroganoff. The kiddos love it and it's super easy! :)

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  9. These are awesome!!! One meal I can count on all of us eating is pizza so I like trying all different topping mixtures when I make pizza.

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  10. I love this post and LOVE the board!! My favorite meal to make is beef stroganoff. The kiddos love it and it's super easy! :)

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  11. I LOVE to make one-pot meals...less to have to clean up. My go-to meal is jambalaya. I use Zatarrans jambalaya rice and I add either chicken or sausage, but you could add shrimp too if you wanted. It's quick, easy and delicious!

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  12. I love this! I make meal plans on my grocery list but once I go to the store I forget where I put the list! Our favorite meal is Tacos.

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  13. My favorite meal to cook is breakfast for dinner....because it's the ONLY meal no one complains about :)

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  14. My boys favorite meal that I cook is grilled cheese sandwiches!!!!! :)

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  15. Love your board! Cute as usual! Our favorite meal is any type of pasta- i know my family will always eat that night!

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  16. So cute! Our favorite meal is any type of pasta night- everyone loves it!

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  17. Why do lists make us feel better? I love the feeling of accomplishing something when I can mark something off my list. We must have mexican at least once a week! :)

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  18. My favorite dinner to cook for my family is Maple Salmon!

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  19. currently I am off the meal planning wagon, but need desperately to get back on it! the board is adorable and I think this summer my kids will help pick meals.

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  20. My favorite meal is anything where the whole family helps make it! My son loves to help cook and he loves to stir and get out pots and pans. My husband pitches right in and helps wherever I need help!

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  21. My favorite meal is anything where the whole family helps make it! My son loves to help cook and he loves to stir and get out pots and pans. My husband pitches right in and helps wherever I need help!

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