I don't have time to plan menus every week. Okay, maybe I just don't feel like taking the time to plan menus every week. Don't judge!
Anyway, I developed a system for planning my menus that, once set up, takes very little time to plan. Others may have a similar or even identical plan, but I was unaware of it when I created it, so to me, it's my original idea.
Instead of thinking about each week separately, I think about the entire month. Some months have more days than others, and some days occur more often in certain months. But, there are always seven days in a week.
So, what I did was choose a recipe for the first Monday of the month, the second Monday of the month, etc. I came up with five different meals for each of the days of the week (except Sunday). The more unusual, more expensive or least-liked meals are saved for the fifth time a particular day comes up - that way, it doesn't come up often, but it can still be enjoyed (or shunned) occasionally. (We all have one of those picky eaters, don't we? Well, most of us do, anyway.) Because I coordinate my menu with Body-for-LIFE, Sundays are my free day. I can eat whatever, so I just don't plan for that day.
Below is pictured my master list for any given month. It works well in my busy life. If you like the idea, it's up for adoption!
I keep a copy of this menu in my Control Journal. It is in a sheet protector so that each month, I can write in the dates for the current month. Here's what it looks like with the dates:
One of the best things about this is I don't have to think too hard about my meals. In the evening, I check for the next days meal. I can then set up the ingredients for the next day. I really hope you enjoy this idea. Again, it's up for adoption, so adopt away!
