My Meal Planning Board

You walk in the door and what is the first thing you hear from those *other* inhabitants in your dwelling?  I don't know about you but for my household, it isn’t "How was your day?" or "Can I get you a glass of wine? ... Nope! That only happens in my dreams.  Instead I hear the same question ... "What's for dinner?" Ugh!!  Yeppers.  I started down the road of family life 20 years ago and for that long those have been my welcome home words.  And to top it off, I struggled daily with "WTF do I make with this here bird?”  Yes ladies.  You know that we both just stand there in the kitchen staring at that chicken hoping it sits up and tells us how it wishes to be cooked because we are too tired after a day of work to think of any recipe to make.  Well let me share with you what I did to redirect that daily dinner question and not be stuck in the what-to-cook dilemma.  Ready?  Let's me show you my dinner board!

Yup! I even plan my week in meals.  As you get to know me via my blog you will see a trend ... my life is planned one-week-at-a-time.

So let me tell you about this board:

First, it wasn't my original idea. I found a picture of one similar on that pin-thingy site and it got the creative juices going because I love systems that help my life easier!

Second, adapt this idea to how it will work for YOU. Just like I did because my board looks nothing like the pin-thingy board.

Third this board will become your kitchen buddy by helping you plan your meals and grocery shopping one week at a time.

Now let me share with you how you can put it all together and how you can use it for planning the week ahead for both cooking and grocery shopping.

Step 1 – DA’LIST

Before you run off to Super Wally World to buy stuff to make your board, sit down and make a list of every possible dish you can cook (with or without a recipe).  Think of the dishes that your family loves, are fun to make, you crave, you make on only special occasions, are make ahead to save time.  You can also add a wild meal tag called *Look for New Recipe*.  Even add *Order Pizza* and *Pick up Chinese* and *Hubby Cook*.  Also ask your husband and kids for dishes they like for you to cook.  They might say something that is not on your list already.  Write down every one of them down.  You will surprise yourself as to how long that list can be.  I know after I was done I had 80+ dishes!!  Leaving me perplexed because how it that I still didn't know what the heck to cook every night?

#shaking #my #head (Hashtags in blogs? Yeah! Why not!)

Step 2 – DA’SUPPLIES

Now you are ready to go shopping for your board supplies.  I will tell you about the supplies I purchased but remember ... make it your own!  Mine is minimalistic but fully practical. Just like me. You like Hello Kitty then kitty it up!  Or go on that Pin-thingy for inspiration.

1.    Dry erase board (the kind that is magnetic)

2.    7 Magnets (Not too big that they take up the entire board)

3.    Two *cups* that are also magnetic. Mine were accessories made for my board.

4.    Card stock to print out little meal tags.

5.    Alphabet stickers.

6.    Ruler (to help line up those sticker letters)

7.    Nail and hammer to put up your board.

Step 3 – DA’MEAL TAGS

Once again this how I did it but you can write them out on index cards or find a pic of that meal or make them out on Avery labels and the stick them on card stock.  Whatever works for you babycakes!

·         I made my list on Microsoft Excel.

·         I added a cell in between each meal.

·         I formatted the font and color.

·         I formatted the borders (to have a guide for cutting them out)

·         Did a print preview to make sure they were not too small or too big.

·         Printed out the list on cardstock.

·         Cut them out.

   

Step 4 – DA’BOARD

Label your *cups* -> 2COOK & COOKED.

Map out how you will lay out your board.  You will need a spot for your *cups*. Spots for the days of the week.  Once it is all laid out then apply the stickers for the days of the week. *HINT* I only used the first letter of the day of the week. Why drive myself crazy trying to line up S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y in stickers?

Step 5 – DA’PLAN

In the *cup* 2COOK put in all your meal tags.

I do my grocery shopping on Sundays to get me ready for my week ahead.  Before heading out to the supermarket.  My kids are the tag pullers.  They randomly pull out 7 meal tags from the 2COOK *cup*. Gets them involved.

Now I check my pantry to see what I need to buy to make those seven meals and whatever I am missing gets added to my shopping list.

I then take out my planner and see what appointments I might have at dinner time. "What does her planner have to do with this?” you ask. So I can figure what day to cook what meal tag.  Think about this ... I will be networking at night on Wednesday.  So is Wednesday night a good night to cook something that takes a long time or is complicated? NO!!! That night is a good night to put in an easy meal or even use ... dun dun dunnnnn ... the *Order Pizza* meal tag.  I then place my meal tags in their weekly spot (using a magnet to hold them in place).

The next steps for using your board take place daily:

·         In the morning look at your board. What needs to be defrosted?

·         At dinner time ... get ready ... cook what the board says for that day.

·         When the inhabitants of your home ask "what's for dinner?" Point to board.  After a while they will stop asking and are you ready for this?  They will READ THE BOARD. Sweet Jesus!!!

·         After dinner, move today's meal tag into the COOKED *cup*.

Do this daily/weekly.  Stick to it. It will build your good habit muscle.

Once you run out of meal tags in the 2COOK *cup* then grab all of them from the COOKED *cup* and refill the 2COOK *cup* and start over again.

So what do you think? This little board saves me time, frustration and money. Yes!!! Money.  No more shopping for things I don't need or already have in my pantry.  Sooooo ... go get your board going and share a pic of yours with me!!

Happy Time Management (a.k.a. YOU management)

Tabby