On Monday’s bloggers across the country unite to share their menu plans for the week. Thanks to Organizing Junkie who hosts Menu Plan Monday encouraging us to get organized on the least organized day of the week.
Over the past two years, we’ve seen participation in this exchange grow to literally thousands! As I write this post, there are no less than 200 links on her latest exchange and it’s only 9am on the East Coast (last week she had 447 entries). Not only do hundreds of us in charge of our family’s meals share our menu plans here, thousands more go to Laura’s site each week to see these menu plans and get inspired!
Menu Planning is no doubt the planning/organizing step we all aspire to and are least likely to be consistent about. When I sit down to write up my menu plan I really have to be in the right “mood”. Not too full, not to hungry; I’ve looked at the store ads, I know what’s in my kitchen and I have some quiet time to think about the 21 meals and 14 snacks I will be expected to serve up over the following week…it’s exhausting just thinking about it.
My first big meal planning experiment (aside from the day I actually created a menu plan for the first time) occurred about 2 months ago when a friend and I got together to cook 16 freezer meals. It went fabulously! I’ll share all the details of that with you next Monday.
This week for me was very interesting and challenging in a new way. My parents and 9 year old brother and sister (there are MANY years between us!) are coming to visit for a week. In the past few months they’ve discovered new food allergies; add to this my own son’s gluten intolerance and we’re looking at subsisting on water and potatoes this week!
Our greatest personal challenge at Becentsable has been simple, quick meal planning…we are determined to find the secret and share it with you!
This leads me to a question (a few of them actually):
- which recipe resources do you use to plan menus?
- do you cook one day, a week or a month at a time?
- do you just find it easier to eat out?
Speak out! Share your wisdom with the rest of us who are meal planning challenged!
