Menu Planning Inspiration and Resources
As much as I love menu planning, there are weeks when I get stuck, feel like we are eating the same thing over and over, and weeks where I don’t feel like doing it. The few weeks where I slack are a pretty good reminder of why I plan my menu – they remind me of the time and money I save by taking the time to look at what we already have, the trips to the fast food restaurants I don’t make, and the sense of calm that comes with being prepared. So, what do you do when you are out of ideas, tired of the same old stuff, and unmotivated? I recommend checking out the following sites for inspiration:
- Orgjunkie – Laura is the ring leader for the Menu Plan Monday series. All you need to do is check out her menu and the menus of the hundreds of participants each week to get some great ideas.
- Leanne Ely’s Saving Dinner program offers custom weekly menus for a wide range of dietary styles. Additionally, her site is full of tips, recipes and guidance to help you save dinner in your household.
- Kraft Foods is one of my favorite sites for family friendly recipes. I love the quarterly magazine I get from them, Food & Family, and every recipe we have tried has been a hit.
- Yum-o! The Family Cookbook – Rachael Ray always has recipes my kids like. Of all her cookbooks, we like this one (and use it) the most.
- FoodTV – for some reason, my kids can’t get enough of the Food channel on TV. FoodTV has all the recipes for the meals and such they have seen their favorite chefs make.
- Similar to Saving Dinner, You can save time and money with Menus4Moms’ dinner menus for busy moms! I like her free weekly menus for getting ideas.
Armed with some inspiration, here is my menu for this week:
- Monday – Fettucini Alfredo with steamed veggies and chicken
- Tuesday – Vegetable fried rice – thanks to Alaina who posted as part of Menu Plan Monday
- Wednesday – Pizza Pot Pies (we will probably modify the recipe a little, but the kids will love these)
- Thursday – Breakfast for Dinner
- Friday – Hamburgers, baked fries, salad
What’s on your menu this week? How about your favorite sites for ideas, inspiration and recipes? I’d love to know!
Posted on November 10th, 2008 by Char
Filed under: Menu Plan Monday
Thanks for sharing your inspiration information. I struggle with menu’s every week. I’ll be sure and check your the links.
http://mrfood.com/ MrFood is one of my favorites. His dishes are simple and easy to make.
Thanks for stopping in. I like your snack night dinner – we do that every now and then – usually on a football night.
Sometimes I’ll just go to the Food Network site and surf around until I come up with some new dishes.