I make a list of about 5 meals that I want to make, and then make the grocery list based on that. I stock up on basics (chicken, beef, etc.) as they go on sale, because most of the meals we make pull from a similar set of ingredients. Then we just buy whatever extras we need to make for a particular recipe. I like having a list of recipes that I have the ingredients for because then I can choose what I'm in the mood to make - and what fits with the time constraints. I have taken most of the recipes I make often and made a table in Excel with columns for the recipe name, and whatever special ingredients that recipe called for, as well as the recipe location (very important!). I tried to balance them out into groups of five by main ingredients (beef, chicken, vegetarian, etc) and style (Italian, American, Chinese, etc.). I did a summer list and a winter list to try and use seasonal stuff a little better. The reality is that the list is helpful, but I use it loosely.
@Ginny - I'm impressed! I have to have a fully laid out plan with recipes in mind before hitting the store otherwise I wander and end up forgetting something or just plain buying too much. :)
@Sarah - I looked into emealz since I have a few friends who use it but I wasn't sure I would like the set menu - I was wishing you could drag and drop the recipes you wanted to use that week. I will say that everyone who uses it seems to really like it and really like the recipes! And I do love that it helps with the budget (one of reasons I need to be more disciplined at menu planning :).
Sarah Stoughton - 12 years ago
I used e-mealz for 3 months and printed it out every week and put it in the binder. It gave me some meal ideas and recipes and I loved it! I canceled it and now I just use the ones I printed off as well as modify them some. You would probably modify them more, but it really helps with budgeting for your weekly grocery spending.
Ginny E - 12 years ago
Menu planning usually means taking selected cookbooks to the grocery store and determine that weeks's menu by what is on sale. I write on paper which meals I bought stuff for and post it n the fridge with cookbook name and page number (can't tell you how many times I've wondered why I bought something). Each day then I decide which meal I want to make. I also have already made sure there are no special meals that week that I just buy ingredients for (or if there was something I just wanted to make). We keep one of those magnetized grocery lists on the fridge and have trained (?) the family to write what is running low or out of. That said, I try to keep some stand by meals because sometimes you just want to eat certain foods tat night.
I make a list of about 5 meals that I want to make, and then make the grocery list based on that. I stock up on basics (chicken, beef, etc.) as they go on sale, because most of the meals we make pull from a similar set of ingredients. Then we just buy whatever extras we need to make for a particular recipe. I like having a list of recipes that I have the ingredients for because then I can choose what I'm in the mood to make - and what fits with the time constraints. I have taken most of the recipes I make often and made a table in Excel with columns for the recipe name, and whatever special ingredients that recipe called for, as well as the recipe location (very important!). I tried to balance them out into groups of five by main ingredients (beef, chicken, vegetarian, etc) and style (Italian, American, Chinese, etc.). I did a summer list and a winter list to try and use seasonal stuff a little better. The reality is that the list is helpful, but I use it loosely.
@Ginny - I'm impressed! I have to have a fully laid out plan with recipes in mind before hitting the store otherwise I wander and end up forgetting something or just plain buying too much. :)
@Sarah - I looked into emealz since I have a few friends who use it but I wasn't sure I would like the set menu - I was wishing you could drag and drop the recipes you wanted to use that week. I will say that everyone who uses it seems to really like it and really like the recipes! And I do love that it helps with the budget (one of reasons I need to be more disciplined at menu planning :).
I used e-mealz for 3 months and printed it out every week and put it in the binder. It gave me some meal ideas and recipes and I loved it! I canceled it and now I just use the ones I printed off as well as modify them some. You would probably modify them more, but it really helps with budgeting for your weekly grocery spending.
Menu planning usually means taking selected cookbooks to the grocery store and determine that weeks's menu by what is on sale. I write on paper which meals I bought stuff for and post it n the fridge with cookbook name and page number (can't tell you how many times I've wondered why I bought something). Each day then I decide which meal I want to make. I also have already made sure there are no special meals that week that I just buy ingredients for (or if there was something I just wanted to make). We keep one of those magnetized grocery lists on the fridge and have trained (?) the family to write what is running low or out of. That said, I try to keep some stand by meals because sometimes you just want to eat certain foods tat night.