Comments on: Do You Create a Weekly Dinner Menu?

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:14:37 +0000

savingdinner.com has several options, one of which is a weekly menu, but the best part of that is the SHOPPING LIST!!!! It makes things so incredibly easy! And it's portioned for 2 or 4 servings.

By: One Frugal Girl

One Frugal Girl — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:25:59 +0000

@frugalchick -- I love the term 'dinner thinking.' I definitely hope a menu plan will help me avoid that!

@juice -- I too have a stack of magazine recipes on hand, but funny enough I never use them. I typically turn to old cookbooks or the Internet.

@laurie -- I love the idea of having a mix of meals, both easy and more time intensive on hand. That's a great suggestion!

@aubrey -- I've never heard of savingdinner.com. Do they provide weekly menus for you?

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:11:50 +0000

I did a three month subscription to http://www.savingdinner.com and LOVED it! I really committed to making most of the meals, my husband and I took turns, we enjoyed shopping together, we learned a lot about putting together a healthy meal. We didn't have a lot of leftovers and wasted food… I still shop with the food shopping list but I'm not as committed to sticking to it at this time.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:39:23 +0000

I somewhat create a weekly dinner menu- I choose 5-6 meals based on what I have on hand and what is on sale. I make sure I have a few meals that are really quick and easy and a few that are a little more intensive. That way I can just look and pick what meal I have the time to make and what I feel like eating. It works out great and when I am short on time I don't feel so stressed to figure out a meal- I just look at my list and pick one.
Laurie

By: Juice

Juice — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:59:50 +0000

I'd love to menu plan but it doesn't fit my lifestyle now. My evenings are usually filled with activities. Sometimes I get on a kick where I try one new recipe a week. I can make the recipe on the weekend and freeze the leftovers in individual portions for weeknights. I keep a folder of recipes I have torn out of magazines so that when I'm in the mood to cook I can quickly find inspiration.

By: Frugalchick

Frugalchick — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:35:43 +0000

I started planning my menus a couple of years ago, and I'll never go back. One hour or so out of my week eliminates any other "dinner thinking" I was having to do the rest of the week.

But like you, I'm not always in the mood or have the time for what I've got planned on a particular evening. So I give myself the flexibility to adjust--I can always switch meals around if something else sounds tastier or quicker. You definitely don't have to follow your menu plan to the letter.