1 Year Dinner Menu (easy to create, stick to and follow)

I'm really not kidding when I say I have created a year menu for family that is so easy to stick to and follow.  I love it!  I'm not sure what I did before I created this but I know I don't want to go back.  I have adapted my year menu from one made by Marie Ricks, a Professional Organizer, visit her website here House of Order.

I'm sure your thinking "Yeah right, a year menu? That would take weeks or months of planning and will be way to hard to do."  Wrong.  It was easy and here's how to make it happen. 

1. Generate a list of 7 different food categories such as Mexican, Italian, Easy to Cook, Casseroles, American, Poultry, Beef, Seafood, Asian, Family Favorites, New Recipe's, etc.
2. Assign a food category to everyday of the week.  For example Monday-Italian, Tuesday-Family Favorites, Wednesday-Easy to Cook
3. Now under each category come up with 4 to 5 different meals that you could cook.  It looks a little something like this.

          Tuesday - Family Favorites

               Pizza

               Meatloaf

               Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad

               Chicken Curry

               Shepard's Pie

The idea here is that on Tuesday (yes every Tuesday) you choose one of the meals listed and cook it.  Which theoretically means your family is only eating that meal once a month.  Brilliant!

Now you never have to wonder what's for dinner, it is all mapped out for you on one simple page posted on your fridge. The best part is that now when my husband asks me, "What's for dinner?" or what he can cook for dinner?  I can refer him to the menu to pick a meal.

If that is enough work for you STOP here...but if you want you can  goa little further. As you can see above I decided to be more like Marie Ricks and go just a little further by adding a side(s) that stays consistent no matter what you make. Generate a list of 7 different sides or less you can repeat sides if you need to.  My list goes a little something like this rice, potato, veggies, fruit, salad, bread, dessert.

1. Assign a side to everyday of the week.  Example: Monday-bread, Tuesday-Rice

OK here is another stopping point, OR you can get a little bit more advanced again.  Because I like to grow a garden and eat seasonally I have created 2 different menus one "Spring & Summer" the other "Fall & Winter". 

I still have a year menu I have just broken it down in 6 month categories.  Big differences in my menus are:

Spring & Summer Menu Categories

• Salad/Garden Meals
• Sandwiches
• BBQ/Cookout/Camping Meals (we go camping a lot, or cook outside a lot in the summer)
• Non-oven Meals (so I don't heat my house up using the oven)

Fall & Winter Menu Categories

• Soups
• Crock Pot Meals
• Comfort Foods
• Pantry Meals

I hope that you too can easily make a year menu for your family and enjoy a much simpler lifestyle.