it's raining MENUs

I know how devastating it can feel when dinner time arrives and you haven't prepared anything to feed your family. I've danced the last-minute, throw-together-anything-that-comes-in-a-can (and pray that it tastes good) tango and it ain't pretty. Making the food isn't the stressful part of meal planning. Coming up with spur of the moment meals is the hard part.. And when you have a brilliant idea, it's rare you have all the necessary ingredients. Too many of us are surfing the isles of the supermarket at 5 pm (with hungry children yapping at our heals) because we can't answer dreaded question: "What's for dinner?"

Planning meals for your family can be SIMPLE but many of us make it more complicated than it needs to be. These tips will help you make a menu for YOUR family-- a routine you can stick to.. Stop stressing-- and start planning!

How to plan a weekly MENU for your family:

1. Make a list of the meals your family loves to eat.
Get a blank piece of paper and a pen that writes well. Make the list with your family or alone. Type it on the computer, if you'd rather. Write ANYTHING comes to your mind... YOU are the only one who can make this list. Get crackin'.

2. Pick FIVE dinner ideas off your master list.
Five meals, that's all. I know there are seven days in one week, but plan on eating leftovers as least one night and get a sitter and go out on a date the other. (This is your reward for being the best mom ever.) Five meals-- the simpler the better, especially when you're new at this. Did you circle five meals? Don't stress about variety, calories, time prep. Just pick your favorite.

3. Assign a side dish (and a day of the week) for each meal.
For example: Sunday- roast and potatoes, Monday - salmon and green beans, Tuesday- spaghetti and corn, Wednesday- lobster tail and asparagus, Thursday- pancakes and eggs, Friday- date night (frozen pizza for the kids!) Saturday - leftovers! Your list will (hopefully) look a bit different than your neighbors.

3. Gather the recipes.
Collect recipes for ONLY those five meals. Print them off the internet, call your grandma and hand-write what she says (word-fer-word), tear them out of the cookbook, if you feel like it! Place the five recipes in front of you. We started a recipe exchange HERE. Feel free to add your favorite meals to the list!

4. Make a shopping list.
Start with Sunday's meal and list the ingredients you need to buy. Then move onto Monday and Tuesday... until you have a master grocery shopping list.

5. Shop!
Remember to bring your grocery list, but please leave the children behind. I repeat, do NOT take anyone shopping with you under the age of 18. Not this week, at least. Go late at night, wake up with the sun, or get a friend to watch your kids in the afternoon. Go shopping alone and enjoy your quiet time. Buy everything on your list!

6. Unpack your groceries in the pantry and refrigerator.
Don't allow the kids to touch them, not yet. You need to know where these ingredients are, which means, you need to put them in their place. (Kids can assist in a week or two!)

7. Start your engines... and get cookin'
Give yourself enough time to prepare. Assign the children special jobs to help. If it's a simple meal (and one you know they'll eat) everyone will be happy to help with dinner prep. Enjoy your time in the kitchen... and your stress free week!

8. At the end of the week, evaluate your menu.
Did you LOVE every meal? if so, start again and make every meal exactly the same. If you didn't like a certain meal, replace it with another on your master list. Do you want more variety? Change it up a bit, but don't go crazy. Stick to what you know and what you love. (if these are your favorite meals, your family shouldn't complain about eating them once a week.)

*If you've mastered steps 1-8 and catch yourself singing "I feel good... and I knew that I would!" in the kitchen, you have my permission to move on.

9. Branch out-- and spread your wings!
Use ingredients from your food storage. Pick a new recipe with healthier ingredients. Make something your kids have never eaten before. Give a little variety to your palate (don't have chicken EVERY night, etc.) Heaven forbid, make something from SCRATCH! Read grocery store ads or your favorite coupon clipping websites (Hi Fab FruGals!) Buy several items if they are on sale, especially if you know you'll use them (spaghetti sauce, green chilies, pancake mix :) Try to save a little more money by incorporating a few other "factors" into your menu. You can even go digital, by entering in your recipes/shopping lists on Google calendars and having them emailed/texted to you.. Whoa. If this stresses you out, forgettaboutit! Breathe deep and start again at #1.

10. Make a monthly menu!
Once you're planning your weekly menus like a professional, try making FOUR weeks of meals. Print out a monthly calendar and write each meal for every day of the month. Shop in BULK for items you use often. You can keep 4 rotating weekly menus (with the recipes and shopping lists already organized...) You must still shop for produce once a week... And if you're a super-duper pro (which I am not) you could add breakfast and lunch into the mix. Imagine... 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. We can do it! Yes we can!