Menu Planning Resources

My friend Lauri asked me to share some of the resources I've been using for planning our family's weekly menus.

Since we haven't cooked at home much over the years, I've tried to start out with fairly simple recipes that are quick and don't use a ton of ingredients. It keeps the prep time down and the evenings moving along. And I don't feel overwhelmed with getting the meal put together or cleaning up.

One of the things I found is this meal plan form from The Project Girl. It's a free download where you can write in your weekly meal plan and your grocery list.

I've also enjoyed The Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. (BTW, her entire site is awesome if you need organization inspiration, and she's got lots of great free downloads, too.) She hosts a McLinky party every Monday where hundreds of bloggers submit their weekly meal plans. Some include recipes and reviews; others just tell what they're planning to make.

One of the best sites I've found that simplifies everything and does all the planning for you is e-mealz. For $5 a month, you can get five to seven meal plans complete with recipes and grocery list. You can get a plan designed for the store you shop (which takes into consideration that week's sale items), diet consideration (e.g., points for Weight Watchers, low-fat, etc.), and the number of people you're cooking for. I signed up for the Walmart plan with meals for two people that work with the WW point system. It has been super easy.

I also browse through my own recipe box. And then once a week I sit down to plan our meals for the week and finalize the grocery list. Easy peasy.