Creating a Monthly Dinner Menu
This guide on creating a Monthly Dinner Menu will help you to get your evening routine set up and in place. Knowing what you are making for dinner for the entire month is a game changer on how you are living your days.
Your guide to simple living includes all areas of your home that are chaotic and stressful, and nowhere is more evident than in the kitchen at 5 o’clock.
It comes like clockwork. Every day at 5 pm, our family wants to be fed.
When I was first married cooking dinner was something I enjoyed, but as the years went on and our family grew dinner time became stressful.
Many times, we were running here and there, and that meant dinner needed to be ready long before 5 pm. I quickly learned having a meal plan was the only way I was going to keep my sanity.
If you are looking for tips on meal planning, this guide will help you create one for the entire month. Planning dinners for a 30-day stretch can be a bit overwhelming, but I hope to give you an easy routine you can to on the first that will have you coasting through 5 pm rush hours.
How do you make a good menu plan?
When it comes to planning, having the time blocked off to do it is the key to creating one without getting overwhelmed.
- Designate a routine day each week or month when you sit down and plan out your menu.
- Take into account your family’s schedule.
- Check your supply in the fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Use a printable page to list out your menu.
- Hang it where you will see it each morning so you can do any early prep needed.
How to Create a Monthly Dinner Menu
Planning out meals for an entire month is a lot, but these steps will help to break things down, making it more manageable. Be sure to grab the free Meal Planning Checklist below!
Let’s start out with a bit of prep work.
Step #1: Create a Meal Planning Binder
I love binders and use them all over my home to help keep me on track and more organized. A binder for your menu prep will help you be more efficient. Here are a few things to include inside.
- Recipes your family loves. Sort these out by main course, beef, fish, poultry, vegetarian.
- Inventory sheets of the food you have in each area, fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Blank pages where you can write each daily dinner.
- Shopping lists for any ingredients you are missing.
- Pen, highlighter, and pencil.
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Step #2. Family Calendar
The most important part of a successful meal plan is considering your family’s schedule. This will allow you to plan dinners that match how busy you are. For example, on practice nights, you can do a crock pot meal or take-and-a-go meal like subs.
For slower days, you can plan out more detailed dinners, knowing you can all relax and enjoy the meal.
Step #3. Know What You Have
Another reason why families do meal planning is to ensure food gets used up before it expires. The most efficient way to do this is to have and use inventory pages for each area: the fridge, pantry, and freezer.
Inventory sheets are best for monthly planning as they allow you to map out all 30-31 meals in place.
SLCG Pro Tip: If you only need to plan a few meals, you can do this by walking your food storage areas. Start in the freezer and choose a main course. Next, go to your pantry and choose the sides. Finally, go to your fridge and choose the rest.
Step #4. Start Planning
Now, you are ready to plan your family’s meals for the next month. Let’s break it down.
- Go to your binder and find your quick-fix meals, things you can make, and on the table in a few minutes.
- Write those meals down on any nights when you are pressed for time.
- Go to your binder and find longer prep meals your family enjoys.
- Write those meals down on nights when you have more time to relax and enjoy the food. A good example would be Sunday Dinner.
- Refer to your inventory pages to know what foods you have that need to be used up. Use those foods as meal inspiration and write those on the appropriate days.
- Finally, refer to your calendar for the remaining days and write down meals that fit the time you have available to cook.
Step #5. Make Your Grocery List
As you list your meals, you will want to be sure you have all the ingredients needed for each. Refer to your inventory pages and add any ingredients you need to get to your list.
The best part of meal planning is more efficient shopping, and saving money is the bonus. Make a list and do your best to stick to it so you can spend less at the store.
Get my best tips on how to make an insanely effective grocery shopping list.
Step #6. Put it Where you See It
One of the biggest reasons dinner menus fail is that we forget to check them each morning. Designate a spot to hang your menu, so you see it first thing each day. This will be your visual reminder to do any morning prep needed for that evening’s dinner.
Things like defrosting meat, chopping veggies, and gathering seasonings. Prepping in the morning, even small things, will help make dinner a breeze.
Step #7. Make it a Habit
Now that you have a routine, you will need to make it a habit. Habits are things you do repeatedly, keeping you efficient and organized. By making meal planning a habit, you will ensure you map things out each month, putting dinner time on autopilot where it belongs.
Meal Planning Routine
- Set aside time at the end of each month for planning.
- Mark it on your calendar or set a reminder on your phone.
- Keep up to date with your food inventory pages.
- Be sure your family calendar is out and up to date. Get tips on setting up a command center in your home.
- Keep your meal planning binder in a place where you can access it each time you are ready to plan.
More Meal Planning Tips
Shortcuts are a great tool to have and these will help you save time in planning and cooking.
- As you try new recipes, print out the ones you love and add them to your Meal Planning Binder. Make notes on the recipe that list out any additions or adjustments.
- Have your older kids take a day each month to cook a meal. This will give you a much-needed break.
- Have a list of family favorites that are quick and easy to make. Be sure you always have the ingredients on hand so you can use these meals as last-minute substitutions.
- Double the recipe of meals that freeze well for the future. Things like pasta, casseroles, or stews.
- Purchase sides of meat to fill your inventory and save money on cuts.
By following these tips and incorporating them into your routine, meal planning will become second nature. You will save time, money, and stress by having a plan for dinner each night.
Creating a monthly dinner menu will turn dinner time into a stress-free occasion. Set aside time each month to organize your meals, and you’ll find that stressed-out daily dinner decisions are a thing of the past.
Whether you’re batching your favorite recipes or inviting your family to participate in cooking nights, having a reliable meal plan ensures that healthy, delicious dinners are always on the table.
More Simple Living Resources:
Continue your simple living journey with more tips you can use in your home to streamline and destress you life.
