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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jul 31, 2014 0:25:29 GMT
I've been struggling with this as well. I was thinking of writing down every dinner for August (make a weekly menu and fill in the calendar as we go) and then taking notes on how well people liked it. I like to try new things from Pinterest but need to remember what we liked and what we didn't.
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Post by melanell on Jul 31, 2014 1:18:40 GMT
Oh my gosh, yes!!
Every Wednesday I ask for ideas and get diddly squat. Every Thursday I shop. Every night we all moan and whine about our dinner options. Because I wind up just keep buying the same stuff all of the time.
Blech.
It doesn't help that I don't really love to cook.
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Post by pmm on Jul 31, 2014 1:32:34 GMT
I didn't read all the replies so someone else may have said this already. When my kids were young I loved meal planning. I made a monthly menu. I found it was easier for me to plan by assigning a protein to each day of the week. Monday--pork, Tuesday--chicken, Wednesday--beef, Thursday--chicken, Friday--past, soup, pizza, Saturday--chicken, and Sunday--beef. This way I avoided having all beef or chicken in the week.
My girlfriend that I meal planned with just made a list. She numbered her paper for each day of the month. She looked at her calendar to see when they would be eating out (ie birthdays or family gatherings). She then wrote down what she was going to make. She usually made pizza once a week so it would be listed 4-5 times. It was her husbands responsibility to look over the list before he left for work and choose what he wanted for dinner. She was a SAHM so if she needed a particular fresh ingredient she would run to the store.
I agree with keeping a list of favorite meals no matter how fancy or simple. Then when you have brain fade you can refer to it. I did buy a copy of the "The Stocked Kitchen" it is a cookbook with a master shopping list for all the recipes in the book. We have liked all the dishes we have tried. It is nice to already have the ingredients on hand and just pick a recipe.
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Post by Zee on Jul 31, 2014 1:35:34 GMT
I use a wall calendar and do 2 weeks at a time. I can flip back for inspiration if I need to. I make out my shopping list at the same time so I know I'll have the necessary ingredients. About once a week, usually on Saturday, one of the kids gets to choose--which often means pizza. I keep a few frozen things on hand as well for when something comes up and we need a quick meal, or w decide we don't want what's on the menu, but usually we stick to it pretty well.
I ask for input but no one ever gives it so now I'm of the mind that they get what they get.
Occasionally I buy a cooking magazine or a new cookbook and go through and try a bunch of new things. Our favorites get put into the regular rotation.
I used to agonize over what to make for dinner until I started meal planning. It helps so much to know exactly what's for dinner and to always have the ingredients at hand. No stress at dinner time!
ETA I also put all appts, vacations, etc on that calendar so when I sit down to meal plan I know if I need to make it a quick meal that day or if we'll need to eat out, whatever. Everyone can see what's for dinner that day.
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Post by keknj on Jul 31, 2014 1:49:27 GMT
Thank you to everyone that recommended Paprika. It's fairly expensive for an app, but if you have Amazon points you can use them for the purchase. I got it this afternoon and already have over 20 recipes added to it. They pop in so easy! I put the app on my tablet and used it while making dinner tonight.
I do the same as Z*G, I plan my meals with a calendar so that I know what's going on. I buy the post it weekly pages and post them right on the fridge. That way everyone knows who has what for the week.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523 
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Post by mlana on Aug 2, 2014 3:50:18 GMT
Try the app Paprika (I swear I don't profit from the recommendations for this app!) In addition to adding like-prepared ingredients (2 cups chopped, 1 cup diced) it is also the easiest program I've found for importing recipes. I brought my recipes in, then started importing them from blogs and websites. If it doesn't port over the recipe as a whole, you can add the parts simply by highlighting a section and then selecting what that part is. For instance, highlight all the ingredients in the recipe, then select the ingredients tab at the bottom. Done. Love. It. When I watch cooking shows, I can add the recipes from the website faster than the guy on tv can cook them. Marcy Thanks for the rec! Do you have to share your recipes with the web? I'm sorry for the confusion and for the delay in getting back to you. you don't have to share your recipes at all. I meant I could get the recipe the TV cook was making from his website and load it into Paprika faster than he could make it on the show. I do sync my Paprika versions to the cloud, though, since it allows me to have the same info on my iPhone, iPad, and DH's iPhone. |
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