Having dinner regularly following a pre-established weekly plan offers a moment of tranquility after a hectic and tiring day. Whether your family always gets together to eat or everyone has their own schedules and there is always a hustle and bustle, this article is for you.
Steps
Step 1. Get a binder with three rings and a stack of blank paper
Step 2. Label two sheets with the following titles:
- Main menu.
- Main Weekly Plan. On this second sheet, write the days of the week, leaving three blank lines for each day.
- Then, dedicate a sheet to each day of the week.
Step 3. Make a list of the dishes you and the rest of the family like best on the sheet titled “Main Menu”
Write quickly and without stopping to think too much, there will always be time to make corrections and add something new to the list.
Step 4. Review the list
Do you notice dishes that take more than 30 minutes to prepare (not including cooking time)? Draw a star next to these dishes and reserve them for the days when you have extra time, such as over the weekend or for special occasions.
Step 5. Take a look at the remaining dishes:
is there any that can be classified into certain categories, such as "Stews", "Mexican Cuisine" or "Sandwiches"? Write this information on the side of each dish that falls into a certain type or culinary tradition.
Step 6. When do you usually go shopping?
Establish a specific day. On the Weekly Master Plan, mark the day before the shopping day using the “Leftover” category. For example, if you generally go to the supermarket every Tuesday, Monday evening will be dedicated to leftover foods throughout the week.
Step 7. Try to remember which days of the week are particularly busy
Signals with the "Quick Meal" category. For example, if you have a lot of errands to run on Thursdays, you will be able to spend less time in the kitchen.
Step 8. Review the categories created on the Main Menu
Adjust them according to what you need to do on the occasion of each single day.
Step 9. The remaining days you can categorize them with “Dinner based on Sandwiches”, “Dinner based on the Favorite Dish of the Family” or “Dinner based on Cheese”
Be inspired by what you like and your needs to fill every day of the week with a predetermined category.
Step 10. Take another sheet, which you will call “This Week's Menu”
Step 11. Write the day of the week you are at the time of writing and proceed to the day you enter the category of “Leftovers”
For example, if leftovers are eaten on Thursday and today is Monday, write Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Leave two blank lines for each day.
Step 12. Enter the category “Leftovers” on the occasion of the appropriate day
Step 13. Determine what you have in your pantry and, working on it, create the Main Menu and Weekly Master Plan to determine what you will cook from the day of the week you shop to the day of the leftover dinner
If necessary, be sure to add the proper garnishes as well.
Step 14. Defrost everything you need for dinner
Don't forget to include ingredients for the side dishes.
Step 15. Create the menus for the following week in the same way, but you can decide what you want to cook without just thinking about the ingredients you already have at home (unless you want, for example, to get rid of penne rigate, because you bought them several packages when they were on offer):
you can get what you need when you go shopping.
Step 16. Make your weekly shopping list based on the dishes you have included in the plan
Step 17. Repeat the planning
Keep updating and working on both the Main Menu and the Weekly Master Plan.
Advice
- Alternatively, listen to what your family asks of you so you know what the most common cravings are. Then, put these dishes on the Main Menu and prepare them on the right days. Be sure to note the date you serve certain dishes so that you can keep track of them when deciding what to cook.
- Making sure that the dinner before the day you go shopping is based on what is left over in the kitchen is ideal for emptying the fridge.
- If your family is small (for example, it consists of two adults and two children), prepare one dinner based on your partner's favorite dish and the next by listening to the wishes of one of your children. Alternate their requests, so you can please everyone.
- If your family is large, it can be difficult to choose a single favorite dish. What you could do is assign a color to each family member, or use the initials of the names, as you write the Main Menu, so that you know which dishes each one prefers and alternate them regularly.
- Review the menu of the week day by day and get what you need out in time. For example, if you are cooking chicken today and tomorrow night, defrost it before going to sleep and also consider any side dishes (for example, make potatoes for mashed potatoes).
- Leftover dinner doesn't have to be boring or tasteless. Make it a real family event and cook the food left in the fridge to prepare dishes that everyone can enjoy. If your family's favorite dishes are left over, that's better.
- Quick dinners can be of different types: you can use frozen food, make sandwiches or go to the nearest fast food restaurant. Obviously you should come up with this dinner at least roughly, don't rush to McDonald's or Burger King to order everything you see on the menu; ask the children what they want to eat before they leave the house. They need to know that once they get in the car, they won't be able to change their minds.
- You could later add dividers to the binder for each day of the week and store the recipes with plastic protectors. Everything will be well organized and you will not risk getting the sheets of grease dirty while cooking.
- Make sure that there are at least six dishes in the Main Menu, possibly more, otherwise you risk not having enough ideas for the whole week. Make sure you have the right ingredients on hand to prepare them.
Warnings
- On the night you propose a leftover dinner, prepare your younger children for what you are going to eat so they will not throw a tantrum by asking you for the enchiladas they brushed up on during the Mexican themed night.
- People's tastes change over the years. Make sure you keep them in mind when building the Main Menu, and update it regularly.
- In the early days, avoid using cookbooks, as this will prompt you to add recipes that don't fit into your budget or that are more complex than they seem. Once you've established a regular routine, there's no shortage of time to experiment.
