Monthly Menu - Being Organized in the Kitchen

In a recent survey, women were asked when they felt the most stress during the day. The answer? When they have to decide what's for dinner. The monthly menu can help alleviate that stress.

Imagine only having to eat spaghetti once a month. Wouldn't it change your whole outlook on life? I'm not the type of person that can eat the same thing three times a week. Planning a monthly menu has made a huge difference in the way my day goes. Knowing what the main course is, has allowed me to focus on healthy sides and salads. It can work for you too.

My secret is looking at the weeks in sections. You can see that Monday is titled soup and sandwiches. If you look down at all the Monday's you see various types of bread and soup. Tuesdays are "Italian" mostly pastas. If you love linguine and spaghetti, you schedule them on alternating Tuesdays. Wednesday is "chicken." This one is easy as there are so many possibilities. Thursday is "Mexican." It's convenient because the adults can eat enchildas and kids are happy with a cheese quesadilla.

You probably already eat the usual Sunday fare: your roast, your turkey, your lasagna. Realizing you have your favorites, you plug them into the monthly menu and that is why it works so well.

For example, I have three different enchilada recipes I am currenly using. By filling out the monthly menu and changing it up each three months. I'm only eating each recipe four times a year. That means when it comes around it is fresh, exciting and tasty.

If you want to feel like your kitchen is organized and dinner is within your control, try the monthly menu. It works! I've made a sample calendar for you to view.

One more thing. I do change my menu a bit as for summer and winter. Summer is more for sandwiches and food that aren't as hot. In winter, I do soups on Monday. Summer brings lots of b-b-q's and outdoor cooking whereas winter would be more casseroles and things that bake in the oven.

Also, I make my Sunday dinner on Saturday morning, while my kids are doing their Saturday jobs. Because of this and the fact that I've been cooking all week, Saturday needs to be an easy dinner for me. A lot of those Saturday dinners are what I call Costco nights: hamburgers, chicken patties. Stuff that we can pull together quickly but still eat at home.