Office Day

Welcome to Wednesday which is code for Office Day.  Today is a day for you to organize and plan your menu for the week.  I went to a class a couple of weeks ago and this little menu planning tool is the biggest thing I took off and ran with.  Such a simple little change in how I did my grocery list has made a huge impact on my planning and cooking.  In the olden days, you know, about 5 weeks ago, I was making a grocery list and after the store it stayed crumpled in my purse.  Then when it came time to cook I had no idea what I had meal ingredients for.

This is a very high tech system so please pay attention.  Take a piece of paper, a ruler (if you are OCD) and a crayon or pencil.  Draw a line down the center of the paper.  Divide the left side into 6 squares.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat/Sun.  Get your calender.  Look at your week.  If you have plans Tuesday night write it on the bottom of Tuesdays square.  Do this for each evening activity you have.  Next, write in the dinner's you want for each night.  Use the right side of the page to list your things you need from the store.

When you get home from the store, hang your menu on the side of your fridge.  Now you know what you have the fixin's for.  I have found that we mix it up.  I may feel like Pizza Spaghetti Casserole and Salad on Thursday instead of Friday.  That's OK.  The Menu Nazi's will not show up at your door.

Keep a running Wal-Mart list on the fridge so you can quickly jot down what you need to get.  Keep the next week's blank menu behind this week's so if you run out of a staple like sugar you can jot it down.

Menu planning is the biggest thing to do today as you start out.  We'll talk about more things to do in Office Day next week.  (a little sneak peak: Thursday is errand day, the day to go to the grocery store for the week)