Menu planning isn’t always easy but one tool that makes it easier is a Menu List – a list of all your recipes. It can be a simple list or you can group the recipes according to category.
Here’s one way to do it:
- Take a piece of paper and make a list of all the recipes you make. It’s easier if you have your old menu plans or if you’ve written your menus in your planner or calendar. But if not, just think about what you’ve made lately. The menu list isn’t something you’ll sit down and do in one sitting. It’s also not something that’s not ever finished. As you add new recipes to your repertoire, you’ll need to update your list.
- After your initial list is “complete”, group the recipes by category. Here are my categories: meat, soup/stew, sandwich, pasta, Mexican, casserole, misc. Put each recipe in the appropriate category. You can also do a list for your side dishes and desserts. I’ve started that list but it’s not done yet.
- When you think of other recipes or try new ones that are keepers, add them to your list. It’s easiest if the list is on your computer but it works just as well on paper.
That’s it. Now when you sit down to plan your menus, you have a list of all your recipes and it’s much easier to plan.
Downloadable Files:
Menu List Blank Form – WORD DOCUMENT
[...] have a clue what to make? I do that sometimes. One strategy we’ve talked about is having a list of all your recipes so when you’re planning, you can look at the list for ideas. Another [...]