Want to try monthly menu planning to organize your family’s meals and save time? As you can imagine, 30 or 31 days of meals is a lot to plan for anyone. When you have to include all of the likes and dislikes of an entire family, the task can be even more time-consuming. Try a couple of these tips (and menu planning sites) to ease your menu-planning task.
Tip: Menu in a Box is an excellent way to save time as you let someone else do the hard work and plan your menus for you.
Ethnic Foods
Plan one day of each week to have food from a certain country or culture. For example, every Tuesday for the month could be Mexican food night, and Saturdays could be Chinese night. Narrow down what types of food your family will eat on certain days of the week, and you will think of three or four possibilities your family will like within that type of food for the month.
Base it on an Ingredient
Plan one meal a week to have a certain basic ingredient in it. For example, pasta could be included in at least one meal a week. You will be able to purchase the item in bulk to last for the month, and it will not spoil before a month is up.
Plan Out of Season
Even if it is 30 degrees outside, some meals during the month could be served cold to vary up the copious amount of warm comfort food your family will be taking in. Pasta salads, sub sandwiches, and stuffed pita bread sandwiches are a few ideas for changing things up in the winter. An occasional bowl of warm soup in the summer is good as well.
Find Meal Ideas Online
Online cooking and recipe sites abound. Find a few recipes your family will enjoy by searching one site for meals based on a certain ingredient, such as chicken or beef. Print a few of these out to vary up the weekly staples your family eats every month.
Plan smart, not hard when it comes to making a monthly menu plan. Include a few unusual items to keep your family guessing what is for dinner. Leave yourself a little wiggle room by having a night or two of dinners that include leftovers as well if you do not have time to cook.
Sample 10-day dinner menu:
| Day | Entrée | Sides |
| 1 | Rigatoni and sausage casserole | Caesar salad and French bread |
| 2 | Enchiladas | Rice and beans |
| 3 | Turkey Wraps | Baked chips |
| 4 | Potato Soup | Caesar salad |
| 5 | Honey glazed chicken | Pasta salad and mixed vegetables |
| 6 | Grilled Salmon and zucchini | Red beans and rice |
| 7 | Homemade pizza | Salad |
| 8 | Chicken parmesan with spaghetti | Salad |
| 9 | Pita bread stuffed with chicken and veggies | Pasta salad |
| 10 | Grilled and marinated steak | Green beans and mashed potatoes |
How do you get ideas for monthly menu planning? Where do you find meal recipes?