Weekly menu is simply planning meals on a weekly basis. It is one of the most important planning tools for working class and busy moms. The weekly menu will help you to spot any missing ingredient for a meal and create a shopping list required to enable you pick them up during the week. In fact it allows you to make a budget and stick to the set amount that is expected to be spent at the grocery store. In fact weekly menu will save you a lot of time and money with stretching your limits. A well planned weekly menu eliminates stress at dinner time and helps in creating a balanced die for family.
The weekly menu comes with a basic format that captures the list of meals and requirements need for the week. It will help you to draw a shopping list and allocate a budget to it. It can be designed as a menu guide where it is filled every Sunday for the entire week. A simple menu will involve writing down the days of the week, listing all possible meals and combinations that you desire, allocating these meals to every day of the week, checking a list of unavailable items and making plans to buy them for the week.
Creating a weekly menu is of immense benefit especially for busy families. Between creating a weekly menu, shopping for ingredients, preparing the foods, it is possible to get overwhelmed and give in to the lure of fast foods. However, the following steps will help you in creating a weekly menu which will be beneficial for you and your family.
Step1
It is important to first assess your personal situation. In fact, you must understand that your situation could be different from others and be prepared to ask yourself what will work for you or what will not. You must know the best time for grocery, have the space to hold up a week worth meal, how much time you can dedicate to cooking and the food budget you can stick to.
Step2
Check for promos and advertisement on your local store. It can help you plan better.
Step3
Plan your weekly menu at the beginning of the week. You can research on recipes, read books and understand the details of meals you intend to have during the week.
Step4
Open a desktop publishing document and list down all you will need for the week on the central list. This is the list you are expected to use for your grocery shopping for the week. Ensure it is comprehensive enough to contain all that is required.
Step5
Take an inventory of your stock before going to your local store to ensure you do not buy more than required.
Step6
Visit you local store to purchase the items on your list. For better results, it is advisable to shop once in a week. Shopping more than once could lead to overshot budget.
Step7
Save your weekly menu in a saved file and recycle them again in the future. In the long term, saving all the weekly menus will offer you the advantage of having a readymade plan that can be handy in future. It saves you a lot of stress since you now have so many templates to draw from.
1
It is important to spend time each week looking for new recipes. You can search the internet, read cookbooks and other sources. The higher the number of recipes you can make, the better your weekly menu plan will be effective. You can stumble on a meal you never thought you will like and very affordable.
2
Get the opinion of your family, partner or roommate what they will love to eat during the week. Try not to be selfish. Therefore, include their choices in your weekly menu except if you are staying alone and are not expecting any guest.
3
For senior citizens, it is important to select meals low in cholesterol and avoid foods with high saturated fats. Instead, it is better to create a weekly menu that is rich in protein, whole grains and vegetables. This will help them receive them receive all nutrients of food but not harmful fats.
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