How to "do" dinner

Dinner...one of the never ending jobs of mom. I've tried many different methods to help me in this endeavor but have come to the realization that there is no magic "quick fix".

It seems to me that the two most common problems with the "dinner dilemma" is a) what am I going to make? and b) do I have what I need to make it? If I have both these problems solved, then I feel much better about making dinner.

So one day I sat down to make a menu list for the upcoming week and realized that I have quite a long list of meals that my family likes, so why do I always stress about what to make? Let me show you what I've done lately -

1. Each day of the week gets assigned a "food category":
Monday = Chicken
Tuesday = Cheap 'n Easy (no jokes please)
Wednesday = Food Storage or Soup
Thursday = Cheap 'n Easy again
Friday = Beef
Saturday = Chicken
Sunday = Crock pot or other "slow cook" meal

2. Find 4-6 meals the family likes for each of the above categories. If you need to start out small, then just find 2 meals for each. I suggest you only use meals that you KNOW your family likes to eat and YOU like to make it (if you put too many meals on that are new then you may end up not liking them and then you've wasted time).

3. What does "cheap 'n easy" mean? Something that takes very little brain power. Something that possibly my 7 year old can make himself: leftovers, corn dogs, mac & cheese, hot dogs, frozen pizza, etc . . . Right now I have 2 nights a week for these dinners, but often times it is 3 or even 4 times - don't judge, just love!

4. Fill in a 4 week calendar with your meals. When I did this I had enough meals to go a 5th week and a few leaked over to a 6th week. Then rotate through these meals for the month.

5. Make your shopping list in 2 week chunks. I usually do one main shopping trip to get most of the food for 2 wks, but end up doing a 2nd shopping trip later on to get a few more "fresh" items like milk, fruit, and vegetables.

I am liking this system because I feel like I can still save money like in freezer cooking but without the hectic day of cooking for 8 hours straight. Plus the fresh meals vs. frozen meals is a plus. I rarely have the miserable thought "what should I make for dinner tonight?" And I know that I'll have the supplies to make it.

Here is my 6 week schedule (click on link, then "download" on the left) for ya'll to see and get ideas from. I'd love to hear what you think about it and what other ideas you have for a successful dinner plan.

Love, Liz