MAKE-A-MENU - Baby Step #5 (What to do with leftovers)

"What???  Leftovers???  We HATE leftovers!!!"

If your family cries out in pain when you serve up yesterday's yummies warmed over for today, you need a plan for making those "yesterday's specialties" just as special today.  So what should you do?  Package up those leftovers with plans for re-creation, add them to your menu calendar, and stick them in the freezer.

Don't serve your "left-over creations" the night after cooking the original.  Put it on your MAKE-A-MENU Calendar for another day, and everyone will think you are an AWESOME cook!

Which leads me to today's assignment: 

Today, please set up a section in your Make-a-Menu Binder with the following tab: Leftovers. There you'll add "recipes" for your leftovers.

For example, we had pot roast with gravy, peas and carrots on Sunday. We had lots of leftovers. I dumped everything in a zip lock and labeled it "beef pot pie". I then went to my computer and typed up the "recipe": The ingredients listed include a packaged pie crust, bagged pot roast leftovers, additional gravy, 1 potato, additional veggies.

While it seems silly to write down these ingredients, it will help me when shopping. Remember that we use our Make-a-Menu Binder to set up a menu and shopping list step-by-step, and one of the steps is to look at the recipe and add the ingredients that you don't have to your grocery list.

If you develop "recipes" using your leftovers, your picky family won't feel like they are eating warmed over stuff from last night and not one of them will revolt or roll on the floor or gnash their teeth and cry. And they will not call you the Soup Nazi. You might, however, be awarded The MAMA! (Most Awesome Mother Award)

And lastly, stretching your menu with leftovers will save you time and money! Cha-ching!!!

MAKE-A-MENU :: Baby Step #4

Hi Y'all!  We've spent the last 3 days baby-stepping our way in menu-making land, and now we're ready to put it all together.  We're ready to make a menu and shopping list based on what the sale items of the week are so that we hear "KA-CHING" in our bank accounts!

I'm so excited!!!  Are you???

In Make-a-Menu  :: Baby Step #3 I gave you a list of supplies that you need to assembly your menu planner.   Hopefully you have those ready. Get a cup of coffee or a glass of icy cola, grab your supplies, and let's get started!

We're going to do this in 3 easy steps!

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Step #1:  Choosing your recipes...
* Pull out your favorite grocery store's sales flyer. What kind of main ingredients are on sale this week? For example, is there an awesome deal on chicken, hamburger meat, or pork chops?
* Choose one main ingredient that is on sale to focus on and then pull out your Baby Step #1 Family Favorites List.
* Choose 5 recipes from your Family Faves using that main ingredient. Using printer paper or notebook paper, make a recipe page for each meal by printing it out, scanning it, or whatever you need to do to get it into your notebook.  Even if it's a meal that isn't a "recipe", like something quick you just throw together, write it down in recipe fashion.  THIS IS IMPORTANT.  DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!
* Jot down the ingredients for the recipes you choose to cook onto your grocery list. When you are done, put the recipes behind the appropriate tab in your notebook.
* When you are done with the flyer and Family Favorite List, put them into your new notebook. You can put the flyer in the front pocket and make a tab divider for your family favorites.

Step #2:
* Write the 5 recipes on your calendar. It's a good idea to separate the recipes over several weeks, if you can. That way your family doesn't have to eat chicken 5 days in a row if at all possible. We don't want them to revolt and demand trans-fatty nuggets from Fast Foodie Land!!

Step #3:
* SHOPPING DAY and time to prepare your food for freezing in recipe portions!  After you purchase the ingredients, it's time to do a little prep work if at all possible. Making sure that the main ingredient is packaged in a convenient manner is crucial! At the minimum, meat should be sealed in single-cooking-session packages. But hopefully, you'll have time to do a little extra prep work such as frying up the ground beef and packaging it in 2-cup bags, boiling the chickens and doing the same, marinating a bag of "dump" chicken, or making up a batch of meatballs, for example.

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You can go check out your freezer and apply this lesson to any main ingredients you already have. It will make your menu planning and cooking effortless and... yes.... BRAINLESS!!!

Also, if there is a recipe you've been wanting to try, just apply the same principles: Print it out... put it in the appropriate section... add it to your shopping list... add it to the menu... buy the ingredients... cook it...

When you are done, please go have some more chocolate and wine.... again...   You deserve it.

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Peace to you all,
The Menu Maker Mom
Feeding the family ~ One menu at a time

MAKE-A-MENU :: Baby Step #3

Hi Y'all!  I hope you're enjoying this tutorial series on making your OWN menu planning system that works JUST FOR YOU and your family!   We're half way to finishing now, and I hope you're beginning to see how your binder is going to help you!

Now that you have your menu-making skills well under way, it's time to make this system really pay! Yes, I said PAY! You will pay less at the grocery store, and extra money in your wallet is just like a paycheck!  We're going to focus on loss leaders, which are the items that the grocery store reduces each week hoping that you'll stop by to purchase.


For today's project, you're going to need a few supplies:
1. dividers
2. a hole punch
3. notebook paper

After you gather your supplies, it's time to get the notebook set up. Here are the labels for your dividers:

1. My menus
2. My family's favorites
3. Chicken
4. Beef
5. Pork
6. Fish
7. Desserts
8. Breads
9. Appetizers
10. DIY Mixes
11. Untried recipes

Does it sound a little like a cookbook? Well, in a way it is! It will become a cookbook of your family's favorite meals.
Go and get this set up. Keep it simple! Please don't put anything in it yet!!

And when you're done, don't forget to eat chocolate and drink wine.  Very important that chocolate and wine... so don't forget this step!

Peace to you all,
The Menu Maker Mom
Feeding the family ~ One menu at a time

MAKE-A-MENU - Baby Step #2 - Making a Menu in 3 easy steps!

Hi y'all!  So glad you're here today to tackle the Make-a-Menu Plan - Baby Step #2!  This is super easy, so let's get right to work:

To get started, here’s what you’ll need:
1. Your Make-a-Menu Binder which should have your Make-a-Menu Calendar, list of Family Favorites, and list of what’s already in your freezer.
2. Family Calendar.

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Let's Make-a-Menu in 3 easy steps!

STEP #1:
Get your blank Make-a-Menu Calendar. Choose a meal theme for each day of the week. Write down the themes above the day-of-the-week columns on your calendar. Here's mine:

Sunday – casseroles, some type of big meal like a roast or roasted chicken, grilled meats
Monday – sandwiches, salads, soups
Tuesday – Italian, pasta, beef
Wednesday – Mexican, beans
Thursday – Chicken, fish
Friday – hot dogs, hamburgers
Saturday – Calzones, pizza, or another day of grilled food

STEP #2:
Get your family’s calendar. Look at the schedule. Are there any nights that will be too busy for cooking? Plan for using the slow cooker, using leftovers, having sandwiches or some other quick meal, or you’ll need to have something ready to cook straight from the freezer. Note this on your Menu Calendar. Put the Family Calendar away.

STEP #3:
It's time to Make-a-Menu! Get your list of “Family Favorites” and your list of and meats or meals “Already in the Freezer”. Using those two lists, start filling in your calendar with what you already have. To save time, try to cook meat one night and use it again on another night. As you use a "Favorite", check it off the "Family Favorites" list.

Try to get the current week and maybe the next week filled in. Keep on going and fill in as much of the month and the upcoming month as you can, using the ingredients you already have.

(Here, I have the daily theme and menu items highlighted in yellow. The notes to myself (crockpot, vacation) are highlighted in pink. I wish I new how to download a document the right way so you could really see this. At least it gives you a general idea.)

When you're done, check your fridge and pantry and see if you have all the other ingredients needed to comlete each meal. What about extras like garlic toast or rolls, salads and other side dishes? Make notes of any groceries that you will need to complete the meals. You should pick those items up this weekend, and then your week will be on autopilot!!!

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Congratulations! You’re done! Put all your lists back in your Make-a-Menu Binder. Hang your Menu Calendar where you can see it. With this menu you’ll be able to use what you already have, save time, save money, and not end up at the junk-food store.

Don’t forget to check your calendar each evening after the evening meal is over and the kitchen is cleaned. Do you need to take some meat out for tomorrow? Set up the slow cooker? Chop onions?

Stay tuned for Baby Step #3, when we’ll talk about SAVING MOOLAH with loss leaders to stock the freezer and fill up our Make-a-Menu Calendar at the same time.

Until then...
Peace to you all,
The Menu Maker Mom
Feeding the family ~ One menu at a time

MAKE-A-MENU ::- Baby Step #1

Good morning, Menu Makers!

I'm reposting the original MAKE-A-MENU :: Baby Step #1.  Sometimes you just have to go back to the beginning and refresh yourself.  After all, it was 2008 when I originally posted this!  2008!!!  Can you believe it??

If you have ANY questions about this, PLEASE post your question, or go to my facebook page (link is in the right sidebar) and join the conversation there! 

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For anyone who is struggling with menu making, for anyone who ran through McDonald-land last night because you had nothing to cook or no time to cook, for anyone who is spending waaayyy too much on groceries... This is for you!

Today we’re going to get started with our menu planning! For those of you who already have a handle on this job, more power to ya! For those of you who are challenged in this area… Read on.

We’re going to take this in baby steps over the next 5 days.  This is Day #1, here is your "baby step" task for today:

You can start your own personal menu-planning service in 5 easy steps!:

STEP #1:
Get a small binder for your menus. You will keep this in your kitchen.

STEP #2:
 Print out blank calendars for this month and the next two. Don’t try to get fancy here! Just print out a calendar. I used Microsoft Works. Took me a minute at the most. Here is my blank calendar. See how simple and boring it is? It was quick.

STEP #3:
On a seperate sheet of paper, make a list of supper recipes that your family members like. GO AND ACTUALLY ASK EACH PERSON. You might be surprised at what they tell you!! If you have a few more minutes, organize this list by meat category. For example, my family likes chicken patties and various dump chicken recipes. I’ll be prepping these with the chicken that is on sale. But more about that later!!

STEP #4:
On another sheet of paper, make a list of meat items you already have in your freezer. Don’t forget to categorize!

STEP #5:
Put your calendars and your lists in your binder. Don’t put anything else in your binder for now!

Congratulations! You're done for for today! Wasn’t that exhausting?? Now go eat some chocolate or take a nap.

The MAKE-A-MENU Summary

Hi Friends,

For those of you who have been using my Make-a-Menu system, and for those of you who are new to the Make-a-Menu way of life, I thought I'd offer up a quick summary. Sometimes having just a few abbreviated steps helps to keep it all in order. You can print this out and hang it on your fridge or put it in the front of your Make-a-Menu Notebook.

By the way, I'll be starting a quick series next week on cooking for the holidays. You can either add this to your Make-a-Menu Binder or you can create a separate binder just for holidays. Hang with me and we will make life in the kitchen easier step-by-step!

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How to Make-a-Menu:

1.) Print out a blank calendar.
2.) Make a list of what everyone in the family likes. Don't guess. Ask them.
3.) Using your calendar, assign a theme to each day of the week. (Mon is soup, Wed is Mexican, etc.)
4.) Using your list of favorites, start filling in your calendar, taking your busy schedule into consideration.
5.) On shopping day, check to see that you have all the ingredients necessary. If not, add them to your shopping list.

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If you'd like to learn more details about the Make-a-Menu Calendar or the Make-a-Menu Notebook, click here. I'll teach you to start saving time in the kitchen and how to save mucho dinero by shopping the loss leaders.

Menu Maker Mom ~
Makin' Yummies. Stuffin' Tummies.

MAKE-A-MENU TIP :: Create a weekly MAKE-A-MENU BOX

It's time to make your menu planning even easier! If you have already set up your Make-a-Menu Binder and are following my menu planning strategies, you might be thinking, "Can it possibly get any easier than this??" Well.... Get ready to do a happy dance, because I'm going to make your menu planning EVEN EASIER!!!!

This week we're going to set up a weekly Make-a-Menu Box. We'll take it step-by-step, the Menu Maker Mom way! (Do this either on your menu planning day or or on Sunday, or whenever it makes sense to get your full week organized.)

On your menu planning day, set up your weekly Make-a-Menu Boxes!

Step #1
Find the following boxes: 1 box for dry goods, two small boxes/baskets that will fit in your fridge and freezer. Make sure your boxes are clean!

Step #2
Get your shopping list and your menu.

Step #3
Start setting up the boxes. As you review your menu, find the items that are essential to your menu for the upcoming week. In the dry goods box, assemble all the pasta, rice, canned goods, and other dry goods necessary to make your recipes. Put the freezer items and fridge items in their boxes/baskets. As you fill your boxes/baskets you might find that you don’t have this or that. Add it to your shopping list.

Step #4
You can stop here or you can set up a lunch menu box and even a breakfast box. Get creative here! Just make sure that you aren't creating more work for yourself. The idea is to be efficient with your brain power, energy, and time.

Step #5
You're done! But before you pat yourself on the back, tell hubby, kids, the dog, and whoever else likes to raid the pantry, that they are not allowed to remove anything from the boxes or baskets... Or they risk the wrath of the Menu Nazi! Now go have a glass of wine and RELAX! Your cooking is on autopilot this week!

MAKE-A-MENU SAMPLE - The Rubber Chicken

Do you remember my post about the Pilgrim's Pride chicken that I purchased with my coupons? I bought 10 of them. Wow... That's a lot of birds! What does one do with that many cluckers? Well, you follow the steps to Make-a-Menu and make cooking a no brainer! (Or, should I say, a "bird-brainer"?) Okay - enough with the bad jokes...

Step #1:
I found 5 recipes on my Baby Step #1 Family Favorites list that use cooked chicken pieces as a main ingredient. I then made a page for each recipe by either printing out the recipe or making a copy. I put the pages behind the "chicken" section of my Make-a-Menu Notebook. Here are my 5 recipes:

* Almost Famous Chicken Patties (From The 30 Day Gourmet)
* Crispy Chicken Tacos
* Mom's Chicken and Rice Soup
* Ree's Chicken Spaghetti (from Confessions of a Pioneer Woman)
* Stuffed Shells (From The 30 Day Gourmet)

Step #2:
I then wrote those 5 recipes down on 5 different days of my calendar:
July 16 - Mom's Chicken and Rice Soup
July 24 - Almost Famous Chicken Patties
July 29 - Ree's Chicken Spaghetti
Aug 3 - Stuffed Shells
Aug 6 - Crispy Chicken Tacos on Aug 6

Step #3:
After I wrote these recipes down on my Make-a-Menu Calendar, I took a look at each recipe and jotted down any ingredients that I'll need on my grocery list.

Step #4:
Now comes the time to do a little prep work. It will pay off when I have a busy night!
The last thing I did was boil 3 of the chickens. After cooling and chilling overnight, I threw away the layer of chicken fat, and set aside 10 cups of chicken broth for freezing and using in the chicken spaghetti at a later time. Then I picked the meat from the bones (I HATE, HATE, HATE this part of the job!!) I packaged 4 bags with 2 cups of chicken each.

The remaining 2 cups of chicken and defatted broth was used to make the chicken soup that night. It was sooo yummy, and I had enough left over for the next day's lunch and to freeze 2 large containers of soup for two other meals, which I wrote on my calendar on August 4 and 25.

Let's review:
3 Chickens for around 3 bucks each so my budget will be preserved...
8 Meals each for 4+ people (my kids always have a guest, it seems!)...
My menu already made out so my sanity is saved...
Half the cooking done and in the freezer so my nerves won't be frazzled at dinnertime...
PRICELESS!!

Those chickens stretched a loooonnnnngggg way. Don't ya just love a rubber chicken???!!