What's for dinner?

That question drives me crazy… but only when I don’t know what we’re going to have for dinner!

Growing up, my mother always had a meal plan.  Her weekly menu was on the back of her shopping list and it was always posted on the fridge.  I can probably count on one hand the number of times she deviated from it… whatever was listed was what we were having for dinner.  Sometimes you’d be excited about it, and sometimes at least one of us would be whining about it.  But, it was always there, no surprises.  I can see now why meal planning was so important for our family growing up – I wouldn’t want to be a short order cook for a family of 6.

I’ll be honest…  I don’t cook as much for my family as I should unless I come up with a weekly menu.  If I don’t plan things out in advance, I never have anything thawed and/or I’m missing key ingredients.  In my defense, my husband travels a lot.  When it’s just me and Connor, a bowl of cereal or a sandwich will do (Connor still consumes mostly Chef Gerber).  So, I try to plan my meal-making around the nights I know I have someone else to cook for.

This spring, my mom and I made a dry erase board for my kitchen.  I purchased a large frame at Michael’s (the largest that would fit on my wall) and framed a cut of fabric under the glass.  Then I just use dry erase markers and an eraser to help me keep track of household things.  I LOVE IT!  I’d say I probably write something on it every day.  The board helps me keep track of my to-do’s, things to remember, and ongoing shopping lists.  It’s also where I “attempt” to have a meal plan posted for the week!

In June, Alma of Ollibird posted the cutest FREE tiles for Twitter and blog backgrounds.  When I saw the pots & pans graphic, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it (besides update the family recipe blog).

Just for fun, I’ve created another free printable…  a Weekly Menu, inspired by and using Alma’s cute graphic.

These menu images are sized at 8”x10”, perfect for framing in your kitchen.  Once behind glass, it becomes a dry-erase menu board.  You could place this on your countertop, hang it on the wall, or put it in a lightweight frame and attach heavy-duty magnets or Command Picture Hanging Strips to hang it on your fridge.  You could even make one up for an inexpensive wedding/birthday/Christmas gift. 




To download, just click on the images above and you’ll be directed to their 4shared locations.  Then, just print on your own color printer and trim to size, or upload it to your favorite online photo printer (an 8”x10” print at Costco is only $1.49).
Go here to download a version of this weekly menu for a binder!

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.   

Hope this keeps the dreaded “What’s for dinner?” question from being asked too many times in your house!
I’ll be posting this project to the link-up parties listed here.
I'm incredibly honored to have had this project featured on these sites. Thanks so much!!