Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

A regular family dinner is a good end to a busy day, no matter how big your family is or how often you eat together at the same table, the following steps will help you organize your meal plan.

Steps

1. 1 Take a binder folder and sheets of paper.
2. 2 Name the different sheets of paper as follows:
   
   
   • Main menu
   • Menu for the week. To do this, write down all the days of the week, leaving 3 lines for each day.
   • One page for each day of the week.
3. 3 List the main meals you and your family love the most on the Main Menu page. Do it quickly, without hesitation, the time for editing this list will be later.
4. 4 Review the list. Does it contain a dish that will take more than 30 minutes to cook (not counting the cooking time)? Mark these dishes with asterisks to keep them cooking for days when you have plenty of free time, such as weekends or special occasions.
5. 5 Look at the remaining dishes to see if there are any that fall into the following categories: casseroles, Mexican dishes or sandwiches? Take notes next to these items.
6. 6 Determine what day you regularly go grocery shopping. Mark (on the “Weekly Menu” sheet) the day before that as “Remaining”. For example, if you usually go grocery shopping on Tuesdays, make Monday that day.
7. 7 Find out if you have a particularly busy day of the week. Mark it as Fast Food Day. For example, if your busiest day is Thursday, mark it as Fast Food Day.
8. 8 Browse the categories on the main menu. Sort these categories for different days of the week.
9. 9 Fill the remaining days with new categories such as Soup & Sandwich Day, Family Favorite Meals, or Cheese Night. Write whatever comes to mind until there is a category opposite each day of the week.
10. 10 Take another sheet of paper. This will be your current menu.
11. 11 Write down the day before and two days after the Remaining Day. For example, if the "Remaining" day is Tuesday, and today is Monday, write down: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Leave two lines in front of each day.
12. 12 Choose the right "Remaining" day (day, food left over from previous purchases).
13. 13 Build on what foods you have at home, and fill in the Main Menu Sheet and the Weekly Menu with a variety of main courses right up to Leftover Food Night. Make sure you have the right side dishes for these dishes.
14. 14 Take everything from the freezer that needs to be thawed for tonight's dinner. Don't forget to include side dishes.
15. 15 Create a menu for the next week in the same way, without worrying about what products are in the house (of course, not counting the cases when you bought too much of a product at a discount).
16. 16 Based on the menu, make a shopping list.
17. 17 Keep updating and working on the main and weekly menus.

Tips

• Also, during the week, listen to what your family wants, include those dishes on the main menu, plan ahead what foods are needed. Mark this “order day” with a pencil, so you will be guided the next time you ask family members who wants what.
• Make the day before going to the store "Residual" - this is how you use all the products that you have left in the refrigerator.
• For example, if you have a rather small family (2 children and 2 adults), everyone can make a menu for one of the days of the week.
• Depending on how many people there are in your family, creating a family day menu may not be easy. Color-code each family member's favorite foods. Make a menu based on this.
• Anything from frozen dinners and sandwiches to fast food can be called "fast food". This differs from a panic hike at McDonald's or Burger King in that you plan ahead and ask the kids in advance what they want to buy. Warn them that they will not be able to change their mind along the way.
• Review the current menu, determine what products you need for the next day. For example, if today is Tuesday and you want to cook your chicken on Wednesday, take it out of the freezer on Tuesday and decide on the side dish.
• Leftover days shouldn't burden you. Let the family know that you will cook their favorite meals next week.
• Later you can add bookmarks to your folder, as well as add recipes. This will keep your recipes free of contamination during cooking and keep things organized.
• If you have more than six items after step 2, you may need to re-go through step 1 until you arrive at six items, in case you are missing for the whole week.

Warnings

• At first, don't get too carried away with cookbooks - you will want to try new dishes, which will significantly affect your budget, it will be much more difficult than you expect. You will have plenty of time to experiment once you get used to a regular diet.
• Tell the kids what's available on Leftover Food Day if they ask for the Enchilada you ate on Mexican Food Day.
• People's tastes change over time! Make sure it reflects on your family menu.

What do you need

• Paper and pen
• Registrar folder
• Separator inserts (if possible)
• Protective plastic sheets (if possible)