Working on Menu Planning

I am going to work on menu planning.  The biggest advantage I think it will have for my family is that we will have a greater variety of meals.  They always appreciate it when I take the time to plan something new or at least something other than spaghetti.

In my current system of menu planning I usually buy the same things at the grocery store because we have standard dishes that we have every week with a few variations thrown in.  I have a few standard meals in my repertoire that can be made relatively quickly when I don't have anything else. These would include pizza, frozen burritos, and spaghetti. 

So, for example, when I buy groceries every two weeks,  I make sure I have enough spaghetti, sauce, and ground turkey for at least three meals of spaghetti;  I buy enough cheese for at least two pizzas and always be sure to have flour and tomato sauce on hand.  I buy two packages of burritos just in case we want something really quickly. For sides I try to have canned and frozen vegetables handy as well as a good supply of Romaine lettuce for salads. 

The more formal "planning" comes in when I incorporate new dishes.  For example, I have a new soup cook  book so I may pick four recipes from this, planning on two new soups for each week along with home made bread.  I  try to think ahead so as to make these recipes and the bread on days that aren't so busy so there is plenty of time for chopping vegetables and/or I start chopping vegetables a day or two ahead whenever I have time so I can make these recipes more quickly on the days that they will be served. 

So its not like I'm completely without a plan, but I am trying to formalize it a bit by writing down a specific menu for supper during weekdays.  It has been rather time consuming up front expecially when I try to plan two weeks at a time.  It has been helpful tough as long as I remember to look at my menu throughout the week and make sure I have everything ready (meat thawed or beans soaked)for a specific day.  Sometimes I don't use the menu I have planned for the day that I planned it.  I switch things around to different days but this still works well.  Just having something down is the important part.