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Savoring life in the Berkshires

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Get Started Menu Planning — with a Printable!

Published on October 7, 2015 By Emily. Updated on August 16, 2016

It’s no secret that menu planning is one of my favorite things.  It’s always on my agenda for the weekend and makes my whole week go more smoothly.  As a CSA member, I’ve found that weekly menu planning is the only way to ensure that I use up all the produce we get from the farm each week.  Brian and I are members of a variety of groups that meet in the evenings, so I use my plans to make sure there’s leftovers or easy meals on tap for busy nights.

My method of menu planning hasn’t changed much since I first wrote about it in 2010, though now I typically do all my planning in an afternoon instead of throughout the week.  In short, I check out what’s on the list of available vegetables from our CSA, scope out the supermarket circulars, and see what I need to use up that’s already on hand.  I use that information to generate a menu for the week and add to my shopping list whatever other ingredients I need to make those recipes.

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I’ve written a bunch about all the tools I use for menu planning: Evernote, Trello, and Google Drive, among others.  It recently occurred to me however, that all my talk of tools and technology and farms may be overwhelming to new menu planners.  I’m doing all this writing about menu plans, but I’m not making it as easy for you to use them as I want to be!

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So, I’ve created this printable to help you get started.  Even if you’re planning already, I’m finding this analog approach helps me create menus that are more mindful and useful.  Once filled out, this paper can be easily carried with you to the store or the farmers market and posted on your fridge to remind everyone in your home what the plan is.

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The top of this printable features 4 columns.  The first column is the one I’m finding the most useful – “food to use up”.  Here, list anything that you’re overrun with, or that’s about to spoil.  These foods should definitely be included in your menu plan for the next week!  The following three columns are for making shopping lists.  In my case, I used one for the CSA and two for local supermarkets, but you could use the columns for the farmer’s market, warehouse stores or specialty shops.

The bottom of the printable provides space to list what you’re planning to have for dinner each evening.  The space is totally open, so you can list meal ideas, cookbook pages numbers, or meetings or other events that you need to keep in mind.

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Filed Under: menu plans Tagged With: menu, printable

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Beautiful Fall Foliage (CSA Menu Plan #41) »

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  1. Menu Planning is Like Lesson Planning + Printable says:
    October 7, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    […] […]

  2. Beautiful Fall Foliage (CSA Menu Plan #41) | Relishments says:
    October 12, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    […] […]

  3. At My Husband’s Request (CSA Menu Plan #43) | Relishments says:
    October 24, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    […] […]

  4. Hello NaNoWriMo (CSA Menu Plan #44) | Relishments says:
    November 15, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    […] […]

  5. Twice the Fun (CSA Menu Plan #45) | Relishments says:
    November 15, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    […] […]

  6. Tips and Tools for Meal Planning–2015 Edition | Relishments says:
    December 31, 2015 at 9:36 am

    […] My Menu Brainstorming Planning Printable […]

  7. Welcome, Winter (CSA Menu Plan #46) | Relishments says:
    January 2, 2016 at 10:14 am

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Emily
Though it had been a few years since we'd visited, Though it had been a few years since we'd visited, @themountlenox is one of my favorite places in the Berkshires. In addition to Edith Wharton's incredible restored home, the estate features beautiful grounds and gardens. This year, The Mount was added to our summer bucket list when my daughter saw an ad for the @sculpture.now exhibit featuring a dragon sculpture. Today we ventured to Lenox to see the dragon, as well the 29 other fascinating pieces of large outdoor art. The Mount's grounds and gardens, including the SculptureNow exhibit, are always free and open dawn to dusk. All of the sculptures were accessible by stroller. The current sculptures are up through October 19.
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#igers413 #LenoxMA #TheMount #EdithWharton #SculptureNow #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
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