Menu Planning is Like Lesson Planning + Printable

It occurred to me this week that menu planning is sort of like lesson planning. For one, I can’t function without either of them. They keep me organized and make sure I’m ready for what’s ahead. In my school district, we submit our plans at the beginning of the week. Often, by the time the end of the week rolls around, the plan and the reality don’t line up very well. Sometimes this is because I threw something else into the plans, or the schedule changed, or I realized that what I was planning to do wasn’t going to work out. As a result, sometimes lessons…or meals… get push forward to the coming week. In either case, it makes life a lot easier because I’ve already done a bunch of the planning work needed. I just need to copy it to the next week’s plan.

Last week was a good one, but it ended up being a little busier than I’d expected, with some afternoon and evening meetings creeping up at the last minute. It was definitely one of those weeks where I couldn’t quite get my act together, culminating in a fall down the stairs Friday morning that knocked the breath out of me and left me with a sore tailbone. The craziness meant that I didn’t use up everything from our CSA share. Leftover from last week, we have a bunch of kale, broccoli, cauliflower, delicata squash and a leek. I worked hard on this week’s plan to make sure everything will get utilized.

Did you have a crazy week? Do you have vegetables that are crying out to be used up? If so, I’ve created a downloadable printable to help you with brainstorming your own menu planning. I wrote a post years ago about the way I plan my menus, by considering what I’ve picked up at the farm as well as what’s on sale at the supermarket and this sheet follows that format. If you download it, I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback so I can make it even more awesome.