6 Week Rotating Plan - Step 4 Part A

Do you have your list from Step 3? Great! Let's keep planning . . .

Getting Started on Step 4:

Step 4 is the longest and most difficult to finish. This first Step 4 post will get you started. I will follow this post with several more that will guide you through Step 4 and make it very doable.

First, you will need to make a chart or a simple list that works for you. Something that has a spot for the day of the week and a spot to write down what you plan to serve that day. You'll need one for each of the 6 weeks we are planning.

Now - take a deep breath - start filling it in. Just start, and plan to tweak as you go. USE PENCIL.

This step is going to take the longest, and is definitely the most taxing. BUT, do not lose heart!! At the end of Step 4 you will have a meal plan that you can use for months or even YEARS to come. Speaking from experience it is WELL WORTH the effort now.

My next several posts in this series will guide you through how to choose your meals, what to consider and what to include.

Keep going!!

6 Week Rotating Plan - Step 2 and Step 3

Alrighty, Step 1 is done and you're back for more. Steps 2 and 3 are a little like Oreos and milk - they can be enjoyed separately, but they make so much more sense TOGETHER.

Now that you have your list of meals that you make regularly (Step 1), it is time to organize the list. Create categories that make sense to you and for how you cook. Some of the categories I use are: chicken, pork, pasta, rice dishes, crock pot, soup, etc. Make your categories and separate all of the meals you wrote down in Step 1 into those categories. Easy peasy.

Step 2 - DONE.

There are 2 reasons categorizing your list is important. It will make it easier to vary your weekly plans (hold your horses - we're not there yet), and it will highlight any glaring holes in your current repetoire. Gee - I have 27 beef recipes, 6 sandwiches and nothing else? Hmmm . . . time to fill in the gaps. Step 3 is born.

Step 3 - Sit down with a cup of tea and search out a few (or many, if you need them) new recipes to round things out. Email or call friends and family who like to cook. They know you and they know who you cook for. Tell them what you are looking for, and I'm sure they'll be happy to help. Recipe websites and blogs are also great for this. Don't forget to peruse your trusty cookbooks. Or, if you are like me, consult the bulging file folder of recipes that I still think would be yummy to try some day.

With your list organized into categories and a few new recipes added to fill the gaps, you are ready for Step 4.

6 Week Rotating Plan - Step 1

Earlier this week I wrote about how I have been opting to plan one week at a time for awhile now. This is one of the options that I teach people about, but it is actually not my favorite method and not where I think someone new to meal planning should start.


For a first-timer, the best method to begin with is my 6 Week Rotating Meal Plan. The 6 week rotating plan will give you exactly that - 6 weeks worth of dinners and sides that you will rotate through. At the end of the 6th week, you start over again at the beginning of week 1 and keep on cookin'!


The best part? My step-by-step process will walk you through the creation of YOUR plan using YOUR recipes and meals YOU ALREADY SERVE. The best way to get in the meal plan groove is to stick with what you know. No strange ingredients, no total flops, no 2 hours in the kitchen every night trying to figure out how to follow new recipes.


The first thing you need to do is think about what you already serve your family and write them all down on a list. Meal planning is for everyone - single, new mom, seasoned mom, single mom, Dad (bless your heart), empty-nester . . . meal planning isn't just for people who love to cook. We seem to get hungry whether we have that skill or not. So don't panic if you regularly serve take-out, sandwiches, or frozen entrees. Just make your list.



Go on, make your list. And then check back for Step 2!

Here it is!!

For years now I have been passionate about saving time and money and eliminating daily stress by developing and using meal planning. I thoroughly enjoy planning and organizing for my own family and doing my best to weasel my way into my friends' lives and pantries in an attempt to organize them as well. With several happily-organized friends under my belt, I am now confident that I can reach out to many more harried meal providers and offer HELP!!

Follow along as I talk meal planning - what we eat, when we eat it, how I made it, which toddler snubbed it, and so forth . . .