The Weekly Habit of Planning a Menu & Grocery List

Over the weekend I was refreshed by an opportunity to create new grocery lists and menu cards.

Since menu planning has become a weekly rhythm I had been periodically using beautiful, free templates from bloggers across the web to jot my grocery lists down. Pretty paper helps to make the routine a bit more delightful.

My pre-printed stack was dwindling and it was time to replenish. Instead of using a template, I pulled out a tiny watercolor set and an old stamp collection to make “rustic” menu cards by hand. Once my prototypes were completed I photocopied enough to last me year. 52 menu cards, 52 grocery lists. I store them near the cookery books.

When making things by hand, as rough and ready as they are, a certain contentment and satisfaction reside in me. This stationary collection is lovely and exciting to me simply because I made them!

Grocery List:

As I sit over recipe books, this categorized list helps to jot down the ingredients needed for each recipe planned for the week. In the past, I organize the list according to the layout of a specific grocer. Now I’ve simplified it into categories: PRODUCE, DAIRY, BUTCHER, GRAINS, PANTRY, HOUSEHOLD. This way, if my husband and I find ourselves shopping at various markets we are less likely to overlook an item.

Menu Cards:

After I compile the recipes to make for the week ahead I jot them down—as legibly as possible— on Menu Cards. I tack the pretty little card on a board near the kitchen for the children. When the children inevitably ask, “What’s for dinner?” I can reply, “Check the board. I am making one of those. Which one sounds best to you?”

Welcoming little tasks that cause me to beautify or use my creativity can be satisfying. I hope you will try to make your mundane tasks into enjoyable rhythms too.