Create a weekly menu

Ever find yourself looking in the fridge at 6:00pm and wondering, what am I going to have for dinner? You’re hungry as a bear, too tired to go to the store, and you’re trying to save money so you don’t want to eat out again.

What’s a busy Super Fruger to do?

Create a weekly menu.

Not only does it help you to simplify your grocery shopping, but you’ll never be at a loss over what to cook for dinner again.

For years, I called my weekly menu Le Menu. I’d write it on an index card and post it on the fridge. Sometimes I’d stick by it and other weeks I wouldn’t. In any case, it helped a lot to know what we needed to buy at the grocery store every week and what we were cooking every night.

Now, I’ve simplified our menu even more. Marcus and I thought about our favorite kinds of foods and created a weekly menu based on that. To give you an example, here’s our menu for last month.

Spaghetti Sunday
Beans & Rice Monday
Taco Tuesday
Vegetable Wednesday
Thrilling Thursday (chef’s choice)
Pizza Friday
Soupy Saturday

The dishes change every week according to what we feel like eating. For instance, one Monday we’ll have Louisiana-style red beans and rice, and on another Monday we’ll have Latin-style black beans and Mexican rice. This way, we get more variety in our diet and we don’t get bored.

By cooking more and eating out less, we save a lot of money. Also, we always make enough food for dinner and for lunch the following day. It’s so nice to not have to think about what you’re having for lunch and dinner every day. We save time and money. Bonus!

What dishes do you love to eat? What dishes do you enjoy cooking? Brainstorm, write them down, and have fun creating your own Le Menu!

October 2013 Update: Our weekly Le Menu has changed immensely since I started the Paleo Diet. Now, every day, we cook some kind of meat or seafood and lots of vegetables. For snacks, we have fruits and nuts. Except for a little white rice (because it’s easy for me to digest), we no longer eat grains or legumes.

The changes to our health and well-being has been amazing. I used to have IBS issues regularly and they’ve decreased immensely. Marcus’s acid reflux has also reduced immensely. If you’re interested in learning more, read this informative and amusing post on The Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet by NerdFitness.