DIY Menu Board

When we first moved into our apartment, I was totally new to the concept of worrying about what other people eat every day. I mean, come on, if you can walk, you can walk to the kitchen and fix yourself a snack, am I right? Well, apparently not. So then we started doing this thing where we'd go to the grocery store, pick out a couple pounds of ground beef and chicken, and the rest would be things like bananas and frozen burritos until we ran out of money. This is great for snacktime, but when you try to make an actual meal, you realize all you have is beef, ramen noodles, yogurt, mandarin oranges, and ketchup. While that may be a balanced meal in terms of food groups, it's not exactly tasty. This is where menu planning comes in.

Now, if you're nothing like me, you love getting your children ready, packing the monstrosity of a diaper bag needed for two in diapers, strapping the unhappy infant into her carseat, struggling down the stairs of your apartment carrying aforementioned diaper bag and children, shoving everything into your teeny tiny Toyota, driving to the grocery store, and doing it all again (only backwards). And then you get to do it again when you get home, only with groceries! Awesome! Yeah, not exactly my idea of a fun time, but that's what happens when you make tacos for dinner and realize you don't have something crucial, like taco shells. Or cheese. (Cheese is mandatory.)

So a little poking around on Pinterest (did I mention I freaking love Pinterest?), and I'd found a few different examples of menu boards. There are many that are as simple as a chalk or dry erase board with the days of the week, and while this may work for some people, I felt that we needed something a little more organized. Michael is one of those guys that you ask him what he wants for dinner, and he says, "Oh, I don't know, whatever's easiest." He needs more direction. I also wanted my menu board to help my grocery list making process a little easier, and prevent those "quick" runs to the grocery store that take half an hour, despite the fact that Kroger is less than a mile away.

Finally, I found a link to The ULTIMATE Menu Board (her name, not mine) on Pinterest, and I fell in love. For one, it's super-cute, and uses a weekly (instead of monthly) menu. I also knew that I would have to spend very little moolah making my own. I like the use of cards, because it allows you to sort through and make little piles until you finally settle on seven meals (Michael seems to enjoy it). All the ingredients needed are listed on the back, to make your grocery shopping much less painful. And so, my menu board was born!

To make your own, you'll need:

A picture frame, about 11"x14" (I found mine at Value Village for $1.)

8 Clothespins 

Index cards

Scrapbook paper

Craft paint

Hot glue gun

A small box or two (Mine is from a box of spaghetti.)

I found that I had everything I needed at home except the frame and the index cards, so I spent a little over $2 out-of-pocket on this project. My frame was purchased at Value Village (kind of like a Goodwill or Salvation Army), and it was a very attractive (not) print of hummingbirds on a wooden backing. No glass or anything, which is fine because it isn't really necessary. I glued scrapbook paper over the back, with a little red stripe to hide the line where I had to use a new sheet. I painted the frame and the clothespins with craft paint, and hot-glued everything together. I also added an extra clothespin on the bottom to hold printed recipes that I plan on using, and only one box because I'm lazy and that's all we really need for now.

The index cards were cut in half, and were not laminated because again, I am lazy. The front just has the entree, and the back has all ingredients needed, including seasonings and oil for cooking. You might notice that the cards are written in different colors. I did this so that I can quickly glance at the board and know what kinds of meat I need to make sure we have, and to ensure some variety in our diets. 

Red - Beef, veal, and lamb

Blue - Seafood

Orange - Chicken and other poultry

Green - Pork, bacon, and sausage

Purple - Can be made with different meats, or a combo. Also, "eat out," and "leftovers."

This system makes it very easy to add in new menu items whenever you would like (which is a lot, thank you Pinterest). Michael sprayed the finished product with a thin coat of lacquer to give the frame a little shine.

Let me know what you think!

<3,

Erika