Make meal planning more fun by crafting one of these clever menu boards that are easy to personalize.
A menu board is a great way to plan your weekly meals. I love this board that I made for my house because it allows me to easily rearrange things when my week takes a turn.
Menu planning will make life easier. If you take a few minutes on the weekend to draft a plan and make a grocery list, things will come together quicker around dinnertime. If I don’t have a plan, I find myself scrambling after a long day to see what I have in refrigerator or starting a meal only to find out I don’t have all the ingredients. Without a plan, I might skip a nutritious meal and go for the easy snack.
Some of the benefits of meal planning include:
• A healthier, more thoughtful approach to meals
• Time savings because there is no last-minute scrambling
• Cost savings at the grocery story by shopping with a list
If you struggle to come up with ideas each week, try selecting themes for certain days. Those will kick start your plans. Themed days could include Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and Pizza Bar Fridays.
In addition to the menu board I have for my house, I came up with another idea when playing with items in my craft pile. Both of these boards are easy to implement for any decor.
The first menu board uses removable notes. You can easily shuffle them around or throw one away and add a new idea if something changes.
Here is what you will need:
-
1 (10 x 12) frame
- Foam board cut to size of frame (Foam board is available at all office supply or craft stores.)
- 1/2 yard burlap or linen material
- Staple gun
- Pins
- 2 x 2 removable notes (You could also trim 3 x 3 notes.)
- Pen
Take your board and lay it on the fabric. Cut the fabric 2 to 2-1/2 inches larger than the board on all sides.
Pull the material tightly around to the back. With a staple gun, attach the fabric to the poster board.
Insert into the frame. You can use tape to secure it and keep it from falling out.
Print out a copy of the weekly menu and fill out for the upcoming week. There are spaces for noting special occasions, like birthdays or holidays. Write in any needed grocery items.
The other idea is a simple magnetic board. You type in each day’s menu and print it out. Hang it by a ribbon or place magnetic tape on the back and stick it on your refrigerator.
Cut the printout of the menu into strips and put in desired order on the magnetic board, using the appropriate day.
You will need the following supplies:
-
Sheet of metal
- 7 (1-1/2 inch) wooden disks
- 1 roll of magnetic tape
- Scissors
- Printout of your plan, cut into a strip per day
- 2 feet ribbon
- Craft glue
- Tape
Cut a strip of magnetic tape and adhere it to the back of each of the wooden disks.
Print out sheet of days and cut out the circles. Coat the top of the wooden disks with glue and place the day on top of each.
For ribbon, cut out the desired length and adhere each end to the back with tape or glue. I went with a little bling to sparkle up my kitchen.
If you want to stick it to your appliances, measure out two pieces of magnetic tape and place one near the top and the other near the bottom.
