New Menu Planner

My new menu planning binder arrived from Zazzle.com  I bought a customized one. While I wouldn't normally spend quite so much on a binder, I wanted something that was cute and that I might use more often because of that (and the investment). I like it!  I'm already plotting about buying another one (already picked out the design) for my updated Month by Month notebook.

The background is kind of rustic wood and you can write your own title! There's some checked trim along the spine and I customized the spine with wording too.

I've sort of run out of ideas and I'm only to June so I hope I can dig up some more recipes. For some reason I always have trouble with the summer recipes. Once I get to autumn and winter, I'll have tons to use again. I am also using some basics too, like tacos, hotdogs, and such.

I'll update again later on the menu plans and recipes. Hmmm....they have some really nice Christmas recipe notebooks on that site too.....(addicted)

Menu Planner

I decided recently to create a menu planning notebook. I currently have two notebooks that I use for this purpose but they have never been fully organized and I have sort of neglected them of late. Included in the two notebooks (one for Autumn and Winter, and one for Spring and Summer) are seasonal menu rotations that I developed a couple years ago. Each season has five weeks of menus that you can rotate through the season.

Right now I am leaning more toward monthly menu plans (a whole years worth) but I also wanted a section in the notebook for the seasonal menu rotations. I might use them again sometime or at least use weeks or parts of them in the monthly planning. So I created a little divider page for the Seasonal Menu Rotations (shown above). I am trying to make the notebook "pretty" so that I tend to use it more often.

I also ordered an actual personalized binder from Zazzle to be the Menu Planning Notebook. It should arrive in a week or so and when it does I'll post pictures and some more details about the monthly sections.

Do you plan weekly? monthly?  seasonally? or a whole year at a time?  I'd love to hear about how you menu plan. 

Free Printable Holiday Cookie Recipe Cards

Well it's Wild Card Wednesday....which means you never know what you will find at Month by Month on Wednesdays!  I'm trying to keep a basic framework to my posting...Monday focuses on decluttering with Declutter Club Monday, tips, internet finds etc. Friday is Frugal Friday with assorted budget minded ideas. But Wednesday is Wild Card Wednesday...which means you never know what you'll find posted on Wednesday. Now I wouldn't want to get too predictable and boring would I? LOL

So today is a free printable link. I came across these little printable holiday cookie cards....too sweet and what a neat way to get organized. I was also thinking if you printed a bunch up and placed them in a little album they would make an awesome little gift!   You could also use them as tags on baked goodies you are giving as gifts.  You can find this great printable at Party Place!

Links to Printable Notebook Stuff

When I write a post about the notebook. I sometimes put links in the post to printable pages. Some people are having trouble finding them, so here's a list so far of links to the printables. I will be adding more along the way. Yes I KNOW I still need Friday & Saturday and the lists for Sunday and Room of the Month...LOL

Magic Maintenance List

Weekly To Do List for Wednesday and Thursday

Weekly To Do List for Monday and Tuesday

Easter Notepaper

St. Patrick's Day Planner List

Recipes to Try List This is for a recipe notebook.

Favorite Recipes List This is for a recipe notebook.

March Monthly Magic

March Menus My menus for March...as a sample for you!

Link to Free Printable Calendars at Graphic Garden This is a COOL site for printables. Please read copyright notices and respect them!

Recipe Forms

Here are some links to my Favorite Recipes Form and Recipes to Try Form.

I use them to keep track of favorite recipes that are in my cookbooks and to list recipes from the books I'd like to try.

Recipe Notebooks

I wanted to also share with you my approach to Recipe Notebooks. And believe me this is STILL a work in progress... I have four notebooks for recipes:

1. Family Favorites: This houses our family's favorite recipes. They have to be tried and true...ones that we REALLY like!. Also in the front I use a recipe form...ummm...I think I got the idea from Organized Christmas or Organized Home. Anyway the form allows you to list a recipe name and the cookbook its from and the page. That way if its a recipe in one of my many cookbooks, I can still find it easily. The sections are by courses: Appetizers, Salads, etc


2. Favorite Holiday Recipes: This houses all holiday recipes except for Christmas. These are tried and true and worth remembering. Again the form for recipes in cookbooks in stored in the front. The sections are by holidays.


3. Christmas Recipes: This house, what else? Christmas Recipes! They are ones we love and want to make again! Nothing new in here but again the form listing recipes that can be found in the cookbooks! The sections are by courses: Appetizers, Salads, etc.


4. Recipes to Try: This binder is the place to stick all those interesting recipes that seem worth trying. Right now it is a hodge podge but ideally it would be in course sections like Appetizers, Salads, etc. It also has a form in the front called Recipes to Try and when I browse my cookbooks I can jot down recipes, book, and page number. Then when menu planning, its easy to find a new recipe or two to try.