21st century menu planning

Juggling schedules for 2 small kiddos and 2 adults has inspired me to find ways to organize and streamline my tasks and projects. Top of that list: menu planning. Cooking from scratch takes a lot of time and preparation, and it's no longer easy for me to run to the store at the last minute because oh-my-goodness-I-forgot-the-feta-cheese. Several months ago, I got tired of standing in front of the pantry at 5 pm wondering what to do, so I tried menu planning with a white board on the fridge. That didn't last long. Recently, I've given it a second try...

...enter Pepperplate.

The husband and I decided to enter the 21st century a few weeks ago and bought ourselves a Kindle Fire. Actually, it was just so we could keep the little boy quiet for 2 hours on an airplane with back-to-back episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. But, I also took the opportunity to test out some organizational apps. Pepperplate is a menu planning app. And it's pretty much fabulous.

Start by building up your recipe list. On the Pepperplate website, you can import recipes from dozens of different sites just by copying and pasting the URL - they even have a quick-add button you can put on your browser's toolbar. I imported my entire recipe box from allrecipes in a matter of minutes. You can also enter recipes manually, if necessary.

Then, plan your meals for the week. I like to create "themed" nights to help narrow down the choices and to keep me from making too many curries night after night.

Simply add the recipes you've chosen to the shopping list, and you'll never forget some random ingredient again. (Although, if you're like me, you may forget to actually include it in the recipe when cooking.)

The website has more functionality than the app, but you can still do the bulk of your planning and list-making with the app. If you have a Kindle, which uses fixed wireless networks, make sure you synch your app BEFORE you leave for the grocery store.

I apologize if this whole post sounds like one big Pepperplate ad. There is more I wish it would do - for example, include prices on the grocery list, like the Out of Milk app. However, it has been extremely helpful in keeping me on track with the menu planning. 

And that planning, in general, has saved me time and money. It most certainly has saved my sanity in the evening - that witching hour when my toddler transforms into a more energetic version of Voldemort. It usually takes me about 30 minutes or less to plan dinners for the week, and I do it on the weekend so I can shop without the kids. If I have enough time, I may even go a little wild and drive through the coffee hut before shopping so I don't have to share my drink with anyone named Little Hyper Voldemort.

Do you menu plan? If so, what techniques have worked best for you?