Our Menu Board:
My husband and I started dating 11 years ago this month. When I say dating, I mean he pretty much moved in with me from day one. We had been friends for 2 years before we confessed our feelings for each other and once those feelings were on the table we didn’t waste much time before starting our life together. For 10 of those 11 years we have had an area of contention in our relationship. We would get home from a long day at work, look at each other and say “Honey, what are we having for dinner?” Sure we had planned some meals that we wanted to eat that week before we went grocery shopping on the weekend, but for whatever reason at least half the time we had not gotten anything out of the freezer to thaw that morning.
For years we talked about doing something about it. I talked to a lot of girlfriends about our problem and many said they had a similar situation in their life. I finally decided to do something about it. My menu board was born.
I took a cork board, hung it on the wall. Added the days of the week and an envelope to put menu cards on. For 1 month, right as we were clearing away our dinner plates I would sit down and write the name of the meal on a recipe card, along with all of the ingredients that we needed to make the meal, where I could find the recipe and this is the big one for us…. What my husband needed to get out of the freezer in the morning before he left for work.
After 1 month we had 30 different meal cards to choose from. Each weekend before grocery shopping my husband and I decide what we are going to eat each night that week. We see if we are missing any ingredients and add them to our grocery list. I usually add one new recipe each week. We have had this system in place for 6 months now and we love it. I can’t begin to tell you how much easier it has made our life and we are having so much fun trying new recipes.
Every time friends walk into our kitchen I see them looking at our menu board and then eyeing each other. 9 times out of 10 husbands and wives looks at each other and say “We need to do this.” When I start talking to them about it they say “It looks so great, but I don’t have time to make up all of the menu cards.” To that I say “Don’t make the cards up all at once. Sit down for 2 minutes each night after dinner and write out a card for what you just ate. At the end of the month you will have 30 cards that you can flip through each week. Then add a new recipe whenever you see fit. I usually do one new recipe a week.”
So for all of my friends that want to give the menu board a try here is your first card:
Coconut Lime Chicken
It is delicious and one of my favorite new recipes.
You can find the recipe for Coconut Lime Chicken here at Pinned By Dani.
Here is the plate that I made for dinner last night.
We serve it with grilled vegetables and coconut rice and coconut rice on the side. Both which are super easy to make.
Grilled Vegetables:
Cut thick slices of zucchini and red pepper.
Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Put on your grill for 2 minutes then flip. Grill second side for 2 minutes then remove and put on a warmed plate covered in foil.
*Note- these can be made on a bbq, panini press or grill pan.
Coconut Rice-
Make rice as you normally do but put in one can of coconut milk and reduce the usual amount of water by one can’s worth.
When your rice is finished, toss the rice with a fork and leave the lid off for a few minutes giving a bit of time for some extra moisture to evaporate.
Enjoy!
Tell me, do you have a menu board system? Do you have a recipe that you would like to share with us? We’d love to hear what works for you for making dinner time go smoothly at your house. For more of our favorite recipes visit me on Pinterest.
steven jones says
Preparing a menu car d for the lovely dishes is what is expected. This is because every one who tastes the dish would like to cook it by himself. I love preparing beautiful menu card for variety of dishes available.