Menu Planning Template

Menu Planning.

My fortnightly meal plan, including kids' after school activities and husband's work roster.

The main feature of this planner is that I have typed all our usual meals into 'Pop-Up' menus on each cell.  So,  when I click on "Main Meal" a menu appears with lots of meal choices.  I scan the list and select "Crunchy Chicken" (for example) by clicking and then that is what now appears in that cell.  I keep a blank template so I can start each fortnight afresh. 

You can download this from the link below and update with all your own meals and tweek it to suit your own family. 

This works only on Mac, using Numbers program. I hope to one day have an Excel version.  

• To update the Pop-up menus to suit your own family, click on 'Inspector' ---> 'Cell Format' ---> 'Pop-Up Menu'. 
• Once you have made all your changes, copy and paste that cell to the other relevant cells on subsequent days so your changes are permanent.
• Just delete cells you don't need, such as extra snacks or roster etc. 
• Do not change the formulas. 
• If you want to add meals or other details further down the track, just remember to copy and paste to all relevant cells as you did in the beginning to keep your meal list up-to-date.
• You can change the days of the week by changing the first one as I know many peoples' menu plans start from 'shopping day' or 'pay day'.   
• My lunches look heavy on snacks...  these are of course,  school lunch boxes which need to last them all day.

I recommend, if you want to keep a record of your menus (great for recycling the next Summer or Winter), keep a blank template and copy it each fortnight and start afresh.  If you have any further tips for using this template, please do share them in the comments section.     :D  

 (Don't click this link,  you'll get a PDF)

   Fortnight Meal Planner by   Frilly Pants

Here's the link:  

Menu Plan (Numbers) Template link for Mac. 
Remember to 'open with Numbers' if you download it.