Sometimes when I sit down to menu plan on Sunday, I just don’t want to. But I do anyway. Do you want  to know why? Because the little time I take on Sunday afternoon saves time all week long. It saves time (and money) in the grocery store, because I know what the plan is. I can plan to reuse leftovers in another recipe later that same week. I can make sure we have variety. (Anybody else fall into the “chicken, again” rut?) I make sure we are using up the fresh produce that we purchase, limiting waste. I know exactly what to do when we get home, whether it’s preheat the oven, start a pot of water to boil, or chop veggies.

But I also menu plan to give me a chance to break the plan. I know that may not make sense, but bear with me. Menu planning allows me to know exactly what the dinner hour holds in store. It is a perfect way to keep crazy days less crazy. When I know there is a particular crazy day ahead, I plan either a simple meal, or a crockpot meal prepped the night before.

However, if we don’t feel like eating a particular dish one evening, then I simply swap meals with another day, knowing I have all the ingredients. And if I somehow end up with more time on my hands than anticipated, if I feel the urge, I may create something new. After all, one of my most popular dishes ever on this blog is my Parmesan Pasta with Chicken…which used up a bunch of leftovers that I didn’t want to use in the originally planned dish.

So remember, the point of a menu plan is not to have a strict schedule, but rather to have a plan when things get crazy. But like any great battle plan, it always changes.