Dinner Menu Board and Meal Baskets

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Dinner Menu Board and Meal Baskets We are a very busy family and with 3 kids I find it hard to keep organized and actually cook most nights. I also get a lot of fussing from the kids about what is for dinner. This menu board is a great way for everyone to know what's for dinner, plus they can help in the organizing and cooking too.

Supplies:

photo frame
scrapbooking paper
clothes pins
letter stickers, small and large
ruler
crafting knife
cutting mat
hot glue gun
small plastic crates
dry erase marker
small binder clips
paper pocket
laminator, optional

Steps:

Measure and cut out 7 cards for the baskets that are 3 x 5 inches and 7 coordinating strips for the menu board that are 1 x 4 inches.

Laminate the cards and strips and cut them out. If you don't want to laminate them, you can cover them in contact paper. This will allow you to write on them with dry erase markers.

I also created some extra strips for "dining out" and "leftovers night", a dessert basket, and a basket in the refrigerator for dinner ingredients. For the strips, I wrote on them with Sharpie before laminating.

Adhere the letter stickers for "MENU" on the paper. I used a ruler to make them centered and straight.

Attach the scrapbooking paper to the frame backing with double stick tape. Use a craft knife to trim off any excess paper. Reassemble the frame.

Attach the clothespins to the glass with hot glue. I clipped the strips so that I could get the proper spacing.

Add the stickers for the days of the week. I secured them with hot glue too.

Add a small pocket for the extra menu strips.

Use binder clips to hold the cards onto the baskets. Place all the ingredients for a meal into each basket. You can even pre-measure ingredients into baggies so that they fit in the basket. Use dry erase markers to write the meal on the card and write the meal on the corresponding menu strip.

A basket in the refrigerator is a good way to prevent your family from using ingredients that you need for specific meals. Attach a label to the basket (or bin) with double stick tape. Now when you go to cook a meal you won't be missing the cheese! :)

Another helpful tip is to write out the ingredient list for a recipe onto an index card and slip it into the basket. That way you can make sure you have everything before you start cooking. It works like a mini grocery list too. Then file it away until you need it again.

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