Menu planning (or how to avoid eating fast food after a busy day of work)

I enjoy cooking for the most part.  However, I have to admit that Nick and I have eaten out more than we should simply because I was busy with my job and didn't think about what we were going to eat for dinner, or I put it off to the last minute and didn't have anything that would thaw quickly.  Obviously eating fast food is NOT a good idea both for my weight which has been a constant struggle for me the last few years, or for our general health since it is so high in fat, calories and cholesterol.

To combat this, I've begun creating weekly menus.  I LOVE cookbooks...I mean really; I collect them like some people collect stamps.  Each week, or sometimes if I am feeling really motivated, every two weeks, I'll create a menu using recipes that are both tried and true and new ones that look interesting.

Here is how I do it:
1. I go through the freezer to see what kind of meat and vegetables are in there.
2. With that list in hand, I sit down with my cookbooks and look first for recipes that utilize the meat I already have.
3. Once I have decided on those, then I look for recipes utilizing that meat, that appeal to me in general.
4. I list the name of the recipe, the cookbook name and page number in a notebook I keep for just this purpose. 
5. In addition, for each entree I decide on, I pick two sides that I'll prepare to go with it.  They are usually simply things like a salad, vegetable, or some sort of bread.
6. As I decide on each days menu, I keep track of the ingredients I need for each recipe using a shopping list I found at Target that has EVERYTHING on it.  If I have the ingredient on hand, obviously it doesn't get written down, but if I need it, I list it then and there.
7. Often many recipes use some of the same ingredients, so I use tally marks to keep track of the quantity of a particular ingredient I may need.
8. Once I go to the store and buy everything I need, it is just a matter of looking at my menu for the week and deciding which dinner option appeals to me.  I do this every morning and once I decide on our dinner, I pull the appropriate meat out of the freezer to thaw.  By the time I am ready to cook dinner, the meat is ready and it is just a matter of preparing it.
9. No last minute decisions about what to fix, or wondering if I have all the ingredients.   Best of all, I seldom buy food that we don't eat, so there is much LESS waste which is a really good thing considering the price of food. Plus, I experience much less impulse shopping, so my shopping bills have actually decreased since I've been doing this.

Nick and I both enjoy the variety of dinner meals I prepare.  I have to admit that trying new recipes all the time is sometimes risky and not all together successful.  There have been a few that we HATED!! For the most part though, we've liked the recipes that I've tried. In addition, since I keep these menus in a notebook, I have a record of what we've eaten and I jot notes next to each one indicating if we liked it or not.  Sometimes, I don't bother looking at my cookbooks first, I go through my notebook and look at recipes we've already tried.

A bonus out of all this is that Nick is developing a real interest in cooking.  He told me in the car yesterday that he wants to be either a chef, an actor, or a WWF wrestler.  Of course, he is only 11, so time will tell. For now, I enjoy his help in the kitchen and he is learning a valuable skill that will serve him well as an adult.  To his future spouse...you're welcome!!