You know why you want to meal plan, now let us tell you how you can optimize the Menumade service.

preferences
Use this page to tell the search engine exactly what you want to see in your weekly menus and then you can save time changing meals in and out.

Use the text box to make sure you don't end up with ingredients you don't eat eg. nuts, sesame oil or pork. We advise that you don't exclude vegetables such as broccoli as these are mainly used as side dishes and can easily be exchanged by buying another leafy green vegetable in its place rather than limit your meal choices.

If you have food intolerances then note these here.

Choosing a regular shopping day helps keep the routine of always having your meals planned. It only takes half an hour to shop to a Menumade list so save yourself a special trip and do the shop on the way home from somewhere you go on a weekly basis.

meal planner
When you are planning your week, have your diary beside you and take your schedule into account.
• if you are late on Wednesday nights then search for a 20 minute meal for Wednesdays
• if you have a child or guest who comes every Thursday then increase the serving size for Thursday
• if you have invited 4 guests on Saturday night then search for special occasion meals and add a dessert, increasing the serving size by 4
• if one of you is out on Monday reduce the serving size or better still, increase the serving size on the night before and have leftovers
• if you like to have takeout on a Friday delete Friday's meal
• think about doing a roast or slow cooker meal on a weekend day so that you reduce the preparation time and get more variety in your meals
• If you are cooking a casserole/curry, lasagne, cottage pie, quiche or something similar increase the serving size and have leftovers warmed up for lunch the next day

Choosing the weekly meals can make eating them a whole lot more enjoyable. Take turns at planning the week's meals. If you are encouraging non-cooks to get in the kitchen, let them choose what they are going to cook on their night.

recipe search
Use search by keyword
• if you are trying to find a recipe you have had before
• if you have an ingredient you want to use

Use search by criteria
• if you are looking for a particular cooking style e.g. you fancy a curry
• if you are looking for certain nutrition criteria e.g. low salt, high carbohydrate

When you have the search results you can then order them by time from pantry to plate, ease of preparation or budget.

recipe catalogue
To save on printing time and costs, store your Menumade recipes in a clearfile so that you can reuse them. Just be aware if you have changed the serving size.