Fall in Love with Menu Planning in a Bullet Journal

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See what I did there? I’m really enjoying using a bullet journal to stay organized. If I can use it for planning house projects, why not use it to get me excited about cooking a big holiday feast? And why not make it pretty while I’m at it? So I sat down to create a beautiful menu planning layout for my bullet journal.

I don’t normally paint with watercolors first thing in the morning, but I knew that I would need time for it to dry. You know what? It was actually a really lovely way to start the day! Traditional fall colors don’t do it for me, so I went with jewel tones instead. I painted 4 different colored feathers and brush lettered “Thankful” on the other page. I love watercolors because they are so forgiving. Mess up? Just add more paint! Make it a bird! I have the kind in the tube, but honestly, I love this kit the best. There are plenty of colors and they mix so nicely. Plus, it’s super inexpensive, so I don’t mind sharing it with the kids.

To protect your journal, make sure you put something thick under the pages to soak up the water. I used junk mail.

Once it was dry, I designated one page as a grocery list. The other page was for the menu planning. Yes, I know the amount of food is disgusting for one family. It’s one of the few days of the year that we go all out. Most of the time when I cook, it’s out of necessity and it’s thrown together in 20 minutes or less.

A lot of our traditions come from my granny. I miss her parties so much. That lady knows how to host! No party is complete without 15 different kinds of dip, punch, and a cheese log. I think that I like the tradition of it, more than I like the actual cheese log.

Being able to clearly see each dish listed out helps me figure out what I need to shop for. This is also my method for normal meal planning, though it’s normally much less pretty. Menu planning doesn’t have to be boring! Plus, if you make the same thing every year, it’s good to have a place to remind yourself of your menu. (I was pretty lost when I sat down to figure it out today.)

I think that I’m going to go back and add what I’m thankful for. My planner has a spot to do this each week and I love that it makes me feel think about what I’m grateful for. It’s easy to say that you had a bad week, but recording one thing that didn’t suck can improve your mood.

What are you thankful this year?