With the new year and an upcoming addition to our family, my husband and I have really been focusing on organization. We’ve been taking our house each room at a time and decluttering and creating order, and it feels great! We’ve also been organizing our lives in other aspects- narrowing down to-do lists, figuring out long-term planning, and creating simple little systems to help our lives run a little smoother. One of the things we’ve been doing that’s been helpful and fun is creating a visual menu for our kitchen.

While it’s cute and trendy, there is a lot of value in having your dinner menu posted in a place where the whole family can see. For one, as the head chef at my house, I don’t have to think about it or look it up- I can simply look at my chart and remember what I was planning for dinner (because what parent doesn’t need one less thing to have to remember??) My husband and kids can also easily see it, which at least cuts out a few of the many questions I receive daily ;). It also adds some accountability! Rather than being tempted to eat out or just throw together some mac n’ cheese, you have it written out and displayed, which adds a little pressure to stick with your meal plan! It also requires you to actually think out the menu a week ahead instead of an hour before dinnertime ;). I always plan out our meals according to what’s on sale, and this is a great way to keep me on top of things and to actually stick with what I planned!

So now for the fun part- how are you going to display your menu? There are so many options, and it’s all up to your own personal style and what’s going to work for your family!

I personally LOVE the chalkboard trend. But you can be as simple or crazy as you want to be! From a space aspect, I kind of like the simple look, but with more space you could even write out your lunch and breakfast menus (if you’re that organized!!). Keep it a simple black with white chalk, or feel free to add some color!

Now, some people hate chalkboard, and I totally understand that! It can definitely be messy, and is there anything worse than accidentally scratching your nails on a chalkboard?? Whiteboards can also be adorable, and just as functional! If you don’t love the look of an actual whiteboard, you can still use the dry erase concept! Just find a large picture frame you adore, put some cute fabric on the back, and you’ll have a darling and unique substitute! (Just use vinyl letters for your days of the week so you don’t erase them ;) ).

If you’re just not a fan of writing on a board in general, use index cards! Make (or buy) a cute display for the days of the week, and use clips and index cards to write out your weekly menu! Still cute, and definitely effective!

And maybe you’re one of those people that thinks this whole menu displayed for the world to see is super cheesy ;), but you still want a simple way to let your family know what the meal plan is, or you just don’t want to have to think about it! I love this idea: get 7 bins and label them with the days of the week, and put all your ingredients in each bin for your meal! You could easily keep this in the pantry with all your dry ingredients, or if you’re more of a salad person and use lots of fresh ingredients, use smaller bins in the fridge (or do both!). Either way, this is a great way to keep things organized without having to display it for the world to see;).

So let’s hear from you guys! Do you display your menu at home, and if so how do you do it? If you don’t, is there something you’d like to try? I love hearing from you guys, so share your thoughts below!