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Menu Planning Made Easy
by Guest Writer, Valerie Whitmore Every week when I test recipes here at CDK I create a menu in advance. I pair entrees with side dishes and sometimes desserts, salads, etc. Granted, I'm doing it to maximize my recipe testing time but it's really nice to have a complete meal planned in advance. I always have all the ingredients I need since I shop for the entire weekly menu at once, and don't have to be scrambling to come up with something for dinner.
When looking at the website I realized that we lacked any sort of meal pairings like this.
We all have our go-to side dishes and most of us can come up with a salad or something in a pinch, but sometimes you need inspiration. Sometimes you want something different - something you might not have thought of on your own
So, as promised, I'm pleased to debute our weekly menu planning feature!
We have two different types of menus (and a third, starting Friday) that I'll be updating weekly.
The first is my favorite. I'm calling it "inspired meals". The recipes don't use packaged mixes or short cuts. They are delicious and wholesome. Some might be more elaborate than you want to do every night of the week, but if you have a little extra time or feel like making something "more" than you usually do I recommend this section. Monday through Thursday features a complete dinner - entree + side dishes (as appropriate). Friday does the same but throws in a cocktail for happy hour (TGIF!). Saturday includes breakfast and lunch ideas, and Sunday wraps them into a delicious brunch.
The second type is called "simple meals" (after the old section on our site which is now "pantry meals"). The recipes are quick and easy and great for busy days where you don't want to spend hours chopping, dicing and stirring but still want something delicious to feed the family. They will have the same structure (dinner for Mon-Thurs, etc) as the Inspired Meals menus.
The third type will be a revamp of our Daily Dinner Dash. Right now, DDD is a 30 minute recipe - sometimes it's a complete meal in one, sometimes it's not. It's currently just one thirty minute recipe. The new and improved version will be a complete menu that is ready in under 30 minutes. Sometimes it might be a one-dish meal and other times it will include separate entree and sides. My goal for these recipes is to be as wholesome as possible but still quick and easy. They may contain items like frozen or canned veggies in some cases but won't contain overly preservative-laden ingredients either. Fast food doesn't have to be bad for you.
You'll also notice we have a specialty menu section. So, I guess technically there are actually four types of menus, but only three are updated weekly. The specialty menus are just that - for special occasions. Right now we have some Thanksgiving menus (but seriously if you haven't finished your grocery shopping by now you are insane!). We'll also have Christmas ones coming up soon along with holiday party ideas and New Year's Eve and Day themes. You can expect to find all sorts of menus in the future as well (SuperBowl, Valentine's, romantic dinners, cocktail parties, tailgaiting, etc).
In addition to featuring a special section with the weekly menus you will also start seeing menu pairings on the recipes themselves. Once a recipe is featured in a menu it will contain links to the other menu items, making it easier to find matching recipes and plan your meals.
It'll look something like this, located below the recipe directions:
If you want to get the menus emailed to you, just sign up for our newsletter (either daily or weekly versions). Starting this Friday they will incorporate the menu items along with the Daily Dinner Dash and the daily crockpot recipe.
Lastly, I've changed the "new recipes" section to be more of a what's-new-at-cdkitchen section. You'll see the latest recipes, newest menus, current blog posts, and weekly cooking expert articles
And as always, I'm open to feedback on how to make this new feature even better!
View the menu planner here https://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/weeklymenu.html
When looking at the website I realized that we lacked any sort of meal pairings like this.
We all have our go-to side dishes and most of us can come up with a salad or something in a pinch, but sometimes you need inspiration. Sometimes you want something different - something you might not have thought of on your own
So, as promised, I'm pleased to debute our weekly menu planning feature!
We have two different types of menus (and a third, starting Friday) that I'll be updating weekly.
The first is my favorite. I'm calling it "inspired meals". The recipes don't use packaged mixes or short cuts. They are delicious and wholesome. Some might be more elaborate than you want to do every night of the week, but if you have a little extra time or feel like making something "more" than you usually do I recommend this section. Monday through Thursday features a complete dinner - entree + side dishes (as appropriate). Friday does the same but throws in a cocktail for happy hour (TGIF!). Saturday includes breakfast and lunch ideas, and Sunday wraps them into a delicious brunch.
The second type is called "simple meals" (after the old section on our site which is now "pantry meals"). The recipes are quick and easy and great for busy days where you don't want to spend hours chopping, dicing and stirring but still want something delicious to feed the family. They will have the same structure (dinner for Mon-Thurs, etc) as the Inspired Meals menus.
The third type will be a revamp of our Daily Dinner Dash. Right now, DDD is a 30 minute recipe - sometimes it's a complete meal in one, sometimes it's not. It's currently just one thirty minute recipe. The new and improved version will be a complete menu that is ready in under 30 minutes. Sometimes it might be a one-dish meal and other times it will include separate entree and sides. My goal for these recipes is to be as wholesome as possible but still quick and easy. They may contain items like frozen or canned veggies in some cases but won't contain overly preservative-laden ingredients either. Fast food doesn't have to be bad for you.
You'll also notice we have a specialty menu section. So, I guess technically there are actually four types of menus, but only three are updated weekly. The specialty menus are just that - for special occasions. Right now we have some Thanksgiving menus (but seriously if you haven't finished your grocery shopping by now you are insane!). We'll also have Christmas ones coming up soon along with holiday party ideas and New Year's Eve and Day themes. You can expect to find all sorts of menus in the future as well (SuperBowl, Valentine's, romantic dinners, cocktail parties, tailgaiting, etc).
In addition to featuring a special section with the weekly menus you will also start seeing menu pairings on the recipes themselves. Once a recipe is featured in a menu it will contain links to the other menu items, making it easier to find matching recipes and plan your meals.
It'll look something like this, located below the recipe directions:
If you want to get the menus emailed to you, just sign up for our newsletter (either daily or weekly versions). Starting this Friday they will incorporate the menu items along with the Daily Dinner Dash and the daily crockpot recipe.
Lastly, I've changed the "new recipes" section to be more of a what's-new-at-cdkitchen section. You'll see the latest recipes, newest menus, current blog posts, and weekly cooking expert articles
And as always, I'm open to feedback on how to make this new feature even better!
View the menu planner here https://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/weeklymenu.html