Sharrystew,
There's more then good food in store when you plan out a menu like that. It also helps keep your shopping organized, and helps you develop as a cook. Just be sure and include enough flexibility so that if something is on special, or piques your interest, you can make necessary changes to the plan.
Like all things, your menu plan should be a tool that helps you, not a straightjacket that binds.
One thing to keep in mind is that the total meal should be in flavor balance, just as each individual dish is. So you might try the approach I teach my students.
We use legal pads, only because they're almost large enough for a full week to be visual. Start by numbering the meals, leaving enough space between them to fill in all parts of the meal. Why numbers? Because it doesn't lock you into particular days. If, for instance, hamburgers are one of the meals, does it really matter which night you have them? Only if you're also having meat loaf that week.
Anyway, by each number you put a protein type. Sort of like:
1.
Chicken.
2. Seafood.
3.
Beef.
The goal here is to balance the proteins so that everything doesn't get to be samee-same.
Keep in mind that the "protein" entries should be broad, but that other forms could be thought of as different proteins. For instance, "
beef" might mean whole cuts, while "chop meat" could be a different category. Similarly, you might divide "seafood" and "finned fish" into different categories. And so on. Nor is there any reason to not repeat categories if that's your desire. But if you have, say, two
beef entries, choose different cuts and cooking methods when you get to that point.
Now, go back, and think about what you'd like to make for each protein. Write that down, with references to the recipe location (i.e., cookbook, recipe card, on-line source, etc.) Thus:
1.
Chicken.
Chicken-Tapanade Roll Ups. Downloaded recipe
2. Seafood. Crab cakes with remoulade sauce. Recipe card.
3.
Beef. Marinated
flank steak.
Meat page 114
Once that's done, start filling in the sides and go-withs, again striving for overall balance. Depending on your style and desires, this might include:
1.
Chicken.
Chicken-Tapanade Roll Ups, Downloaded recipe
Side: Rice
Side: Succatosh Recipe card
Dessert: Raspberry Mascarpone Tart
Baking At Home page 130
Appetizer: Cauliflower Shrimp Salad
The Book of Tapas page 53
Note the blank space after rice. That merely signifies it's a dish you can make off the top of your head.
Once you're done you'll have a complete menu plan that then serves as the basis for your shopping list.
I also recommend that you keep these menu plans, making notations about dishes you liked, ones you wouldn't make again, how you might change the recipe, ideas for other sides, etc.
I would also be careful about not biting off more than you can chew. If the main dish is new to you, and requires techiques you'll be learning as you go, I'd choose sides that you're already familiar with, or which do not require learning new techniques.