Using "The Journal" for meal planning

[Lauxa]

I just wanted to share with y'all how I am using Steve's recommended "The Journal" program for meal planning and grocery shopping.

In the "Notebook" section, I have a category called "Recipes". I am collecting favorite recipes there. Under each recipe, I have a sub-entry called "Shopping List". This contains the list of ingredients needed for the recipe using a fixed font so it makes a neat list. For instance, a list might look like this:

[ ] 1 jalapeno (Nachos)
[ ] 1 tomato (Nachos)
[ ] 1 cup lettuce (Nachos)
[ ] 1/4 avocado (Nachos)
[ ] 1 cup shredded cheese (Nachos)
[ ] 2 tbsp sour cream (Nachos)
[ ] 6 oz refried beans (Nachos)
[ ] 8 oz tortilla chips (Nachos)

I make the shopping list a template entry. I also have a shopping list template for "basics", things I buy often. When I am make my weekly meal plan/shopping list, I import the basic template and the templates for the recipes I plan to make for the week. Finally, I spend a few minutes to remove the items I have on hand and reorganize the list to reflect my store layout, print my list, and I am ready to go!

I am also using "The Journal" templates to create routines for a FlyLady-style Control Journal. I've had the software for less than a month -- not even out of my trial period yet -- but I am really enjoying it! Thanks for the recommendation, Steve!