Menu Planning 101

Last week I shared with you a free menu planning template I absolutely love.  Recently I came across an article from Tammy's Recipes, and I realized that a tip she shared was something I had been doing in my menu planning.  It's really quite basic, but sometimes seeing it in writing helps!

Whenever I am meal planning for lunch and dinner, I use what Tammy calls her "3 things" rule.  I know that my family is much more satisfied when they have at least three different food items on their plates.  In many cases, I could combine them all, (for instance pasta, meat and vegetables) and serve it all together, but I find that for some reason it seems like there should be something more...  Serving items separately makes it seem like they are getting a full meal instead of something thrown together and tossed on a plate.

Some examples of Tammy's "3 things" rule:

• Meat, bread or starch, and vegetables
• Main dish, vegetable, and fruit
• Soup, bread, and salad
• Sandwich, veggies, and fruit

Do you use a "3 things rule" when planning your meals?  Do you have different meals that you rotate weekly?  Would love to hear your menu planning tips!