BigOven

Does the menu planning tool only accommodate recipes? How do I flesh it out to create my daily plan with all the bits in the proper places? Some meals/snacks either don't need a recipe at all or need just a few extra items (I know you can add them to shopping list). I'd like to use the menu planner as our family's nutrition intake guideline, a complete summary of intentions including meals out (then I know I don't have to cook). How do I add "fruit" as a snack (which I may or may not need to show up on the shopping list and if needed can appear as "fruit"), or "crackers" as a side item to go with the dip recipe I'm planning, or if I make soup for supper with a recipe, how do I show that we'll be having leftovers of it for lunch without ending up with a double set of ingredients required on the shopping list, or "dinner out" ...so that I can create a complete MENU PLAN? Thanks for your help. :)

 Hi there,

At present, the menu planning calendar accepts recipes, and also notes for the day.  Here are a couple of workarounds for now to add individual items:

a)  Create "placeholder" recipes with just a title.  A recipe in BigOven for Windows only needs a title.  So, you could create a whole recipe box with placeholder titles, like "Peas", "Apples", etc. and then just drag and drop them onto the calendar.  (If you'd like, enter the ingredient lines as well, so they'll show up on the shopping list.)  It sounds like a hassle but it only takes seconds to create a recipe in this way, and with about 10 mins of work, you'll have a good "standard accompaniments" recipe box to work with.

or,

b)  Use the notes field

Thanks!