Meal Planning 101: Sitting Down to Meal Plan
putting it all together
When you’re ready to start your weekly meal planning, the first step is to take a look at your calendar. If you’re using my printable page, you’ll notice that the top section is designated for events throughout the week. While I personally manage my calendar digitally, when it’s time to meal plan, my husband and I both take a moment to jot down our schedules for the week, including the kids’ activities, all in one place.
This serves a dual purpose: it enhances communication and transparency within our family, ensuring there are no unexpected surprises. Additionally, it allows us to make meal choices that align with the time we have available for cooking. For instance, if we’re expecting friends over, we’d prefer to avoid recipes that create a big mess or strong odors in the kitchen. Instead, we might opt for grilling or outdoor cooking. On days when we anticipate one of us having a particularly tough or long day at work, we lean towards simpler meal choices for that evening.
This routine has been a complete game-changer for us. After you’ve noted your weekly schedule, it’s time to consult your list of go-to meals. Over time, you’ll continually add to this list. I find it helpful to include where to find the recipes, whether it’s a page number in a book or a printed page in my notebook. Sometimes, your initial plan might seem a bit ingredient-heavy, so don’t hesitate to make adjustments. You can swap out ingredients or even double a recipe to simplify it and make it more budget-friendly.
When you sit down to actually meal plan, you’ll need the work that you’ve already done:
Goals
Master Grocery List
Go to Meals List
…and your calendar! Sit down with (in my case) your spouse, compare calendars and get them together. Just doing this alone was such a game changer to make a plan for the week. I find it important to note if someone will be working late, driving far for a meeting, any appointments for any one in the family, or school/sports events. Put it all down and then schedule your meals based on how much time you have. Some weeks you may have loads of time for trying something new or a more complicated recipe. Some weeks it’s gonna be a bunch of quick sheet pan meals.
Schedule cooking around your life! (and sometimes you gotta hit the Chipotlane because that’s life and that’s okay!)
My weekly meal planning formula:
One lunch. Sometimes it’s as simple as prepping a protein to throw a meal together for the week.
One breakfast. This should already be prepped in my freezer unless I need to restock. See my big breakfast meal preps.
Three dinners. We pick three meals and double each of them. I usually do two and my husband will grill something. We leave Friday nights open for eating out. You can pick whatever rhythm works for you!
After I pick what I’m making, I write down everything that needs to be prepped from those meals. What produce needs to be chopped, what sauces need to be made, proteins to be prepped, and any freezer restocks. I write that all down in the prep section. Now I have a plan when it’s time to meal prep!
Final tidbits.
Mastering meal planning and meal prepping is a skill. It’s something that you practice and get better at honing what works for your particular family.
I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts for when you get tired, stuck, or burnt out.
The freezer is your friend. Throw your leftovers in the freezer. Save portions back and put them in the freezer. Bulk prep. The freezer helps you be prepared when life happens.
Save your old meal plans and reference them so you aren’t reinventing the wheel every time.
Consider using the monthly meal planning template. I used this specifically when I did an elimination diet. I planned a basic meal plan for the month and then just modified it slightly when the week came.
Consider making shopping lists in your online carts like Instacart or whatever grocery. Makes it easier to shop
You can do this.
I resisted meal planning for YEARS. I said it wasn’t for me and spent all this time wasting ingredients because I picked too complicated of recipes for every night of the week. Think simple at first and then maybe add one new recipe a week to try. New recipes take longer to make so save those for when you have extra time or help. You got this! I’m here if you have any questions!