Meal planning is usually the hardest part about getting food on the table each day. Here’s a free Meal Planning Template and tips on creating a simple meal-planning routine to get wholesome meals on the table each week!
Figuring out what to eat has always been my least favorite part about cooking. The days I don’t have anything planned I dread when dinner rolls around. A few months ago my husband and I started sitting down on Saturday afternoon and spending 10-15 minutes coming up with a meal plan. Who knew this accidental routine would be such a game-changer!
Here are some tips to work a meal planning routine into your schedule! I find the more rhythms and routines we have the better our days go.
Set Aside Time for Planning:
Dedicate a specific time each week for meal planning. For my family, we found Friday or Saturday afternoon works best. If I do it on Saturday I will often get ideas off my husband. Like I said it’s my least favorite part!
Check Your Schedule:
Take a look at your upcoming week. Consider any activities, appointments, or commitments that may impact your meal planning. Plan some easy meals for those busier days. Pick a free day to make up something extra fun or new.
Gather Inspiration:
Browse Instagram food accounts, cookbooks, Pinterest, recipe websites, or your favorite cooking blogs for meal ideas. You can even make a theme for certain days. (e.g., Slow Cooker Wednesday, Taco Tuesday, Grill Night Friday) to streamline your planning process even more.
Take Inventory:
Before making your grocery list, check your pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what ingredients you already have on hand. This way you can use up what you already have on hand and save some money.
Plan Your Meals:
We only plan dinners for the week. I always save the leftovers and we will eat that for lunch most days.
Keep It Simple:
Make most meals simple and pick 1 or 2 that are a little more special to keep it fun and try new things. As far as breakfast and lunch keep simple ingredients like eggs and lunch meat on hand Choose recipes that are simple to prepare and use similar ingredients to streamline your shopping list. Look for meals that can be made in one pot or in bulk to save time and effort.
Cook with more Whole Foods
Cooking with more whole foods will help get more wholesome meals on the table for your family. Cuts out a lot of junk ingredients and saves you a lot of money.
Create a Shopping List:
Create a list based on your meal plan. Make sure to include all the ingredients for your meals, wholesome snacks for throughout the day, and some easy lunch ingredients to whip up when you don’t have or want leftovers. Once we have our list I will create Walmart pick-up order and we pick it up the next day after church. This makes it super easy for us and also saves a lot of money because we stick to our list and know where were at spending-wise before we check out. My family of 5 eats for about $150-$200 each week.
Stay Flexible:
Meal planning has been a game changer for me. We eat better meals, I don’t have to give it much thought through out the week (hallelujah), and we’re more likely to try new recipes. Dont stress it and keep it flexible. We will plan out our meals for the week and write them down on certain days but will cook whatever meal sounds best to us that day. Or whatever meal works best for the type of day we are having, slow or busy.
I hope this helps you and your family create a new routine to help simplify your week and bring the joy back to cooking!
Here is the Free Meal planning Template printable to write out your meal plan for the week!
Some Popular Meal Ideas:
- Meatball subs
- Meatloaf and potatoes
- Spaghetti
- Chicken Parmesan
- Beef Tacos/nachos with Authentic Mexican Rice
- Cheeseburger with Homemade Fries in Tallow
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Soup
- BBQ chicken with slaw
- Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Shrimp Scampi
- Stir-Fry with Chicken and Vegetables
- Bacon Fried Rice
- Pork Tenderloin with sides
- Beef Chili
- Margherita Pizza
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Beef Stroganoff
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Chicken Teriyaki with Rice
- Beef/chicken Burritos
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Roast Chicken with Mashed Potatoes
- Chicken quarters and salad
- Beef Fajitas
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