Meal planning not only saves time and peace of mind through the week, but it also saves money and decreases food waste too!
1. Open your calendar. Plan your meals around your life, not the other way around. Before I pick even one meal, I look over the week ahead and consider which days I’ll be strapped for time and which ones I have a little more wiggle room.
On the days we are at play group all afternoon, I usually plan a crockpot meal. Nothing is better than walking in at 6pm and having dinner DONE. If we have nothing planned, maybe I’ll pick a meal that Hailey can help me with, knowing we’ll have more time to play around.
2. Visit weather.com. Though the weather is hardly ever accurate for the entire week, it gives me a sense of what to expect. A day that looks cold a rainy usually requires and soup of some sort, while 70 and sunny makes me want to light up the grill!
3. Peek in your fridge and freezer. Do you have any items (meats, herbs, vegetables) that you didn’t use the previous week that need to be used soon? Take note. Not only will it save you money on the grocery bill, it will help ensure you don’t waste any food.
4. Limit new recipes. Sit down with your favorite cookbook/blogs/pinterest boards, but don’t get carried away. I like to switch things up, but probably try a new recipe on 1-2 times a week. New recipes, even if simple, take more mental effort and focus than old standbys. Plan to try a new recipe on a day you have extra time. Sundays or Tuesdays are usually what works for my schedule.
5. Fill in the other days with family favorites. You’ll see spaghetti squash with moms’ famous meat sauce and Greek pasta salad over and over again on my meal plans because we love them and I could make them with my eyes closed at this point. Plan meals that come together quickly or easily and won’t stress you out.
6. Consider leftovers. We usually eat the amount that I cook, or I eat any leftovers for lunch, so we typically have a new meal each night, but if you usually have leftovers, hooray! Take a night off of cooking the next night.
However, sometimes I know I’ll have one things leftover (extra chicken) so I can repurpose that the following night. Example: roasting a chicken one night means that the next night is perfect for a homemade chicken soup.
Also, consider freezing for the future. If I make a huge pot of pulled pork and don’t want it two nights in a row, I’ll freeze it to eat in the next few weeks, which gives me an easy meal down the line, without any waste.
7. Be flexible. Life happens and schedules get turned around. Don’t let your meal plan be a stress to you. Typically if things get mixed up for us, I switch up which meals fall on which nights and try to make the meals that require the use of more fresh ingredients first. That way I can reschedule a meal for the following week and still possibly get away with using what I already bought.
For example: Spaghetti and salad is an easy meal to put off for a few days. I refer to it as a “wiggle meal” which means it can wiggle its way right into next week without wasting any food. Ground beef, onions, spaghetti squash and pasta hold up pretty well, so I can usually delay that meal a few days without wasting any of the ingredients I bought.
Also, consider freezing any meats, poultry or fish you didn’t get to that week and use it the following week. It will be a pleasant surprise to already have an item bought when you peak in your freezer the following week.
8. Prep as much as you can on the weekend. It’s amazing how having washed and cut lettuce or diced onions can make meal making so much easier. By the time dinner rolls around, it feels like you’re in a cooking show where all the ingredients are set and ready for you to cook with right away!
Next time I’m going to try and reduce the amount used and see how it is. If a meal isn’t any good or isn’t a keeper for other reasons, I go back and delete it off my pinterest board so I don’t accidentally make it again. It’s a great habit to get into so you know you always have a collection of tested recipe that you and the fam enjoy!
I’ve found a lot of value in keeping on going meal planning notebook where I can keep all my meals plans organized and easily accessible to refer back to. Though any notebook will work, I offer a free printable to get you started!
What is your best tip for meal planning?
Or, if you’re new to it, what is the most intimidating part?
John J. says
You are so good with your organized planning! Got a snow day figured in?
Adria @ A Spoonful of Healthy says
I actually follow the exact same routine as you! I didn’t realize either that I followed the same process week after week. One thing that I do though is try too many new recipes during the week. It is true how much more time it takes even if it’s a simple recipe.
Marjorie says
Great tips, and I a lot of the same! One I would add…if you are taking a meal to somebody, have what you are taking them. For example: This week I am making dinner for a friend who just had a baby. I will be making double so that it will feed us for the night too.
Brittany Dixon says
Love the making a double batch idea! I plan to use it in the upcoming months and I prep some freezer meals… so crazy to be thinking about being a new mom again!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
Fantastic tips! I definitely look at the calendar and think about how much time I’ll have each night and usually pick one of two days for crockpot meals. And yes, flexibility is key!
Lauren B. says
I basically do the same planning as you, although i could be better about doing one big prep day. One thing that has been useful is having a “Tried it, Loved it” board on Pinterest, so the things that I’ve made and loved and want to make again get Pinned there, along with any comments about tweaks that I made (i.e. cut down on the butter!). It’s really easy to remember what is a thumbs-up and what’s not.
Brittany Dixon says
Such a smart idea to jot down changes you made when you repin! I always think I’ll remember and never do.
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
Great tips! I definitely follow them all and actually really enjoy menu planning and food prep. Even grocery shopping is fun to me! My number one tip is definitely to plan ahead and have back ups. I always keep a meal or two in the freezer in case I’m too tired to cook or something comes up and I don’t have anything prepared. Defrost and serve!
Brittany Dixon says
Great point! I should make some back-up meals to have on hand. If things get thrown off too much, we either eat soup or grab something out. The idea of back-up freezer meals is so smart!
Ali says
I like these tips! I love pinning recipes on Pinterest, but in reality, I hardly ever get to them. In our house, we tend to stick with the basics and eat the same things frequently.
Brittany Dixon says
Hey, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? 😉 We make a lot of our favorites over and over again too!
Dominique @ Eat, Pray, Lift says
Love these tips! I use a lot of those tactics in my own meal planning. Because I commute to work 3 days/week, I do a lot of bulk-/prep-cooking and place a big priority on leftovers. 🙂
And of course, I practically own stock in tupperware. 😛
Holly @ The Cooper Family says
We do almost the exact same thing when meal planning! I don’t typically look at the weather (although that is GENIUS!) but I take the same steps each week to make sure I’ve got some good, nutritious meals lined up! I’m totally linking to you in tomorrow’s post!
Brittany Dixon says
Glad I’m not the only meal plan lover out there… and yes, checking the weather probably makes me over the top (haha), but I can’t help it!
PS- thanks for the link love in advance! I appreciate it 🙂
Parita @ myinnershakti says
I’ve recently started maintaining an email chain to myself with all the great recipes I want to try. Then that way when I create my meal plan, I have everything ready to go in one place.
Brittany Dixon says
I love making my own dressing (especially this one–> https://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/creamy-tomato-soup-with-sweet-onion/)
but truthfully, I use store bought quite often. My new FAVORITE go-to dressing is Garlic Expressions.
http://www.garlic-expressions.com/
It is RIDICULOUSLY good 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
You guys are amazing at all you do, grow and store. I admire it and envy it, too! Canning soups and chili is up on my list of things I’d love to learn to do, so if you post about it, please send me the link!
And yes to making your own broth- it’s so easy!
Danica @ It's Progression says
This is an awesome guide, Brittany!
Lauren @ Fun, Fit and Fabulous! says
What a great outline! I am definitely going to share this with my students and clients. I follow a pretty similar pattern and even do the check the weather step. In Texas it can literally be 70 degrees one day and 40 the next during the winter. With my luck I would plan to have chilli on the 70 degree day! 🙂
Donna Giovannetti says
How do you store diced onions? I’ve always wanted to pre-chop these but don’t want my refrigerator to smell like onions and the onions to use their potency.
Brittany Dixon says
I store them in a mason jar usually, or a ziplock. I think it gives off more smell with a ziplock, actually. Truth be told, sometimes my fridge does smell like onions! It usually goes away in a day or so, but sometimes I definitely notice it!
Kristina Murphy says
Good tips, just wanted to help with an edit with #3 – it should be “Peek” not “Peak”
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh, I did it again. I need to hire a proofreader… or try to catch up on a little more sleep. Thanks!
Kristina Murphy says
NP! We can all help each other 🙂
Maria says
While I definitely don’t have meal planning down yet (we had Chinese and subs this weekend – haha), I do the same technique for recipes on Pinterest. I keep all of my favorite on my Tried and True board and delete the ones I didn’t like (which I almost wish I could share so others won’t waste their time making them!)
Your photo light is awesome! I know I already said that, but it is!
Brittany says
I recently did a post on how I plan meals too and while you were much more thorough, I totally have the same process! It makes planning fun to consider weather and special occasions 🙂
April says
Love these tips! I have definitely been over zealous and tried too many new recipes in a week… it is exhausting! I am making sweet potato chili for the first time this week! I wish I had seen your recipe first. It looks delicious.
Courtney @ Don't Blink. Just Run. says
These are some awesome ideas! We do try to do as much prep on the weekends as we can and that’s always a big help.
char eats greens says
Great tips!! I think I need to tame it down on the new recipe front over at my house. I mean, they’re great, but exhausting, you’re right!! And thanks for reminding me that we haven’t had homemade pizza in a while…so going on the meal plan next week!
Andrea @ pencils and pancakes says
Sunday prep is really key for me! great post
George Smolinski says
Awesome article. I especially love the prep work tip. I do as much kitchen prep as possible on the weekends, and with a wife and 4 kids (I do 95% of the cooking), this is the absolute best way to not spend each evening cutting up vegetables, making broth, etc.
Nice work!
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