I haven’t always loved meal planning, and honestly I didn’t really do it that much before Mini Pbj came along. However now that we are a family of three and our schedules are a little busier and money is a little tighter, it has really become something that I love and depend on. Having a weekly meal plan allows me to get so much more accomplished on a daily basis because I’m not having to spend extra time thinking about dinner. I know what we are having every night and I’ve already purchased all the necessary ingredients. This eliminates last minute trips to the store or drive thru runs because I don’t have the ingredients or the time. So if you’re new to meal planning or just feel like you’re in a rut, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite tips for making and executing a successful weekly meal plan.
cheesy sausage and pasta skillet – a dinner regular in our house!
1) Plan one week at a time – Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Although it might seem like a good idea to plan two weeks at a time, planning too far in advance can be tricky. There are so many opportunities for plans to change and fresh produce to go bad. I’ve tried two weeks, but I find I just have more success sticking to one.
2) Don’t grocery shop too early – I do my grocery shopping on the Saturday or Sunday afternoon before my Monday meal plan starts. I used to try to shop on Friday evenings, but I found that produce like bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, and berries were going bad or getting a little sketchy by Wednesday. So I pushed my shopping trip back a day or sometimes two and I don’t have that issue anymore. Yes, you could go back to the store and buy your produce on a different day, but part of the perk of meal planning is getting all or most of your ingredients in one trip.
3) Write it down – We have enough to remember as it is; save yourself the time or confusion and just take a second to write down your meal plan. Then there’s no forgetting what you were going to make or why you bought a particular item. I write mine down in my planner, along with my grocery list and my weekly activities. That way it’s all in one place and I’m able to plan my meals around what I have going on each day.
4) Plan around your schedule – When you’re writing your meal plan down, plan the meals around what you have going on. Check your schedule and coordinate your meals with the amount of time you have each night to spend on cooking. Easy meals for busy nights and save the more time consuming dishes for nights that aren’t as hectic.
5) Be flexible – With the above being said, it is important to be flexible. If your family has a super busy schedule that is constantly changing day to day, it might benefit you to just choose the meals and then decide on the day/evening what you’re going to cook. As long as you’ve purchased the ingredients ahead of time, you’ll still be saving some time and thought. Another part of being flexible is that if something does come up last minute, don’t be so committed to your meal plan that you stress yourself out or wear yourself out trying to cook a meal just because you wrote it down. If I have something unexpected come up, I just move that meal to next week’s meal plan.
6) Check your pantry and freezer – While you’re writing down your meal plan, be sure to check your pantry and freezer for items that need to be used or to prevent buying something you already have. Sometimes items can be hidden or you’ll forget you have them and end up spending more money than you needed to during your shopping trip.
7) Plan 1 meal using items on hand – Piggybacking on the tip above, I try to plan one meal each week that uses mostly items that I have in my pantry already. This helps to save a little money on my grocery bill and to use up items that I’ve had for awhile.
8) Plan a leftover nigh t- Planning a leftover night helps to clean out the fridge and make sure all that delicious food you’ve spent time and money on doesn’t go to waste. Plus, it’s one less night you have to cook!
9) Follow a routine – Sometimes thinking of meals to cook can be frustrating, feeling like you’re cooking the same things over and over. Following a routine every week can make meal planning a little easier. My routine is usually one vegetarian (or with as little meat as possible), one Mexican, one Italian or Asian, one American, and then a leftover night. I don’t always follow this exactly, but it does help me when I’m choosing meals and keeps us eating a variety of things. This is just what works for me so you can totally create your own plan! I typically don’t meal plan/cook on the weekends as we either eat out or take another day to clean out the fridge.
10) Plan around what’s on sale – I check my local grocery store flyer every week when I’m making my meal plan. By planning my meals around what’s on sale it not only saves me money, but I’m also purchasing the produce that’s in season as well.
11) Save your meal plans! – Once you’ve spent all the time creating a meal plan, don’t just throw it away! Save them and recycle them! If you write them down in a planner like I do, this is no big deal, but if you’re just a list pad or post it note girl then I’m speaking to you! There’s no reason not to use them over again! Save yourself even more time and effort later on!
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Do you make a weekly meal plan? I would love to know your process and any tips you have for me!
guest
Love these tips, specially about writing them down in a planner to recycle later. which planner do you use?
pomegranate / 3272 posts
My goal is to start writing down our favorite meals that we gravitate to on index cards and keeping them organized. i will write down the ingredients on the back so I can add to my shopping list or see what I already have. I’ll print out the recipes that I use most often and put them in a binder. Then I can just pull from the index cards to plan the week. This is my goal. I have all of the supplies, just haven’t followed through.
kiwi / 511 posts
I do M-F for four weeks at a time but I do shop weekly to avoid the produce going bad that you mentioned. I didn’t start doing all 4 at one time, I started weekly and saved my menus like you mentioned.
Then I was able to string them together in new ways to mix it up a bit. It is easier for me to visualize that if I need a rotisserie chicken for a quick meal that I can plan on using the leftovers in a chicken pot pie or chicken and dumplings the following week. Depending on my schedule I may need to freeze the meat but if I do freeze it I mark it on my menu that the meat is in the freezer).
I now have over about 18 months of menus, so I can pull whole weeks from the past or mix and match (I try to put in a new recipe twice a month) and will mark it off the list if it bombs.
blogger / cherry / 179 posts
@Coco I use the “Happy Planner” by Me And My Big Ideas, and I love it! It is very similar to the Erin Condren, but at a lower and more affordable price point.