You come home after a long day, look in the fridge, and are undecided about what to make for dinner. Spaghetti? Scrambled eggs on toast? Soup and grilled cheese?
The longer you stand at the fridge, the more confused you become. The kids become restless and stumble into the kitchen, complaining they’re hungry.
You shove bananas into their eager hands and tell them to leave the kitchen so you can get dinner ready… but you still don’t know what to make.
If this sounds even the tiniest bit familiar, then my meal-planning tips are what you need!
Check out these tips to meal plan like a rockstar! #mealplanning #tips Share on X
Set a time to meal plan
When you start meal planning, the first thing you want to do is set a time that you will consistently use to create the week’s menu. Schedule this time on your calendar and/or program it into your phone. Be intentional and stick to this time as much as possible.
Shop your cupboards and fridge
Look through your cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Jot down what meals you can make with the food items that you already have available.
Look at your calendar
Before you start writing down your meal ideas, look at your calendar. Make a note of any special days. Here are some things to consider:
- Are you having someone over for dinner?
- Are you going out for dinner?
- Are there any special occasions or holidays coming up?
- Do you have an extracurricular activity that cuts into dinner prep time?
Get out your list of tried and true recipes
Get out your list of family-favourite recipes. If you don’t have a list, make one as soon as possible! I have a list of our favourite meals (which includes five meals, each made with less than five ingredients).
You may also want to pull out a couple of favourite recipe books.
Start planning
Write out your meals on a meal planning sheet. As you record each meal, keep a running list of the ingredients you don’t have (and will need to buy) to make each meal.
I like to plan meals with the freshest ingredients near the beginning of the week. I reserve the pantry/freezer meals for the end of the week.
Plan a couple of easy meals to double the amount of cooked food (cook once, eat twice)! Soups, stews, and casseroles are great for this purpose.
*Bonus tip* Plan an extra meal every week. This helps if the grocery store doesn’t carry a particular menu item. You’ll have a back-up meal already planned, and it also provides buffer room for the following week.
Finalize your grocery list
Look through your grocery list. Ensure you’ve included all the items you need for the week’s menu. Write down any ingredients that are missing.
*Bonus tip* Keep a grocery list on your fridge. That way, as you run out of items throughout the week, you can immediately record them on your grocery list. This will save you time when you make your grocery list on meal planning day.
Go grocery shopping
Grab your coupons (if that’s your thing) and your grocery list, and head to the store.
*Bonus tip* I love the Flipp app. I use it to look through store flyers to find the best prices.
Post your menu
Once you’ve returned home and put away your groceries, post your menu in a visible spot. I made a dry-erase menu board a few years ago. It hangs near our dinner table, so the family knows what we’re eating and when!
Posting your menu has the added bonus of reminding you to move your meat from freezer to fridge the night before you make a particular dinner.
I’ve been meal planning for several years now, and it has greatly simplified my life. If you’re not meal planning yet, I urge you to try it!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you so much as I really can use all the help I can get with meal planning. So, I appreciate all your advice and tips here on how to do so better and more efficiently now. Hugs and have wonderful Tuesday now!! xoxo :)
I’m delighted these tips helped and encouraged you Janine! I don’t know what I would do without my meal plans. They keep me organized!
Mm.. even just reading about meal planning makes me happy.
We had a dry erase board as kids – which was needed in a family of seven. I keep telling Cassidy we need to implement it. I think it will be a vital step in better meal planning!
I love meal planning (it keeps me from feeling altogether overwhelmed at dinner time)! lol
While I’ve written a few posts about meal planning I still can never stick to it completely. I’m a wing it kind of girl and there are days when I’d much rather eat take out. I think I need to just stick to a menu and get it together!
It takes practice to stick to that routine of meal planning but it really is important (so I’m not losing my mind at 4 pm). *wink*
I really need to get back into meal planning!! I have been off the bandwagon for a while. Thanks for the inspiration and helpful tips!!
So glad you enjoyed these tips Rebekah! I love meal planning and would feel a bit lost without it!
I go through cycles of meal planning for several weeks, then winging it for 1 or 2 – which really means using whatever I happen to have available! When I do plan, all these tips make it easy. Except posting the menu . . . I need to be able to switch days without having the kids go up in arms because I’m not serving what they expected!
Ooooh, good point about the posting of the menu. I would only have two who would revolt and it would be mild, at best. But if they were teenagers, my tune would probably change. lol