Today, I’m going to be sharing 12 Tips for Easy Meal Planning.
Now, if you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I am NOT the expert chef in our house. My dinners tend to consist of spaghetti with sauce from a jar (sometimes I doctor it up, but most of the time, it’s straight out of the jar) with pineapple salad (easy peasy – romaine lettuce chopped up, a spoonful of mayo, a couple handfuls of grated cheddar cheese, and a can of pineapple tidbits (drained of course)). I did enlist the help of our head chef, The Blended Daddy, to bring you these tips.
1. The best way to start is with a calendar.
You can use a weekly or a monthly, but you need to have an idea of what you’ve got going on for the timeframe in which you are doing your meal plan. As we are now juggling two kids doing virtual school at home while I work remotely, sports schedules, youth group activities, and a teenager with his own work schedule, it’s not often that we all sit down for dinner as a family. It’s important for us to know how many mouths we are feeding for any given meal.
We typically plan out a week at a time because that’s about as far ahead as our schedules are final (ish). Based on what you have going on, decide which days you need to plan. If you’ve got a lot going on, you might need to actually meal prep in addition to plan, so that all you have to do is heat something up. Or, plan for leftovers from one of the earlier nights.
When you sit down to do your meal plan, make sure you have your planner with you so you can see what all you have going on this week and plan around those activities.
2. Write out your meal plan.
We use the Meal & Grocery Insert to write out our meal plan for the week. I love it because we can make our grocery list at the same time (we’ll chat more about that in a bit). Wherever you put it, make sure you put your plan onto paper (or maybe you have a fancy app on your phone…but I like to keep ours visible on the fridge so we all know what the plan is!).
Dinner is often the only meal that we actual “plan” in any detail. Breakfast and lunch tend to just come from whatever we have on hand – cereal, sandwiches, leftovers…
Having our meal plan on the fridge makes it easy for the kids to see what we are having for dinner (so I’m not constantly asked), and they can even decide whether they can help with the prep for that meal! We do encourage our kids to join us in the kitchen. Our son actually has his Food Safety Manager Certification and has cooked some fancy meals for wine tasting dinners at our restaurant, so we are definitely trying to make sure that they will be able to feed themselves when they are on their own. Our daughter might be taking after me though…grilled cheese sandwiches and spaghetti are two of her faves. But she is a master at flavoring our mashed potatoes! And her guacamole is amazing.
That being said, keeping your meal plan visible just makes things flow easier as the week goes by. You’re not having to remember “what was I making for dinner tonight?” Just take a peek at the list and pull out what you need for that meal!
3. Use your recipe resources.
Deciding WHAT to make might be the hardest part of meal planning, especially if you have picky eaters. My husband really likes the app from All Recipes, or even just searching online at allrecipes.com. On the App, you can use the various filters (e.g. meals in under 30 minutes) to find recipes that meet your family’s needs! Once you’ve found your favorites, I suggest creating a go-to recipe book of your own using one of our Recipe Inserts.
I’m working to have my family write some of their favorite recipes into a single insert so that not only do I have their favorite dishes all in one place, but I also have it in their handwriting! It’s creating a memory book at the same time!
My Granny’s pound cake was ALWAYS delicious, so I’m glad my mama gave me her recipe!
4. Once you have your meal plan for the week, create your shopping list.
Like I said earlier, we use the Meal & Grocery Insert to create both our meal plan and our grocery list at the same time. I use two magnetic clips to attach it to our fridge so it can easily be updated for next week’s grocery list as we run out of things! Pair it with the Pantry & Freezer Insert and you’ll always have a good idea of what ingredients you already have on hand. This is great if you are (like most of us) on a budget and might need to plan around the ingredients that you already have in your kitchen.
5. Shop the outer aisles in the grocery store.
Our Grocery Insert will even help you do this by helping you sort your list into the various grocery sections! The outer aisles of the store is usually where you’re going to find your fresh produce and meats, and will make your shopping trip more efficient. Fresh or frozen veggies are going to have more flavor than canned veggies.
If you have a local farmer’s market, that is a great place to get your produce as well! In-season produce is going to have much more flavor, and locally-sourced produce will tend to last longer and have more flavor. Plus you’re supporting your local small business! You might even be able to find a local farmer for your meats!
6. Buy meats in bulk.
With the prices of meat continuing to rise (well, most things in general these days), you’re likely to be able to save some money by buy meats in bulk when they are on sale. Most local meat farmers can give you a better price if you buy a whole/half hog/cow as well, so make sure you look around for one in your area!
Separate into meal-sized portions (more on what that looks like coming up next), label (so you don’t forget what it is), date the bag and freeze. I do highly recommend using a vacuum sealer if you have one to help preserve the meat longer.
By portioning out meats (and veggies!) before you freeze them, you are making it easier on yourself later to pull out just the right amount of ingredients for your meal so you don’t end up with waste or leftovers. If your family is like mine, leftovers tend to just get wasted…. Unless it’s chili. That’s always better on day two!
7. Determine your portion sizes.
Whether it’s just to help you plan better, or because you are trying to lose a couple pounds, portion sizes are important. Per my husband, a good general rule of thumb is to plan for 6 oz for your protein and 3-4 oz per side. This will help you buy the right amount of food for your meals, and plan leftovers (or not). Most proteins can be repurposed into soups or sandwiches, so keep that in mind as you’re planning out your meals as well.
If you are cooking for 2, 4, 6 or more, keeping these portion sizes in mind can help you reduce the leftovers in your fridge!
8. Make the plate colorful.
I know, I know. We’ve heard this for years, right?? But it’s always good to keep in mind! Not only does it make your meal more visually appealing when there’s lots of color, it usually means you’re getting a better variety of nutrients as well.
9. Don’t be afraid to experiment with flavors.
This tip definitely comes from my husband, who rarely cooks from a recipe and definitely cooks by smell. Seasonings generally taste the way they smell. Don’t be afraid to try something new. We have an entire two-shelf two-door cabinet dedicated to spices. I can tell you that the number of spices I use is a fraction of what my husband uses out of that cabinet, haha. We rarely use salt though, so if you’re trying to stay with a low-sodium diet, definitely experiment with other spices! Salt-free doesn’t have to mean taste-free!
If you’re making pasta dishes or sauces, using a wine in the sauce will enhance many of the flavors. My husband likes to make pan fried chicken parmesan with risotto (Arborio rice – use a white wine with the risotto) and a side of sautéed asparagus. It’s sooooo yummy. You could also use a red wine if you’re making a red sauce for the chicken parm.
If you have a green thumb, consider growing your own herb garden! Fresh herbs have so much more flavor than dried herbs! We generally try to have some fresh basil on hand, and our oregano plant is one of the few herbs that has survived outside and is now a massive bush.
10. Keep stock of your pantry and keep staples on hand.
Common pantry items: all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, backing soda, salt, vegetable oil, corn meal. General spices to keep on hand: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs de Provence or Italian seasonings. (We have lots more than this, as I mentioned above… curry, chili powder, various peppers, steak seasoning, and so. much. more.) Keeping your Pantry & Freezer Insert up-to-date is a great way to ensure you always have staples available!
We also tend to keep various pastas, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, and a few other staples on hand as well.
Of course, the kids always want cereal and chips to be stocked.
While I do recommend fresh or frozen veggies, we also keep some basic canned items just in case of an emergency. When we are actually able to get our garden producing, my husband will actually can some of our items. Especially things like tomatoes and pickles. Those have been some of the easier items for us to preserve. Fingers crossed – maybe we’ll have a good garden next time. Our 2022 garden did not produce much at all…except weeds.
11. Time saving tip – cook meat for two meals at one time.
Back when I actually worked from an office versus working from home, we did a lot more meal prepping. We’d cook chicken and veggies for the week and pre-portion them into our lunch containers. That made grab-and-go so much easier in the mornings! Even if you aren’t going into an office, you can still use this tips to help you reduce your meal prep time when your family is on the go.
Set aside a portion of your protein to make a soup for the next day or use in a salad. Leftover hamburgers can be used to make sloppy joes, tacos, or soup.
Cooked chicken can be repurposed into chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice, or chicken salad.
Red meats can often be repurposed into veggie beef soups, stews, pot pies. Making soups is a great way to use up leftover veggies or meats from earlier in the week, while making it feel like something new.
Frankly, this is the only way that leftovers actually get consumed in our house.
12. Plan one night a week to have breakfast for dinner.
Unless you hate breakfast foods, plan to have breakfast for dinner one night. This tends to be a quick and easy meal. Omelets can be a great way to use up some of those veggies too!
That’s all I have my friend. Do you feel ready to meal plan?
If you are ready to start your meal planning journey, you might be interested in starting with our Meal Planning Insert Bundle, which includes an Undated Monthly (so you can start using it NOW), Meal & Grocery, and Pantry & Freezer Inserts. PLUS, some free Lifestyle Stickers specifically for meal planning! From there, just add your cover! Need help choosing that? Take a few minutes to read How to Choose the Perfect Planner Cover!
Before you leave, take a minute to tell me which tip you found the most helpful!