These 3 simple tips will help to eliminate meal planning overwhelm and allow you to enjoy family meal time once again!
Over the course of my blogging career, the concept of meal planning continues to be one of the top requests I see pop up in my inbox each week.
I suppose meal planning feels like one of those really “adultish” things we all should do. And the fun Pinterest printables, trendy downloadable Apps, and digital meal planning services make meal planning that much more appealing… right?
Honestly… I strongly dislike meal planning and I don’t think it’s for everyone.
However, based on my own personality and the current stage of my family, I know my home and family run much smoother and feel less chaotic when I dutifully plan our meals (breakfast and dinner) 7 days a week… so I do it, even though I don’t enjoy it.
#momlife 😉
Of course, the fact that I plan our meals does NOT mean I cook big elaborate meals from scratch each day.
It doesn’t mean I spend hours upon hours filling out detailed menu planning spreadsheets and making mega grocery runs to buy all the ingredients I need for the next month of meals.
It doesn’t mean we never go out to eat or order pizza.
It doesn’t mean I do massive freezer cooking days or have a fully stocked freezer all the time.
It simply means that I have a plan for the food we are going to eat prior to when we are going to eat it!
In my opinion, I utilize one of the simple, fastest, and easiest meal planning methods around… and since so many of you have asked, I’ll gladly share it with you!
Interested in simplifying your meal planning efforts?
Keep reading for 3 super-simple tips that will eliminate meal planning overwhelm and prove there really isn’t “one right way” to meal plan!
1. Don’t Over-Think it
Stop “thinking” about meal planning and just do it.
You don’t need an App, a program, or a worksheet. You don’t need a master grocery list or a detailed log of everything in your pantry and freezer. Just grab a sticky note or the corner of your planner and list out 5-7 meals you could make this week (preferably meals you already have some of the ingredients for).
Remember to also account for eating leftovers or going out to eat.
There… THAT’S your meal plan!
For the last few years, I’ve used the top right corner of my planner for my “meal plan”. It’s not fancy, but it works! I jot down a handful of meals on specific days, and I regularly shift things around based on changes in our schedule.
This method is extremely flexible and allows me to easily look back at what meals I planned for previous weeks (and then plan them again for future weeks).
2. Don’t Over-Complicate it
Start with one week (no need to plan a full month’s worth of meals).
Stick with foods your family will eat (grilled cheese, pizza, leftovers, and eating out all count as a meal).
Stay away from meals with lots of prep work or clean up (just make foods you already know how to make).
Once you have a list of 7 meal ideas, then take a quick look at the ingredients and write down anything you don’t already have in the house.
Now you have your meal plan AND your grocery list!
3. Don’t Over-Do it
I know you’re eager to jump on the meal planning bandwagon… but don’t start off with 7 gourmet meals or 5 brand new dishes you’ve never made before. That’s a recipe for disaster (pun intended!)
I usually cook 3-4 dinners each week (planning ahead for leftovers) and then I repurpose the leftovers to make 1 or 2 meals later in the week. I also plan one night for “movie night” (snacky foods), and one night for pizza, fast food, or eating at a friend’s house.
The trick is to actually PLAN for the nights when you’ll go out to eat, do something with friends, order pizza, or have leftovers — otherwise, you’ll end up with groceries that go bad one week and nothing on the menu the next week.
That’s WAY more do-able than planning 7 gourmet meals!
NOTE: I plan our breakfasts too — making double batches of almost everything so we get 2 breakfasts from one cooking session.
Are you encouraged and motivated to give meal planning a try?
As I mentioned above, I honestly don’t think meal planning is necessary for every stage of life… however, if your afternoons and evenings feel stressed and frazzled, I urge you to give meal planning a try (or another try).
Just remember to keep it simple!
Don’t over-think it. Don’t over-complicate it. Don’t over-do it.
More Helpful Resources
Click the images below for FREE resources to help you simplify meal planning and freezer cooking!
Also, click here for a detailed look at exactly how I meal plan each week.
Still feeling discouraged?
I know meal planning can seem overwhelming — especially if you’ve never done it before, if you’re not a natural planner, if you don’t particularly love cooking, if you’ve tried before and failed, if you’re working around food allergies or picky eaters, if your spouse isn’t appreciative of your efforts, if you are a perfectionist, etc.
Believe me, I don’t claim that meal planning will be fun or enjoyable — rather that it will benefit you and your family by saving you time, money, frustration, and stress.
If meal planning is something you wish you could do, I’m confident that with a little extra effort and persistence, you can learn to create meal plans that will simplify your life — or at the very least, your dinner hour!
What do you have to lose?
Try it for one week — no strings attached. Take 10 minutes to jot down potential meals for this week, and then make a list of ingredients you need to buy to make those meals.
Then, enjoy the lack of chaos and stress at 5:00 when you gather your family around the table!
Chris says
I cook 3 or 4 pounds of ground venison at a time in the crockpot and then freeze it in one pound packages. I just add some type of oil (deer is very dry) and seasonings. You can do the same thing with ground beef. This saves me a lot of time.
Andrea says
yes, bulk-prep for basic ingredients that you use regularly is a huge time-saver!
Shannon says
Excellent practical advice! Thank you.
Gail says
I’m a newbie to all of this. Nutrition, meal planning etc…
My husband is diabetic and high blood pressure and us thyroid issues was directed by doctors to use my chart eating.
I wanna do meal plans to make sure we get right amount of correct servings from each food on my plate.
I’m a bit overwhelmed with how to do it all. We went from processed to all fresh meat, veggies but can’t seem to figure out how to make a grocery list and meal plan and pull together.
Hope u can assist or direct me to learn
Andrea says
HI Gail,
I have no experience cooking for a specific diet (we’re all about “all things in moderation” over here) so I’d suggest meeting with a nutritionist who is trained to give this advice. They’ll probably be able to give you recipes with exact food portions of what you should (and shouldn’t eat).
However, starting small, I’d recommend sticking to the outside of the grocery store — where all the produce, dairy, and fresh meats are. Skip the inside isles where all the processed foods are located.
Margaret says
Strong second to consulting with a nutritionist. I have worked with one since being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 5 years ago. The classes offered by our local hospital were not particularly helpful for me, since the focus seemed to be on the best frozen dinner or the best fast food.
I am vegetarian, do all my own food prep, eat local most of the year, and have a diagnosed eating disorder. I was also quite overweight. It was a lot to deal with, but the RD has been great.
They will meet you where you are, and help you develop working strategies.
My insurance paid for it.
And, FWIW, my a1c has been under 6 without medication.
Chris says
Gail, maybe you could start really simple and plan just a week’s worth of meals, say a meat and just one vegetable and make enough for two meals, for example for supper. You could buy salad fixings or frozen steamable vegetables that you can microwave. If you did two meals and eat leftovers the sevond day, you would only have to plan fpur suppers for the week. Then if you want to go a little further to save money, you could check your online grocery ads for the exact meats and vegetables that are on sale. I watch a YouTuber who makes a breakfast and a lunch at the beginning of the week and they eat the same thing every day all week long. I wouldn’t like to do that but it is a suggestion for simplifying things.
Ashley (Reining in Mom) says
This is such an encouraging article! I agree, over-complicating it is a big pitfall. I have totally been guilty of picking 7 new recipes and then mad that I was wasting food when I couldn’t get to them. Now I review my calendar while meal planning and plan freezer nights for the end of the week. Makes it so much easier and I can be a little more flexible. Thanks for the tips!
Andrea says
glad to help 🙂
Shan says
Andrea, we took our grandkids last Saturday to the local park district’s jungle gym to run off steam. As one mother came in to pick up her child, he asked, “Where are we going next?” Mom: “We’re going home for lunch.” Son: “What are we having for lunch?” Mom: “I don’t know yet, but we’ll have something at home.” Son: “How about Dunkin Donuts?” Mom: “How about NOT Dunkin Donuts!” Son: “How about Baskin Robbins?” Mom: “How about NOT Baskin Robbins!” Son: “How about McDonalds?” Mom: “How about NOT McDonalds! How about some real food!”
On our way home, our little boys asked, “Can we have Michael’s pizza for lunch?” I replied: “No, we had that last week, remember? Today we’re having macaroni and cheese. I just need to run in to Aldi to pick up some pepperoni from the store on the way home.” (They like their mac & cheese broiled with pepperoni on top.) End of story 🙂 Meal planning saved the day!
Andrea says
This is such a great example of how meal planning instantly simplifies our lives (or really, ALL planning simplifies our lives).
Thanks for sharing this concrete example!
Kelly says
I have been meal planning for the past 13 years. I have a spreadsheet that is broken into categories (Friday night easy meals, kids night for kid type food, breakfast etc.). Each category has roughly 8 options for different meals. I then print out a blank calendar page and simply write in the different meals, including sides, for each day. I can usually plan out about 2 months worth of meals with different dishes each day. We also use “theme” nights to help fit our busy schedule. Our child has a very busy Monday, so we typically have soup and salad or soup and sandwiches that night. When I cook a soup I know we like, I always double it to freeze. I also double casseroles or try to use one food in multiple ways to make different meals (chili on a cold night and then I’ll use leftover thawed chili from the freezer for a chili bake dish my family enjoys). My husband will take leftovers for his lunch through the week so we never waste any food. We also have days planned to try new recipes, date night or family days where we usually eat out. This system has worked very well for us through the years and created many stress free nights!
Andrea says
This is awesome — thanks so much for sharing your super organized system!
Shan says
Wow, Kelly, very impressive!
Gail says
Man I wish I could learn this. We work 8-12 hour days so would be probably helpful. I have no clue how to even pull together. Thanks for sharing
Mary Lynn says
This is so helpful and I appreciate your tips! I’ve recently found your blog (I like to keep a short list of the ones I read and have added yours!) I’ve been reading through some of your archived posts and done a search for this, so please let me know if you’ve already done a post on it: 1) Do you have a list or rough idea of what “good” prices you like to pay when meat is on sale? I know prices can vary by region but I’d love to see what you find as a good deal. Also, do you have a “system” for keeping your list of items that are in the freezer? Do you keep an excel doc or pencil list and add/scratch off as you go?
I’m so glad I’ve found your site – it has been helpful to me already in a short time! I just organized all my gift cards using your system – so simple but smart!
Andrea says
Thanks so much Mary Lynn! I actually just used a gift card last night, and when I pulled out my gift card wallet, the cashier was so impressed 🙂
I really have no idea what good prices for meat are. I know I personally don’t pay more than $1.99 for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I try to get pork loins for around $1.75 per pound, and I always buy a couple spiral hams when they go on sale for $0.99 per pound — but that’s about it. I haven’t purchased ground beef from the store in a long time since we get a 1/4 of a cow so I couldn’t even tell you what a good price for that is (maybe $2 a pound??)
Also, I do not have any system for keeping track of what is in my freezer. Towards the end of this post, I share a bit more about how I organize the inside shelves of my freezer, but for the most part, I can just glance inside and see what I have.
Hope this helps!
Meghan says
This is a great post – it is exactly how I meal plan. One thing I would add is to plan out which nights you want to have leftovers, especially if you are pretty conservative with how long food is safe to eat. I used to cook Monday-Thursday but really wasn’t using the leftovers to their maximum potential (just for lunches on the weekend). I switched to cooking a big meal Sunday night with plans to use the leftovers for dinner Tuesday. Plus it’s much easier for me to cook a real meal on Sundays than during the week because my husband is around to occupy the 20 month old.
Andrea says
yes, I always plan at least one night a week for leftovers — I believe I mentioned that under point #3 as well!
Trudy says
My goal for 2017 is to clean out my freezer……been working on cooking what is in there so that I can declutter it (lol)……I don’t necessarily plan-plan my meals at this time, but when I buy meat, it break it into portions. For example……If I catch a sale on chicken, I individually wrap each breast, or package thighs in four, that way I can grab what I need and thaw during the day while I’m at work. I do keep frozen veggies in the freezer and have staples (rice, quinoa, pasta) in the pantry. We love soup and I find that Dollar Tree has chicken broth for $1 a carton, I stock up on that to add to my rice or make soup. We are empty nesters and love one dish meals.
Andrea says
this is an awesome goal — I usually try to clean out my freezer every spring, so I can enjoy it being emptier over the summer (when we eat lighter food and don’t do as much freezer cooking or baking. It feels so great to know it has plenty of room!
Debbie says
The meal planning is a challenge for me. I’ve tried the freezer meals in the past and loved it but like you mentioned the clean up at the end is not fun. Our schedule is different in that my husband works early shift so he’s home by 3 pm and he has to eat his dinner by 5 pm. I don’t get home from work until 6:30 and eat my dinner at 7 pm. We need meals that’s ready to be eaten by my husband at 5 pm. What we’ve been doing is grocery shopping and preparing meals on the weekend. Sometimes there’s a meal plan, sometimes there isn’t. We grill chicken, buy rotisserie chicken, buy flat bread pizza, cut up veggies for salads on Saturday and Sunday. When Monday comes we have lunch to take to work and dinner when we get home all week. This means weekend is full of chores. 🙁
Andrea says
yeah… I guess I personally don’t know anyone who works outside the home and also has their weekends free from chores (unless they pay others to do their chores for them during the week). Sounds like you have a good system down though — at least it’s working well for your current stage of life!
srah says
Thank you for this post! I go in meal planning “waves”, where I’ll be really diligent about planning out the week for a couple weeks, but then I’ll become a little discouraged by either the unexpected leftovers and waste, or the leftovers will get scrupulously eaten in place of another planned meal, but then the ingredients for the skipped meal will go bad. Or hubby asks me to make him something else (he’s rather a food snob!). But when it does go well it is way less stressful for me. I’ve been using a binder to collect recipes that my family likes over the past couple years. Each meal gets its own tab (there are a couple dozen in there now) so when I plan I just peruse the tabs. I’m in the slow process of giving it a makeover, typing up each meal with its own shopping list, recipe/s, and even a picture included, which makes both my inner perfectionist and lazy-bum tendencies happy, ’cause sometimes you just don’t know what you want to eat until you see it. 🙂
Andrea says
wow — sounds like you have a good system working for you now! Thanks for sharing what’s working for you!
Candis says
Thank you, I needed the encouragement and not to overly complicate.
Andrea says
You’re welcome Candis — sometimes simple really is better!
Aa. says
Freezer cooking (kind of the way you do, cooking 2 meals, one for tonight and one for freezer), having staples at home (pasta, rice, mexican veggies freezed mix, frozen pasta sauce, etc) and having a list of easy recipes that the familly loves are, in my opinion, great ways to start!
When I begin a week I make a big pot of soup (for lunches-when we get to eat at home- that is rarely!) and for 1-2 dinner nights. I write a meal plan, but more like an idea, I do not follow it 100% and I am ok with that.
I also love casseroles and stews (I think that eventhough they take a little bit longer to cook. you can eat 2-3 days on them!)
And I also wash veggies and fruit sunday night or monday, after we buy them, so we can make really easy salads and fruit snacks. It takes a little bit of organizing, but mostly it takes a lot of ADAPTING things after your own life and schedule. You have to do what it works best for you and your family!
Carrie says
I have always done meal planning. I have owned a small business for the last 21 years, so time is limited. My kids are grown now and do their own meal planning. Here are a few more tips for readers:
1. Get the family involved. Why do we think we need to do it all? As soon as my kids were old enough to use a knife and the stove (around 10 or 11), they were given one meal to cook per week. We let them choose the meal they wanted to cook and gave them full control. My kids have been prepping and assisting with cooking since the age of 4 or 5. My husband is also in charge of three meals per week. Having kids help with cooking is a great way to spend time together as well. Younger kids can retrieve ingredients from the pantry, wash veggies, use a potato masher, stir with a spoon, and many other simple tasks.
2. Precut veggies. Now that my kids have moved out, I cut all fresh veggies the day I buy them. It saves a ton of time. Onions, green peppers, celery, garlic, etc. all keep well for a week or so. I wish I had done this years ago.
3. Use a slow cooker. Throw everything in raw, add liquid, turn on, come home to a hot meal. Nothing is simpler.
4. Cook two meals at once. I did this yesterday. I made chicken noodle soup while my spanish rice & beef were simmering. BTW: I like one pot meals. Less to clean up and easier to plan.
I love your blog. Thanks for the great tips!
Victoria says
I can’t go to the store without a list or plan, since I’m not that type of cook. So have always done some sort of plan. I found a monthly free PDF menu calendar, that I’ve filled in a few times and saved. I did a whole month in January (though ended up adjusting a bit at the end of the month of course) but since food tends to be seasonal, it’s nice to look at the previous plans I saved for inspiration. I agree with not trying to much new, one new recipe a week is perfect. Gets too stressful otherwise! People have told me can’t plan ahead they feel like for dinner that night…well then change some nights around, but at least you have the ideas & food on hand! I also when I’m stuck for ideas, my husband asks to look through my pins & pepperplate recipes and picks a few he’d like!
Judy says
I enjoyed reading meal planning. For years, and years, played with the idea. I just did it. Being doing it for about a month. Plan for 2 weeks at a time. I use my cookbooks to find easy and different meals. It has certainly helped with my spending. We may not excatly eat what is planned for that night so leftovers come into play. But I pretty much follow my menu, and it is a good learning tool.
Andrea says
good for you for finally “just doing it”! Hope it continues to go well for you!
Siobhan says
Great motivation in this post! I’ve been working on getting my kiddos to eat more veges and to vary the foods they eat. This post is definitely helpful to keep it going despite the resistance 🙂
Meg says
I used to be in the perfectionist camp until I accepted the fact that my meals are heavily dictated by what I’m “in the mood for.”
Rather than try to stick to a strict plan I come up with a few ideas that sound appealing at the start of the week and make sure I have the ingredients in the house. I do a lot of “prep and freeze”, too, so if my original plan no longer sounds good I can pull out turkey meatballs and sauce that I made 2 weeks ago to throw on top of spaghetti or defrost pre-marinated pork chops to pop in the oven. I freeze and prep veggies, too, so all I have to do is defrost and roast them at dinner time. If salad is on the menu at all pre-chop those veggies at the start of the week, mostly because it increases the likelihood that I’ll actually make and eat a salad after work.
The final leg of my planning system is a set of simple fallback options. I almost always have stuff on hand for PB&J, tomato soup and grilled cheese, breakfast for dinner, and a few other favorites. Sometimes it’s whole wheat crackers, cheese, and an orange. But at least it’s “real food”. I try to eat whole, unprocessed foods most of the time so even cobbling together a plate of snacks at home is better for my body and my wallet than ordering takeout!
Nicola says
I can’t tell you how much I needed to read this post today. I used to regularly meal plan but for one reason and another I stopped……it’s been a nightmare! Thanks for this post today, I’m off to meal plan now!
Andrea says
yay — good luck getting started again!
Melissa says
Thank you for the reminder that I don’t have to be super creative or a chef to do this. I’ve got a calendar printed out that I really try to write meals on for each day that it’s important we have a plan. I’ve recently added gym classes to my schedule so I really have to make sure I have a dinner plan for those nights, but we still have trouble every week making sure we know what we’re doing. I hate when we end up in a ‘what do you want for dinner’ more than once in a week, I want to make meals. But I also have a really picky eater (she’s 7) and one that’s willing to try (she’s 12)…so I have trouble always finding something they both might eat. I’m going to have to give up pleasing everyone I think, and just make a plan and stick with it, so we can all eat and accomplish our day’s tasks without so much worry. Thanks for the kick ! 🙂
Andrea says
yes, I’m not ‘creative’ when it comes to meal planning either. We have very simple meals that are easy to make with simple ingredients that are easy to find. That’s probably the only way I’m able to make meal planning work for our busy family!
Emily says
Great advice Andrea! I love weekly meal planning although it took me several years into our marriage to get it down (even though it’s so simple). I just didn’t enjoy cooking back then and now I love it! One tip I would add is talk with your husband about his expectations for meals in your home. I kept planning meals for Satuday evenings and we ended up never eating at home due to projects or errands we were trying to get done. I finally ask my husband about it and we determined that Saturdays would be our evening to eat out as a family. No more wasted food and time for me! ☺️
Gina says
When planning our menu I use your tip of theme nights. We dont have set nights, but I choose menus from your categories of mexican, casserole/stew, breakfast, meat & Italian. It makes planning easier and we arent eating the same thing every night 🙂 Thank you for that great idea!
Andrea says
you’re welcome Gina 🙂
The themes often help me too — although we don’t always stick to the theme on the exact days anymore. We just usually plan pasta one night, mexican one night, a meat/potatoes dish one night, a casserole one night, out to eat and/or leftovers one night, etc. etc.
it’s been working well for us for several years now!
Rhonda says
I agree – that “theme” tip helped me immensely. It’s definitely a good place to start.
Pamela says
Thank you so much for the motivation, Andrea! I don’t love to cook, and I have perfectionist tendencies, so meal planning can be a real chore for me. You’ve inspired me to keep at it though! Thanks!
Andrea says
good luck! Just keep making simple recipes and hopefully that will make things feel less overwhelming for you.
julie says
After the birth of my 2nd daughter when our first had only just turned 1, my husband and i became meal planning rockstars. It was a matter of survival! We did a big grocery shopping trip every 2 weeks and took turns, so we each only had to shop once a month. There were a few items we might pick up in the meantime, but only if we really had to (like milk or fresh vegetables). Having a large freezer helped tremendously.
However, now that the girls are older (ages 5 & 6), they often don’t like what i’ve made, especially when i’m trying something new — or one will love it and the other will hate it. Needless to say, i had gotten very frustrated. My solution now is to print out a blank menu for the week, which includes the lunches they take to school. Then i put it on a clipboard and hand it to my older daughter (she loves to makes lists, totally a first-born, ha! ha!). We work together to plan out our week so no one has a reason to complain. So far it’s made my life MUCH easier.
Andrea says
wow, that’s awesome! I don’t think Dave would go for grocery shopping (but he helps with tons of other things so I can’t complain) but shopping once a month would be fabulous 🙂
Glad you found a system that’s working well for your family!
Carrie says
Getting the kids involved is a great idea! When my girls were young and picky they loved being able to choose a meal of their own. We had them assisting in cooking from about the age of 4 or 5. It’s amazing what veggies they’ll try if they help cook them and/or make a tasty sauce for them. This works well for my grandkids too.
Sherry says
I love to cook and experiment with new recipes. When I first started meal planning I would plan out all these new and complicated meals. That soon got overwhelming. With practice I’ve learned to have a few simple meals on the menu with just one or two a week that are a little more involved. I always have at least one meal planned that does not require any fresh ingredients. Something like canned soup and sandwiches or pasta and jarred sauce. That way if something comes up and our plans change that meal is the one that is dropped and none of the ingredients will go bad or are wasted. Then it just gets added on to next weeks plan.
Great post Andrea! I use many of your recipes regularly and they always turn out great!
Andrea says
Thanks Sherry — and yes, making new and “involved” recipes every night would get old really fast! If I’m trying a brand new recipe one night, then I’ll make sure to have a few super easy recipes or freezer meals planned for the next couple nights.
Jen says
I LOVE this! I have meal planned very loosely for almost our entire 26 years of marriage but, recently, with a new job and busy teenagers, it’s fallen by the wayside. I spent much of yesterday copying recipes and getting my act together (I am, by nature, an extremely organized person and the stack of printed out recipes on my desk was making me crazy!).
I literally made a list of EVERY SINGLE meal we eat “regularly”-or at least ones we like and have enjoyed in the past. In about 10 minutes, I had a list of 57 meals! Then, I made sure I had the recipe for EVERY meal in an easy-to-find place. I don’t want to have to fire up the ipad or dig through bookmarked recipes to find it. Plus, I find something endearing about having recipes written in my own hand (and hope my children might enjoy them some day!), so I hand wrote a few that needed it. Now, all my meal “options” are easily visible and I know where to find the recipes. I am starting with using up what’s in the freezer so meals with those ingredients are on the docket for this week (and maybe next! :-/). After that, on Sundays, I will look at my list, pick five meals (maybe based on the grocery store sales although I don’t tend to shop every week), get what I need at the store and, lo and behold, I have a PLAN!!
I think the stress of having to be “creative” (because I am SO NOT creative!) and come up with new ideas each week stood in my way. I am hoping the list of tried and true meals I know we like will prevent that brain freeze. After 47 years, I feel like I have finally given myself permission to be okay with not being a creative or risky cook! My family likes what they like and THAT’S OKAY! Heck, my teenage boys just want FOOD! And, honestly, they LOVE asking me at breakfast what’s for dinner and knowing mom has a plan! I feel like it’s, in a strange way, very reassuring for them.
Like you said, meal planning isn’t for everyone! But, in this house, t sure is nice to have dinner figured out by 10 a.m. every day-at the latest! 🙂 Happy Monday!
Jaime says
I made a master list of recipes too! It’s in a sleeve protector and stuck to the side of the fridge where I can easily grab it. It’s also easy to pull it out and add a new recipe we find and like.
I’m also so very not creative at this stuff. When we started soon after getting married, we also simplified it more with a theme for each day (Italian Tuesdays, Chicken Wednesdays, etc.) and just filled in the blanks with what from our sheet sounded good and we had ingredients for. Since then we’ve branched out more. I think meal planning can be as easy or as difficult as you make it!
Andrea says
I have often thought about making a huge master list of all our recipes — or even making 2 months worth of meal plans at a time, and then just rotating back through them every two months all year long. The only thing that has stopped me from doing that is because we tend to gravitate towards different types of foods in the summer versus in the winter. Maybe I’ll make a 2-month cold weather plan and a 2-month warm weather plan and then I’ll be set for meal planning forever!!
Liane says
I have a pretty similar system. I built my menus around the proteins that are the most costly part of the weekly shopping trip.
I admit I did not invent this but I have changed it around so much since the original concept predates computers. We bought our first computer in 1988 so it older than that. I have replaced the paper list with the Grocery IQ app free for iOS users, and they have a website as well.
I started out with a list of all my family favorite meals in each category – beef, chicken, pork, lamb and specialty. These are the main ingredient categories. Then I added a spring summer side dish and a fall winter side dish. I made ten cards for each category for each season type.
As I created the menus I put every single ingredient on a master list. That is now on my iPads and phone and syncs with the website.
I still shop ads for meat, dairy and veggies and just pick 6 menus based on the best deals. We always have a leftovers night. I don’t adhere to a rigid schedule- we have a family dinner every other Wed. night and I’d hate to serve my daughter and family chicken every time the visit. So roughly I will alternate beef, chicken, fish, and repeat. Leftovers go to lunch the next day usually as a salad.
I do stick my menu cards up on a cabinet door interior and I always double check them each morning to make sure I defrost the right protein or have the right veggies. I sorta punt on the veggies though since I may put broccoli on the list and it is old and floppy so I will get a nutritional equiv. like swapping sweet potatoes for carrots, or yellow squash for zucchini.
The only other thing I do that makes life simple is I always cook fresh local. Meaning no asparagus until it’s growing here, and no avocados till they are from Calif. I don’t ever buy imported produce so it makes shopping very simple!
I spend 1 day a month stocking up my meat in the freezer. The other stuff I buy weekly. I’ve done this nearly 40 years and it works!
My method is based on a book I bought way back when called Sidetracked Sisters Catch Up In The Kitchen by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. It’s on Amazon I think.
Annette Silveira says
I remember The Sidetracked Sisters! I think I read them back when I was trying to figure out a cleaning schedule.
Liane says
Gosh this was an old comment! I re read it and one thing has changed – makes planning even easier! I used Grocery IQ for years but had to replace my iPhone and got a Plus model. The problem with Grocery IQ was the scale of the fonts on the screen. They ballooned making the right half of an item chopped off. It became useless. So I looked for something new and I found the app to beat all. It’s called AnyList, it works across all my devices, has no ads no coupons no brand names, because it does not populate the fields, you do. And you can do menus plus add recipes from any place on the Internet. It’s free if you don’t want the advanced features. like naming lists after stores and creating custom aisles. If you upgrade it’s only $7.99 a year. A year! I spend that much a week on Starbucks!!!
Andrea glad you resurrected this old post – gave me an opportunity to tell you all about AnyList. I’m not getting anything for this “promotion “. I just think the app is awesome.
Andrea says
haha — yes, every couple of weeks I’ve been trying to resurrect an old post to keep things circulating a bit more 🙂
Also, I’ll have to check out AnyList now!