Learn how to make a meal plan and why you should! These basic steps will show you what a meal plan is and how to make one, with some tips and tricks along the way. As a bonus, I’ve included a printable daily meal plan for you to customize. Look for the printable at the end of this post!
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What is Meal Planning?
Meal planning or menu planning, as it is sometimes called, is a great way to make the most of your time and save your sanity. If you are not someone who loves to cook, meal planning helps to streamline that process and reduce your time in the kitchen.
But even if you do love cooking, I bet you still feel like a majority of your day is spent in the kitchen. Especially if you are a from scratch cook like me. Having a plan helps you know what to expect. A plan eliminates the times where you start to make something and realize you are missing one crucial ingredient.
Maximize Your Time With a Meal Plan
A meal plan condenses the time spent preparing meals and can even maximize what you do make if you utilize batch cooking. You have a clearer idea of what your family eats, what you spend on groceries, and how much time you need to spend in the kitchen.
This actually frees up more time for you because there isn’t the waste of not knowing what to make, not having what you need, and scrambling around the kitchen looking for everything. Eventually every meal made can be reduced to a process that can be fine tuned and easily reproducible.
Why should you meal plan?
I know, it sounds like one more thing to do. Prior to kids I was a free spirit that could not stand planning anything ahead of time. Old me would have laughed at meal planning. Current me has realized that when you can utilize the margins of your day and plan things out, it actually makes your day easier.
The upfront work prevents the 4pm mad dash to figure out “what’s for dinner?” As the resident chef, you might even be able to sit down and enjoy the meals you prepare, instead of scurrying around trying to get all of the things done.
How to meal plan?
There are so many different ways to approach meal planning, and it is completely customizable. I will share my system with you and hopefully it will help or spark ideas that will work best for you.
I first compile a list of “meals” that my family loves best. This list can even be broken down into quick meals versus meals that require more preparation. Then I take those meals, and collect all of the recipes for them. Once I have collected the recipes, I make a grocery list of ingredients.
Here’s What I Do To Meal Plan
Another good way to do this is to get some of the larger index card and transfer the recipe to one side. Then you can put a list of required ingredients on the back, including any side dishes you typically have with it.
The easy part is figuring out which days to have which meals. I try to plan the quick, easy meals for busy days, or even plan ahead with a freezer meal. I like to have at least 2 weeks planned out ahead of time. Ideally, you want to make your planning day right before your grocery shopping day.
Helpful Hints
There are so many ways to further maximize your time when it comes to meal preparation. Below is a list of some tips and tricks that might help!
- Freezer Meals
- Batch Cooking – You can make double of the meal you are currently preparing and freeze it
- Meal Prep – As little as chopping your onions ahead of time, to making a large batch of rice or beans at beginning of the week. Sometimes I even make a double or triple batch of the chicken or beef I am cooking and utilize it in different meals throughout the week. Leftovers that don’t feel like leftovers.
Meal prep goes a long way in making from scratch meals feel more manageable. If you have little ones, then nap time is perfect for this. I try to use that time to cut up any fresh ingredients. This is a great way to utilize the margins of your day. I hope you have found this helpful!
If you already utilize meal planning, share some of your tips in the comments below. If you don’t yet use a meal plan, what do you feel is your biggest mealtime struggle? Let me know in the comments below! Until next time, stay cozy!
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This is something I need to do more often! Great helpful hints!!
I’m so glad you found this helpful! Thank you for stopping by!
I try to do my meal plan every week & go for groceries the next day but have been considering longer plans, maybe monthly? Thanks for sharing your insight.
I think a monthly plan is so smart! Any time you get ahead with planning saves so much time! So good to hear from you!
Yes, I definitely need to work on my meal planning thank you for these helpful tips.
It’s definitely a process! You are most welcome! Thank you for stopping by!
Meal planning and I have a love-hate relationship. This post is inspiring and reminds me of why it’s so important to make a meal plan. Thank you!
I understand completely! Thank you so much, I am glad it has inspired you!