Meal Planning in Just 3 Easy Steps
I am going to start off by first saying, I am not perfect. Meal planning is something that I am still working on for myself. I am trying to get myself into the routine and forming the habit of doing this, but sometimes life just gets in the way.
I will tell you, that when I actually do take the time and figure out what my family and I will eat for the week, I have found MANY benefits of this.
Benefits of Meal Planning:
It Saves Time: The first thing that I did notice is that it saved me time. I knew ahead of time what I was eating for the week so it wasn’t a guessing game. I wasn’t thinking about what I was going to make for dinner when I was working that day. It was already in my mind and the meat was pulled out of the freezer already if I was doing that. I also liked how I already had everything at home all ready to go. No more stopped at the grocery store on my way home either.
It Saves Money: By the middle or almost end of the week, I was already noticing that there was more money in my bank account. Since I had my meals and even my snacks already planned at home, I was not wasting money on vending machine snacks or spending almost $10 on a single lunch every day at work.
It’s Healthier. I also noticed at the end of the week that I even lost weight. By planning my meals ahead of time, I was able to portion out my meals and snacks. I felt like I was holding myself more accountable when I had things already made. I found that I would still eat what I want, but moderation was key.
I have had success in this, but like I said, it is just an ongoing process of training myself to do this on a consistent basis. I have seen some people meal plan for the whole month at a time and also some people that plan their breakfast, lunch, and dinners. I am definitely not at the point of planning for a month yet. I do, however, plan my lunches and dinners though. I am actually still working on the breakfast thing. I have never been a fan of breakfast, or better yet, was never a morning person. So I never woke up early enough to have enough time to make a nice breakfast for myself on a regular basis. Like I have said before though, you have to start somewhere and I have decided to try meal planning on a weekly basis for lunches and dinners. I am going to share with you how I have done this in just 3 steps and then I will also share my printable with you for FREE that have helped me stay organized with this process.
Here is how I did it in just 3 steps:
1. Take Inventory Of What You Already Have
The first thing I do is always look in my freezer, refrigerator, and pantry/cabinets. I will see what types of meats I already have in my freezer, if I have any vegetables in my refrigerator, and then what side dishes or pastas I may have in my pantry/cabinets and write those items down.
2. Decide What Meals To Make
The next thing I do is determine what meals I am going to make. Now, there are a few things that I take into account when deciding what meals I’m going to make:
Make sure it is something everyone likes; favorites etc
Variety! I don’t know about everyone else, but I can’t eat the same things over and over. I need variety throughout the week!
There are a few different places that I like to get recipes from too. I have a binder filled with different recipes that we like and that I enjoy making. I also, of course, have my own personal Pinterest board on favorite recipes. I will take some time and search both of them to determine what I will make for the week and then I write those meals and side dishes down.
When I am figuring out what meals I’m going to make for the week, I also take into account:
Which meals I will make on certain nights. If I know I will not be home until late, I will save the easier/quicker meals for those nights.
If I know I will have more time on one night compared to another night, I even make two dinners in one night so I have things already prepared ahead of time for those busy nights too. That way I already have food made, so I won’t go out and buy food. (See how this can save you money?)
3. Create A Shopping List
Now that all of the meals are written down, I recheck my pantry for all of those other random things that may be needed for each recipe. I make sure I have all of the spices and other random things that may be needed for the recipe. If I don’t have it, I write it on my shopping list. If I need vegetables or any sides for each meal I will put it on my list if I don’t have it on hand.
The last thing I do is to make sure I keep the meal plan or “dinner menu” displayed so I can see it as the week goes on. I keep mine on the refrigerator. I like to keep it there as a reminder for myself to take the meats out of the freezer when I’m going to use them.
You may decide to keep it posted in your Command Center so the whole family will see it. If it is posted here, it may prevent or deter that frequently asked question: “Mom, what’s for dinner?” or, “Honey, what's for dinner?” If you keep it posted in your command center, you may want to keep it posted in the kitchen too for a reminder for yourself. Whatever will work best for you!
As always, these are tips and tricks for you. These are like guidelines for you if you just need a direction to go in. If it doesn’t work for you exactly, tweak something and make adjustments as needed so it will be functional for you and your family.
Get your FREE meal planning guide, menu, and shopping list by clicking the link below. This will go along with what I just spoke about in this post.
If you have questions, or another way that works for you and your family, PLEASE SHARE and COMMENT!
Talk soon,
Amy :)