How to Meal Plan

Not sure how to meal plan? Meal planning doesn’t need to be complicated or a lot of work. Finding a simple meal planning method that works for you is one of the secrets to a simple life journey.

When I started thinking about meal planning I kept putting it off because I thought it would take too much time – time I didn’t have!

The truth is I wasted more time worrying about what’s for dinner every night and the benefits of meal planning are far greater.

I worked out a simple meal planning method that wouldn’t be complicated; one that I could teach the family when life was chaotic.

The key to meal planning is to keep the method simple. We do a 3 step method and I’ve taught this to the family just in case I’m too busy to do it myself. They like helping with this because they get a say in what’s for dinner.

Step 1. What’s in the freezer, fridge, and pantry? Use that as a basis for meal ideas.
Step 2. What’s the family schedule look like this week? Take note of the busy nights or what could take longer than planned.
Step 3. Meal Plan for the week using these tips.

Tips for Meal Planning

#1 Use a visual meal planning board or template: We use a DIY chalkboard menu as part of our family communication center. However, I have created a smaller version that you can put into an old 8×10 picture frame. The glass is easy to wipe the dry erase marker. The FREE meal planning template can be downloaded at the end of this article.

#2 Plan out dinners based upon what you have first so you can reduce the monthly grocery bill and not waste food that might expire.
#3 Pick meals that are easy to make or slow cooker meals for busy nights. When life is chaotic it is good to have more meal planning solutions in your toolkit.
#4 Balance the proteins and sides throughout the week. I usually think of this but forgot to mention this tip to my family. After having rice for the third day in a row, I discovered that it is a must-have tip for meal planning.
#5 Create the grocery list as you plan the meals. Then add in the rest of the list for lunch, breakfast, and snack needs. We use a grocery list on our Free Cozi App so it saves forgetting the list on the kitchen counter when we are at the store.

Now you know my secret recipe (see what I did there?) for how to meal plan. This simple meal planning method saves me time and money each week and now it can help you too.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
1. What do you have for ingredients?
2. What does the family schedule look like?
3. Pick the Meals (busy nights first, then balance the remaining meals) doing a grocery list as you go.

There you go, a simple meal planning method that you can easily repeat. Start teaching the family how to meal plan today!