My Best Tips for Easy Meal Planning

Do you plan out your meals each week, or do you find yourself scrambling to come up with something last minute? Maybe it’s the planner in me but if I don’t have my meals planned ahead of time I feel so unorganized. I am going to walk you through the process of how I plan my meals. This saves me multiple visits to the grocery store, time, and ultimately money (because let’s be real I never only buy what’s on my list).

I usually sit down to plan my meals for the next week on Friday or Saturday. This way I can do my grocery pickup for Sunday. The day you plan is not important, but it may be helpful to have a set day of the week you do your grocery shopping. You might choose to plan your meals for one week, or even a month at a time. I prefer to plan my meals for one week at a time. I know some produce does not last over a week, so I would have to visit the store to purchase those things weekly regardless. I plan my meals from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays we usually go out to eat for lunch and eat leftovers or frozen pizza for supper, so I do not typically plan anything for Sunday.

While planning these are some things to consider:

1. Try to plan meals that use some of the same ingredients, so you are not just using something for one meal and then letting the rest go to waste.

2) Make a mix of super easy meals and ones that take more prep time ( I do enjoy cooking, but don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen every night).

3) Plan at least one meal that you will have leftovers from; such as meat or soup that you can eat again. For example, one batch of soup usually feeds our family for two meals, so if I make a soup I will plan to have it for two days or freeze the leftovers to have again soon. If you have a larger family, and a soup or casserole only feeds you for one meal consider making a double batch and freezing one of them. This way you only have to cook once to make two meals.

I love trying new recipes, so I usually have a couple new recipes to add to my meals for the week. I find most recipes on Pinterest or Instagram. If you see a recipe you want to try while scrolling Instagram save the post, so it is easy to come back to. I also have my simple “go-to” meals I will add into the week such as tacos, spaghetti, or burgers.

I write each meal down and under each meal I write the ingredients I need to make that meal. If I am shopping in store I will write my list in the order of the store. So, I typically start my shopping in the dairy section and finish in the produce area. The dairy items will be at the top of my list and then I will list them in the order of the store. I know, I know this seems a little over the top, but it helps me not to miss something on my list! I hate having to go back to the store for that one ingredient I forgot.

Lately I have been doing grocery pick-up, which I am so thankful our local Wal-Mart finally has available! So, I will add the items from my list into my online cart once my list is complete. I highly recommend trying Wal-Mart pickup if you haven’t; it makes shopping and planning so easy! Typically they come out with our groceries within minutes of us checking in on the app. They load your groceries for you, so you are in and out in just a few minutes!

Supper (or dinner) is the one meal I typically cook in a day. Breakfast and lunches are pretty simple, so I just make sure I have items my kids typically like to eat for breakfast or pack for lunch. For lunch I usually eat a salad or something very simple and my husband typically eats leftovers, so requires minimal planning. I also make sure to have frozen pizzas on hand in case I don’t feel like cooking or have a last minute change of plans.

I also try to clean out my fridge before I bring the groceries home on Sunday, so it is not overflowing and I can see the things I already have and do not need to purchase.

These are the things that I have found work best for me when planning meals. I hope you find some of these tips to be helpful! Happy planning!