It is the age old question that can still cause fear in the hearts of many, “What’s for dinner?” The remedy to quell any uneasiness when you hear that question is to have a plan.
However, there are so many options when it comes to creating a meal plan it can become overwhelming. The most important thing is to find a system that works for you and your family. After a lot of research and some trial and error, I wanted to share the meal planning system I use in my household. This is a step by step plan of what works for me.
1. Check your Calendar
Look at your schedule for the coming week to see if there are any special nights to plan for. Are there any nights that week when you’ll need to plan for an early or late dinner? Is there a night where you’ll have to pack something for the road? Looking at your calendar is a great starting place because when you plan ahead your week can go so much smoother.
For example, on Tuesday night I’m not home for dinner since I run with a friend. I always plan to have a slow cooker or casserole meal since it’s something easy to fix and then forget. D holds down the fort while I’m out and it’s great to know dinner is already done!
To keep things simple while still including variety, I created a general outline for our weekly meals. I usually try to incorporate a protein, a veggie and a carbohydrate into each meal.
Monday ~ a meat and potato type of dinner. Usually chicken! I try to make extra chicken and veggies to incorporate in other dinners and lunches throughout the week. (My hubby takes chicken salad for lunch almost every day!)
Tuesday ~ slow cooker or casserole day.
Wednesday ~ ground turkey or beef
Thursday ~ rice and beans (for my inner vegetarian)
Friday ~ pasta
Saturday ~ fast and easy dinner
Sunday ~ I usually leave this one open depending on our weekend plans. Sometimes I feel like making a big late lunch/early dinner like my mom did when we were growing up. Some weekends I like to do something super easy or we may even have more leftovers to finish up.
I am not super strict with my meal schedule and I frequently change things around depending on what I feel like cooking that day. However, I find the busier we are, the more following the plan as close as possible keeps me sane. The outline is a go-to that provides options if my brain is too fried to think straight.
2.Take Stock of your Pantry
Do you have some food that has been hanging around too long? How could you incorporate them into your this week? Record what items you would like to use as well as what pantry staples need to be restocked.
3. Plan around the Sales
I use the weekly grocery store flyer to help plan my meals for the week. I concentrate on meat and produce because they are the main ingredients in my meals. I also refer to what items are already in my pantry that need to be used that will build a meal with an on sale item. Using the weekly flyer as well as using in season produce allows me to make the most of our food budget.
If it is seems unrealistic for you to plan every meal around sales, you could set a goal of 2 meals per week planned around weekly sales. For inspiration on planning thrifty meals based on sales, check out the popular sites $5 Dinners and The Grocery Cart Challenge.
4. Collect Meal Ideas
After generating a list of pantry items and on sale items, you have starting point to plan your meals. In the front of my recipe binder is a Menu Selection Page, or a fancy table of contents coined by Confessions of an Organized Housewife.
My Menu Selection Page is a list of my everyday recipes followed by the main ingredients (I leave out the pantry staples I always have on hand). With everything on one page, I can quickly scan to see what ingredients are required for a certain dish and add them to my grocery list as needed.
Here is a small excerpt of how it is laid out.
Menu Selection
Pasta
Peanut Pasta- wheat pasta, broccoli, pb, rice vinegar, soy sauce, scallions
Pasta Salad- pasta, grilled veggies-zucchini, onion, bell pepper, eggplant
Tuna Casserole- pasta, tuna (2), celery, onion, bread crumbsCrockpot
Italian Pot Roast- beef chuck roast, canned tomatoes, potatoes, onions
Salsa Verde Pork- bone-in pork, salsa verde(12oz), onion, chicken broth, cilantro
Pulled pork sandwiches- bone-in pork shoulder butt, onion, carrots, celery, orange juice, lime juice, apple-cider vinegarChicken
Baked or grilled chicken- spice rub, simple veggies
Chicken with artichokes- sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, scallions, couscous
When I am planning my meals, I can quickly scan the table of contents without having to flip through the whole binder if I don’t need to. I then lay out my meals for the week using my outline from Step 1 and incorporated sale items from Step 3.
Time is the key, and once you’re organized you want to be able to plan your meals for the week in 15 minutes, otherwise it can seem too time consuming or daunting.
*If you find yourself in a recipe rut, you can have an impromptu brainstorming session at the next family dinner. Each person can share their favorite meal or what they would like to see at dinner. You can make a list of favorite meals to keep close at hand for inspiration. It’s easy enough to find recipes on line once you have a theme in mind, or for those real pros you only need to rely on your list without recipes.
5. Write out the Plan
I use a template downloaded from Organizing my Way. I slip the template in a clear plastic sheet protector that I have mounted on the inside of my cabinet right above my action files.
I don’t spend too long on this and jot things down quickly. I also don’t feel like I have to fill in every line. For example, we have our usual options for lunch but I only write in meals that are outside our everyday norm.
There are meal planning forms to accommodate all different types of planning styles. Some of my favorite free downloadables are-
Simplify 101, Money Saving Mom, Life your Way, and one more from Home Made Simple.
6. Make a Grocery List
Step 4, 5 and 6 are seamlessly intertwined as I record the meals on my planning sheet and make a grocery list. I now use an app on my ipod touch to keep track of my grocery list. Before my app I had a grocery check-off list organized by aisles.
Here is a some sample Grocery check-off list from Simple Mom.
Here is a list made in Microsoft word
Some meal planning forms include the grocery list right along side the weekly menu. I prefer to keep mine separate. There is something about pushing a grocery cart with a 2 and 4 year old that thrashes your list by the time you are at the check-out counter!
I love to read about systems that people are making work for them. How do you plan your meals? or do you? Do you have a general outline or do you plan everything out in great detail for each meal? What is your stumbling block when it comes to planning meals? Share your tips in the comments!
I'm glad you posted this. My hubby and I plan our meals every week. We just use those cheap magnet pads we get for Christmas every year and keep the meal plan on the fridge. sometimes we switch it around but we are much better about not ordering take out when we have a plan and shop for the week. I'm going to look at your binder next. I have one for recipes as well, but am rethinking the organization of it. Thanks for the thoughtful post!
Chandeen- I had one of those same magnetic pads from the $1 bin! It worked great while it lasted.