Meal Planning 101
Okay, let’s be clear here: Anytime you plan ahead of time what foods you will eat, it counts as meal planning. Pinterest and Social Media would have us believe that if we do not have a perfectly balanced diet, or beautiful created menus of varied and healthy foods that we are not doing it right.
WRONG.
It doesn’t have to be perfect to be a meal plan. It simply has to be a plan for meals. How many meals is up to you. Some people like to plan weekly, some like to plan a few days at a time, and some like to plan longer than a week. Many factors can go into this, such as pay schedule, the frequency that you’d like to shop, or shelf life of specialty foods you enjoy. This article is meant to cover the basics of HOW to meal plan.
I have created a single page PDF that you can download here. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be assuming a 1-week menu, focused solely on dinners. You’ll see that on the left side is all seven days of the week, and along the right side is a list for writing down the things you will need to make those meals.
You don’t have to go in order, you don’t have to cook every night, and you don’t have to make complicated meals in order to feed yourself and/or your family. We’re going to keep it super simple here. Let’s start with Tuesday – because Taco Tuesday, obviously!
You’ll see that I wrote Taco Tuesday and then along the right side I listed the ingredients I will need to create them: Ground beef, Taco Seasoning, Taco Shells, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, and Sour Cream. Add or take away as you see fit.
Moving on from Tacos, I decide we’ll have Spaghetti on Friday, because I know it’ll likely generate leftovers for Saturday and Saturday is going to be a busy day for us. So, I add in Spaghetti on Friday and then go to the grocery list. I already have Ground Beef, so instead of writing it again, I just add (x2) beside it. I then add the additional ingredients to the list: Marinara Sauce, Spaghetti Noodles, Parmesan Cheese. (We called the green can of parm “Stinky Cheese” growing up, and it will forever be called that to me!)
“Leftovers” gets put on Saturday and at this point, I’ve got three nights covered! So, let’s plan a quick and easy veggie soup on Monday. Some Frozen Mixed Veggies to make it easy, some Beef Stock, Tomato Sauce and some small pasta shape (my favorite is ditalini!). Done.
On Wednesday, my kids might love Burgers and Fries. Again, I’ve already got Ground beef x2, so let’s just change that to a (x3). I also have toppings on there from Taco Tuesday. I’ll note that they are meant to cover 2 meals by putting a (2) next to the Lettuce and Tomatoes. That way I’ll be sure to buy an appropriate amount. Toss in some Burger Buns, Frozen fries, and ketchup… And that’s sorted.
On Thursday, I have planned dinner and drinks with friends. So I’ll just note that and move on. Who doesn’t love Reservations for dinner? :D
And finally, Sunday. I like to make a nice Sunday meal for my family. Maybe you do, too. If not, don’t. For this Sunday, I’ll make a Roast Chicken, some Green Beans, and Mashed Potatoes. I add the final things to my Grocery list: Whole Chicken, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Milk, Green Beans, and Butter.
You can take this sheet with you, or just take a photo of it with your phone, and go to the grocery store, purchase these 22 ingredients, and your whole week is set up ready to go!
Remember: It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be a plan. Don’t forget to grab a clean copy of this PDF here. Happy Meal Planning!
