Meal planning can be a great way to save time, money, and stay healthy. I believe meal planning is an important tool. It can help if you’re a busy professional looking for ways to make life simpler, or a family trying to stick to a budget while still eating healthily.
In this post, you’ll learn about:
- The Benefits of Meal Planning
- Creating A Meal Plan
- Shopping with Your Meal Plan in Mind
- Sticking to Your Meal Plan
- Tools to Help You with Meal Planning
Need some help getting started? Don’t worry— I have just the thing for you! Download my free printable meal planner today [download below] and start your journey towards an easier way of eating.
Benefits of Meal Planning
Whether you’re a busy professional looking for ways to simplify your life or a family trying to stick to a budget while still eating healthily, meal planning can help.
There are so many benefits of meal planning! It can:
- Help you save money
- Decrease food waste
- Promote healthier eating habits
- Reduce stress at meal times
- Allows more variety in your meals
Meal planning also helps make grocery shopping easier as well. When you organize a plan for meals each week, it makes it easier to make lists of what foods need to be purchased and which store specials are worth taking advantage of.
Not only does this mean fewer trips to the store during the week, but it also allows for better use of coupons or other promotions offered at grocery stores.
Overall, if done correctly, meal planning is an effective way to save time, money, and stay healthy. It helps ensure that no matter how busy life gets there will always be delicious (and nutritious!) meals ready when needed—a task that becomes even simpler with my free printable meal planners!
Creating A Meal Plan
Creating your meal plan is a vital step in saving time, money, and staying healthy. First, ensure that everyone’s dietary needs and preferences are met. Understand your family’s likes and dislikes when it comes to meals. This will make it easier to create meals that everyone will enjoy.
Because it’s just my husband, Adam, and I, I like to keep a list of favorites on our refrigerator. This is included in the free meal planner PDFs I have created [download below]! It helps choosing what to make for each week really simple.
Once you have that information, decide on the meals you want to prepare each week. Make sure to include enough variety so that no one gets bored with eating the same thing all the time.
You can also try to include meals with ingredients that are in-season or on sale, which will help keep costs down. Once you have decided what meals to cook for the week, create a grocery list of all the ingredients needed for those meals.
To help organize your meal plans, create a calendar or chart so you can easily see which meals should be cooked on which days.
This saves time when deciding what to cook each night and also eliminates any guesswork from shopping trips. You’ll know exactly what ingredients are needed for each meal before you go grocery shopping.
It also helps in knowing what needs prepped the night before or if food prepping over the weekend can support you even further on saving time!
Finally, take advantage of online resources such as websites and apps designed specifically for meal planning and organization. I love to use Pinterest to save recipes and tips that I reference often.
Shopping with Your Meal Plan in Mind
Creating a meal plan can be an efficient and cost-effective way to feed your family. It is important to find the right store(s) that meet your needs such as budget, convenience, and organic produce.
Before you shop, make a list of everything you need so that you don’t purchase items impulsively. There is a shopping list page in the meal planner PDFs [download below] you can use or use your notes app on your phone. I personally have the app Out of Milk that I like. It allows you to share a list with others. Adam and I can add to it as needed throughout the week.
Additionally, take advantage of store specials or coupons to reduce costs even further. We have our typical grocery store route – I call it our Grocery Tour – but if I know something is on sale somewhere else, I might add a special trip on the tour.
Don’t forget to check your pantry and refrigerator for items you already have. This helps ensure you aren’t buying unnecessary items. This check before shopping helps you see what you are running out of that are staples for your home.
Sticking to Your Meal Plan
Sticking to your meal plan is an essential component of success. To make it work, you need to set a realistic budget and timeline for yourself and make sure you have the necessary ingredients on hand.
Having a variety of ingredients will keep the meals interesting and add flavor and nutrition. Preparing meals ahead of time can also be helpful, especially on busy days.
Try to plan out meals the night before or the morning of, so that when things get hectic during the day you won’t be tempted to order takeout.
It’s also important to stay flexible with your meal plans. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new recipes or get creative in the kitchen; sometimes trying something new can lead to delicious results!
It’s also wise to have a backup plan in case you don’t have time to cook what you planned on having that day. This could mean having some frozen items ready for those times when life gets too hectic.
By planning ahead and being willing to adjust as needed, sticking to your meal plan can become second nature over time.
Tools to Help You with Meal Planning
Meal planning can seem like a daunting task, but with the right tools it doesn’t have to be.
There are a variety of apps, pre-made meal plans, and online resources available that can help make meal planning easier and more organized.
Programs & Apps
Programs such as Plan to Eat and Mealime are designed specifically for meal planning. They offer features such as recipe organization, grocery list creation, menu calendar building, and budget tracking.
Apps such as Mealboard and Paprika can also help with meal planning. These apps allow users to store all their recipes in one place while providing access to thousands of new recipes from around the world.
You can easily create shopping lists based on your upcoming meals for the week or month ahead. Many of these apps also include helpful features such as nutrition tracking and ingredient substitution suggestions.
Online Resources
Online resources like AllRecipes & Pinterest offer thousands of delicious recipes from around the world that can be sorted by criteria such as diet type, cuisine type, cooking time, etc., making it easy to find something everyone will enjoy eating.
Free Printable Planners
Finally, free printable meal planners are an excellent resource for anyone looking for a quick way to get started with meal planning without spending any money at all! [download below]
Free printable planners and other planners come in various formats including daily planners, weekly planners or even monthly planners that allow you keep track of what dishes you’re making each day/week/month, so nothing goes wasted!
The printable meal planners I created have a planner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner or just dinner only. Both are available to download below. I use the dinner only one mainly because for breakfast, Adam and I have our favorites, so I just make sure we always have ingredients that cover those. For lunch, I prep chicken and other ingredients that we can use to make a variety of options. Use what works best for you!
In short, there are plenty of tools available that make it easier than ever before to plan out delicious yet healthy meals for your family without breaking your budget or wasting food – all while saving time too! So why not give some of them a try today?
With intention, Jennifer
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