How I meal Plan

I get asked so very often on how I meal plan, grocery shop, and prep, so I decided to break it down and give you an in depth look at how I plan for each week.

I start with a blank piece of paper and write out the days of the week.

Then I go in and add any events we have for specific evenings that I need to be mindful of.

I do a fridge and freezer inventory about once a month and try to fill in things that we already have ingredients for. This is so important.  As someone who stocks up on things like meat, butter, and breads when I find them or they are on sale it is important that you don't let things "get lost" in the bottom of the deep freeze. Rotating it frequently and having a comprehensive list of what you have on hand helps you save money and cut back on food waste.

Then I go through and add meals for each day.  I use blogs, pinterest, instagram, tik tok, and family favorites. I try to make at least one new to me recipe each week.  This helps us to avoid ruts of repetitive meals and avoids those "let's just go grab something" mealtime decisions.

Finally, I make my grocery list on the bottom of this page, so when I am at the store I remember what specific things are for. As you go through each recipe only write down the things you don't already have in your pantry.  If it's a new recipe it often helps to star it and wrote where the recipe is saved for easy reference. A rule of thumb is to stick to the outside of the grocery store to avoid processed foods. All the food you need is on the perimeter

I write my grocery list according to how the grocery store is laid out.

Dry Goods

Dairy 

Meat

Spices/Sauces/Canned goods

Frozen

Fresh Produce

This saves so much time once you get into the habit of writing your lists this way.  It eliminates the need to meander around the grocery 4-5 times to get everything you need.

When I get home I try to prep all of my dressings, marinades, snacks, and treats ahead of time.  This way in the evenings I just need to worry about the meat, veggie, and grain. 

If you aren't accustomed to marinating meats ahead of time.  Make notes on your menu of when to pull things out of the freezer and when to put things together so they have at least 24-48 hours to soak in the marinade and reach optimal flavor saturation.

It is a process, but once you get in the hang of it it saves time, money, food waste, and the dreaded "what's for dinner" question.

I hope this helps. 

As a bonus, I created this printable graphic to help you organize your menu each week!