Weekly Meal Planning: The Method to the Madness
One thing that helps our household run smoothly is a solid meal plan week-to-week. This doesn’t just mean planning dinners only, it includes planning for meals that we may eat out, as well as breakfasts, snacks, lunch, and even backup dinner options for days that may get ahead of us. I want to share our method of meal planning, which is a flexible, no-fuss method that you can adjust to the needs of your household. With six people at home full-time, meal planning helps me so much when it comes to inventory, budgeting, and minimizing waste, so it is a no-brainer for us!
When I started meal planning regularly, I made a list of our favorite meals to pull from for our weekly rotation. These meals needed to check a few boxes, so I asked myself a few questions:
What meals are crowd pleasers in our household?
What are our favorite budget-friendly meals?
What are meals that use mostly staple ingredients?
Will we eat the leftovers of these meals easily?
I wrote down all of the meals that fell into these categories and have kept it as an accessible bank to pull from and rotate. I started this list with a pen and paper but it has since migrated into the Notes app on my phone.
To keep our list of meals fun and fresh, I will periodically poll my family. I ask each of them the question: “If you could pick your top three favorite meals that I cook, what would they be?” There are usually some duplicates mentioned, and sometimes I get unrealistic suggestions, but overall this is immensely helpful in giving me ideas for meals or adjacent recipes that I know will stay exciting to them week to week.
With my lists in tow (I am an avid list maker!) I organize my thoughts into a schedule. I plan options for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner week to week, this helps to keep my errands and shopping trips more manageable for my schedule. My goal is to hit whichever big box store I need to for the week, I alternate between Sam’s and Costco and then swing by either Aldi or Walmart to fill in any gaps.
When it comes to breakfast, snacks, and lunch, I don’t assign specific meals for specific days, I just keep up to three options available for the week and we can all pick and choose what we are in the mood for during our meal and snack times. Having more than 2 options is ideal because it offers variety for everyone and minimizes that “nothing to eat” feeling. For dinners, I take into account our activities for the week to make sure that I account for any meals that we may be eating out.
Okay, so now we get into the fun part! Actually mapping the meals to the days of the week. What works for us is assigning meals for specific days. Why, you may ask? It allows me to minimize waste throughout the week. So for example, I am making spaghetti and pizza in the same week (and those are two that I make almost every week!) I will plan to make spaghetti early in the week, say Wednesday, and I will be sure to make a batch of marinara that is big enough that I have leftovers and I will pack the leftovers away to use when we make pizza on Friday. Using this method, I will stagger meals with similar ingredients and take the opportunity to prep once and cook twice.
Most weeks, I cook every night, but what happens if I forget to thaw out the meat that I need, something comes up or, most likely, if I am just really not feeling it that day? I like to be prepared when plans change. There are a few ways that I can adjust on a night when cooking just isn’t the vibe. Obviously, there’s takeout, but that isn’t always in the budget. A few other options include leftover night, free for all night, or breakfast for dinner. Free for all night is exactly what it sounds like, every man for himself, and the rule is you have to cook and clean up yourself. Things like sandwiches, avocado toast, scrambled eggs, or ramen are the usual go-tos.
Once the meal plan is thought through, then comes the grocery lists for the week. For us, a typical week includes 5 scheduled meals, 3 rotating meals from our bank of favorites, 2 different/new recipes, 1 scheduled leftover night, and 1 takeout meal. The way I attack my grocery list is that I make one big list, then start at my big box store of choice. From Sam’s and Costco, I will grab meat, dairy, produce, bread, and freezer staples. I will usually keep an eye out for sales as well. I will stop at Aldi or Walmart, usually Aldi, to fill in the gaps with canned goods, beverages, snacks, and cereal.
Day 1 of our meal plan starts on the day that I grocery shop, which is Monday, and I will plan meals chronologically through Sunday. Once I get home with my haul, I will distribute items to the fridge and freezer based on when I am scheduled to use them, and I will wash and portion out our fresh fruits and veggies into our snack drawer in the fridge so they are ready to grab anytime.
Weekly meal planning following this framework helps to keep us on track, and on budget and really helps to keep our pantry, fridge, and freezer turning over appropriately. I hope this helps give you some inspiration or ideas to carry over into your weekly planning and prepping!
