How To Meal Plan
I’ve been meal planning and prepping since 2012 and have seen and heard EVERYTHING as it relates to meal prep successes, challenges, hurdles, favorites, process, etc! I wanted to bring together all the information we have gathered over the years into one getting started and maintaining success when it comes to planning your meals.
This How To Meal Plan guide will cover topics like; organization, shopping lists, time management/planning, and tools and hacks. In our experience, we’ve seen 3 main roadblocks I hear about from the people who want to start meal planning:
- I don’t know where to start
- I don’t have time.
- I don’t want to eat the same thing every day.
This Meal Plan guide will help solve all of these problems!
Meal Planning will help you:
- Say goodbye to decision fatigue around “What’s for dinner”
- Reduce the number of trips in a week to the grocery store.
- Spend less money on food each month (especially if you eat out)
- Feel more organized
- Reducing food waste and buying only what you need.
- Get dinner on the table faster and have more time in your evenings!
Step 1: Organization
- Haul everything out of your pantry, get rid of expired items, and donate items you won’t use. Now you know what you have and have eliminated unnecessary items (bye, Girl Scout cookies!).
- Use food storage bins and containers to organize your pantry into zones like canned beans, snacks, or soup broths.
- Clean out your fridge and freezer, discarding expired or unwanted items.
- Write down the contents of your fridge and freezer on paper to reference when meal planning.
Step 2: Identify the Basics
The key to meal planning is simplicity. Create a list of 5–10 recipes your family loves and can be prepared easily. This “Meal Plan Foundations List” will serve as your go-to guide.
How to Start Your List:
- Think about the past month’s meals. What were your family’s favorites?
- Ask your household, “If you could eat anything for dinner tonight, what would it be?”
- Check in with friends for inspiration, “What’s for dinner at your house?”
If You’re Stuck:
- Flip through cookbooks and flag recipes to try, noting their location in your foundations list.
- Explore Pinterest or search Google for recipes by protein type or dietary preference (e.g., “Easy Chicken Recipes” or “Keto Dinners”).
- Browse our favorite meal prep recipes for fresh ideas.
Step 3: Bring Everything Together
Organize your foundation list into categories that match your eating style. Categories help you streamline weekly and monthly meal planning.
Sample Categories:
- Ground Beef/Turkey
- Chicken
- Shrimp
- Pasta
- Meatless Monday
- Vegetables
- Slow Cooker
Having 5–10 recipes in each category allows for flexibility and minimizes decision fatigue. Check your freezer for main ingredients, prioritize using what you have, and pull a recipe from your categorized list.
Step 4: Schedule
If you want to be proactive, create a weekly meal calendar:
- Monday: Meatless Mondays
- Tuesday: Taco Tuesday
- Wednesday: Pasta Night
- Thursday: Beef
- Friday: Chicken
- Saturday: Pork
- Sunday: BBQ/Grill
Pro Tip:
When BBQing on Sunday, cook extra meat to use for lunches or freeze for upcoming meals.
Money-Saving Tip:
Check grocery store deals and plan recipes based on what’s on sale, maximizing savings while sticking to your foundations list.
Do’s and Don’ts of Meal Planning
DO:
- Involve your family in creating the list.
- Add a few new recipes to keep things interesting.
- Review past meals to build your list.
- Update your list with seasonal favorites.
- Focus on solving the most challenging meal (often dinner).
DON’T:
- Overwhelm yourself with hundreds of recipes.
- Fill your list with dishes you’ve never made before.
- Stress over missing meals or filling a full calendar right away.
- Feel restricted—be flexible and adjust based on your needs.
With these steps, you’ll master meal planning and make dinnertime easier and stress-free. Happy planning!
Still with us?! WOW! Thank you so much…
If you have any questions or comments, please leave then in the comments area below. Or, come say what’s up and chat with us on Instagram @mealpreponfleek
