Shopin case any of y’all have wondered, i’m pretty type a. (hahahahahahaha.) in most things. if you ask my husband, there are most definitely things that i am not type a about (ahem, folding laundry), but one of the things that i am pretty spot-on committed to is knowing what we’re having for dinner. for as long as i can remember, i’ve been a meal planner…especially as the boys have gotten older and they eat a lot. i totally know this is something a lot of people want to do, but find super difficult to accomplish, so i thought sharing my top tips for how i think through a weekly meal plan might help!
whenever starting something new, it’s always good to have resources. for meal planning, i have some must-have resources that i always pull together before i even start writing down what might be on the meal plan for the week:
- our weekly family calendar: for me, this is critical. this helps me see what is going on each evening and helps me frame up how in-depth dinner should be on any given night. or, if we need to plan on leftovers or popping a frozen pizza in the oven.
- recipe sources: i sometimes make up stuff on my own, but most of the time, i’m relying on tried and true resources for recipes created by people who are a lot more talented than me in the kitchen. my faves? skinnytaste and cravings by chrissy teigen. i use both their online recipe resources and i am proud to say that i have actual, hardback cookbooks from these two ladies.
- paper and pen: i’m a hardcore gen xer. i still live by pen and paper. i always get two sheets of paper; one for the meal plan and then one for the grocery list.
how i start
to get started, i go day-by-day for a week. (i used to meal plan for two weeks at a time and shop for that; life does not allow for that kind of pre-planning anymore!) for the weekends, i try to make something a little more involved or something that will give us a good amount of leftovers for the week. (for example, i’ll do turkey meatloaf on a sunday. which means i’m making at least two meatloafs, with air fryer mini potatoes or mashed potatoes, and a veggie. or my husband might do what we call “taco mess night” which gives us lots of leftover taco meat for the week.) the recipes during the week are totally dependent on what our evening schedule is. i also generally don’t allow for recipes that are going to take more than 30 minutes to make (unless we’re talking slow cooker meals!) i also try to “theme” each night too to help make deciding what to make a little easier on me. for example, tuesdays are always (generally) taco/mexican themed. wednesdays are a crock pot meal. thursdays are leftover night. friday is make-your-own-pizza night/calzones. this helps me focus and like i’m not completely starting with a blank sheet of paper.
my other big focus when getting started planning is the balance and health factor of the meal. my oldest is a year-round distance runner. he’s hungry all the time. my youngest runs and plays soccer. he’s also hungry all the time. protein is a big priority, along with making sure we’re all getting healthy veggies and carbs. it’s nothing scientific or hyper-focused, it’s just trying to make sure we all have what we need to be healthy. (side note: i did not grow up with boys. i genuinely had no idea just how much they can eat.)
what i plan to cook (aka being honest with myself!)
i know what my limits are on what i’m comfortable cooking. boneless skinless chicken breast. i can cook that all day, every day. ground meat. same. salmon, shrimp, or a light fish like tilapia or mahi mahi? sign me up. i’m just getting comfortable with steak, thanks to my dad who actually gave me the best pointers on how to cook a steak over text. i tend to just stick to my tried-and-true things that i feel like i can’t mess up too badly. oh, the other thing is i generally steer away from recipes that require some super random ingredient (like anchovy paste.) nothing against anchovy paste, but that’s not a pantry staple for me…the moral being, you don’t have to be martha stewart with your meal planning. it can be simple stuff made well that tastes good and that your kids will ask for again.
how to get started
my first tip to get started is to begin by finding recipe sources that you feel work for you. if you’re super simple or if you feel like you’re more gourmet, that’s cool. just find those resources online and start searching recipes that sound good to you. make sure to read the steps – including the prep work (because there’s nothing that ruins a good plan more than finding out you were supposed to have meat marinate overnight!) save those recipes to a pinterest board or bookmark them.
when you’re ready, start small. pick 2-3 nights in a single week that you’re going to plan meals for. find those recipes and make your grocery list for those. post your plan on your fridge. i do find that having the plan in front of my face every time i go to the fridge helps a ton. (pro tip: make sure to check your meal plan in the morning. see if there’s meat you need to get out to thaw during the day or if you need to throw stuff in the crock pot before you head out for the day.)
once you’ve gotten some consistent time under your belt with doing 2-3 nights a week, add one more night. go at your own pace until you’re at a place where you feel comfortable for you and your family (and hopefully a little saner around dinner time!)
finally…
a few of our family’s favorite recipes that i have been approved to have on repeat and maybe help you get started!
the best turkey meatloaf (from skinnytaste)
crock pot kid-friendly turkey chili (from skinnytaste)
cheeseburger crunch wrap (from skinnytaste)
john’s mac and cheese (from cravings by chrissy teigen)
bonus: my cooking tools i can’t live without
my family will tell you that mom’s favorite kitchen accessory is either my kitchenaid mixer (which i am proud to say is almost twenty-one years old…thank you, wedding present!) or my air fryer. i genuinely could not live without my air fryer. when i say that i use it everyday, that’s not an exaggeration. potatoes. salmon. individual turkey meatloafs. tortillas. chicken. chickpeas. i’ve done so much in that trusty gadget.
my other must-have: my crockpot. i just can’t live without it. usually most weeks have at least one crock pot meal involved. there is genuinely nothing that makes me feel more accomplished than walking in the door from work and smelling dinner already ready.
