Ready to make evenings easier and lower your grocery bill? Check out these simple tips for weekly meal planning. Meal planning doesn't have to take a lot of time or effort!
Don't you wish you could flip a switch and get some more time in your day?
Imagine always knowing what's for dinner and having the meals ready on time.
With meal planning, you can get some organization to your evenings and have your life feel less chaotic.
If you think meal planning sounds too complicated check out these easy tips for meal planning.
Simple Tips For Weekly Meal Planning
Meal planning doesn't have to take a lot of time. Just 30 minutes a week and you can have stress-free mornings and evenings.
I have found it is worth my time to sit down each week and spend some time for weekly meal planning.
If you have a busy night you can plan your evening. If you are ready for a more productive year check out these simple tips for weekly meal planning.
Check Your Inventory Before You Shop
Before you make your list for the week always check what needs to be used up or what you already have.
Before you start your list:
- clean out your fridge (throw out expired foods)
- check your pantry inventory list
- check your freezer inventory list (grab my free freezer inventory printable)
This is my #1 tip to really help you meal plan and not get overwhelmed! I am amazed by what I find from week to week in my fridge and my pantry.
Remove any old food that is expired or leftovers you didn't eat.
Next, go through and make a list of food that will expire soon. You can use the soon-to-expire food to start a plan for the next week.
Finally, look for meal ideas from things that you already have at home.
Have A List Of Favorite Recipes
It's always easier to make dinner when you are excited about the meal you are making.
To keep things simple you can just write down 10-20 of your family's favorite meals and rotate through them.
You can pick 1-2 meals each week to add to your meal planning.
Having meals you know your family loves and everyone will eat makes meal planning a breeze.
Free Meal Planning Printable
Meal Plan Around Your Schedule
When you are making your meal plan don't forget to check your schedule. You don't want to plan a meal that takes a lot of work on a night that you have carpool or meetings.
If you have a busy night there are a few things you can do:
- Plan a crock pot meal
- Use a freezer meal
- Make a meal that takes less than 15 minutes to make
By planning ahead you can skip the drive-thru and save your sanity.
Use Freezer Meals
Freezer meals can make life so much easier. You can plan ahead and use 1-2 freezer meals a week to make meal prep easier.
You can make a double batch of the meals your family loves. Then, freeze them to use a week or two later.
If you haven't tried freezer meals yet I would suggest My Freezeasy. They offer a free online freezer meal workshop that is awesome!
You can make 10 freezer meals in under an hour. I have put together a digital recipe book of my favorite freezer meals you can get here at my store.
Whether you try a new freezer meal from Pinterest, a new cookbook or a service freezer meal will help you keep your weekly meal planning easy.
Write Down The Meal Plan
Going to the store without a meal plan in place can be a recipe for disaster.
With a written meal plan you know what you are going to have each day and be able to plan for those evenings.
If you have never had a weekly meal plan I suggest starting with this weekly meal plan printable. You can print it for free and use it to start your meal planning.
With these simple tips, weekly meal planning can be easy to do and save you money.
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