Do you menu plan? I have found that this is the number one way to keep my family fed within our budget and without stress. Now, do I always follow the menu 100%? Not at all. But it certainly gives me a guideline so that I’m not pulling meals out of my head last-minute, and gives me a base off of which to work when I make a grocery list
Before we were married, I nannied for a doctor and her family. One of my main tasks was to plan the family’s weekly menu so that the mom was able to go to work each day looking forward to what they would eat that night. This was my first introduction to what has become one of my biggest passions.
I’ve been doing this now for over twenty years, and I’ve learned a few things along the way. Whether you’re just getting started or have been doing this for a while, I hope this list of tips will propel you further in your own menu planning journey!
- Plan two weeks in advance when you can
- I have found that planning a full two weeks is the most cost-effective way to keep track of meals, because the fewer times I go to the store, the less money I spend. Any longer and the fresh fruits and veggies go bad. But any shorter, and I find myself picking up a lot of unnecessary items that we don’t end up using or don’t need to eat.
2. Use your foods most likely to spoil within the first week
- Lettuce and other, softer vegetables and fruits such as berries may spoil. To avoid losing money by allowing foods to go bad, plan to eat salads and other fresh items earlier in the two-week period.
3. Get creative and have weekly patterns to help fight against the inevitable “rut”
- For example, we do “Taco Tuesday” and “Pizza Friday” almost every single week. Wednesdays we often have breakfast for dinner. It doesn’t mean we have the same meal every week, but it does help me to categorize and push forward. On Tuesdays we might have tacos, or we might do enchiladas, taco soup, etc. On Fridays the pizzas vary and we do unique flavors, but always on a homemade crust.
4. Don’t forget to account for evening activities
- Write the actual dates on your meal planner, and cross-reference the family calendar while you’re thinking through your meals. Have a track meet or a school concert one night? Don’t be caught off guard by planning to grill – schedule to have portable sub sandwiches or cut up meats, cheeses and veggies that night. Going to a church potluck? Plan on a family favorite and take that along!
5. Make your grocery list as you go
- To save time and make sure you get every ingredient needed, have your grocery list on hand when planning. Take inventory of what you might have on hand, and if you don’t have it, write it down on the list. I like to stay ahead of my pantry ingredients, so even if I do have everything, as long as it’s within the budget, I still usually buy shelf-stable items to replace what I know I’ll use.
6. Use at least one source each time you meal plan
- Most of the time, the majority of my meals are things I already know how to make. But when I am using recipes, I like to pick one source and start there. For example, I have an old cookbook my mom’s co-workers put together years ago. Every few weeks, I’ll pull that out and skim every recipe title. I’ve had it for 25 years, and there are still recipes that I’ve never tried before that are fun to add into the rotation. But what it also does is sparks ideas in my head as I go. I might see a recipe for a complicated spaghetti sauce, and while I know I won’t have time for that in the next two weeks, it reminds me that plain ol’ spaghetti is a very easy meal that I can put on a Wednesday when we’re usually in a hurry to get to church. You can see how one cookbook is very helpful for planning. Using more than two, however, will be too hard to keep track of, so I recommend not breaking out all your cookbooks at once.
7. Plan out a list of other meals and snacks to have on hand
- This one is pretty self-explanatory, but it makes a difference. We are trying to eat fewer processed foods as well as spend much less at the store, so gone are the days of baskets of pre-packaged snacks. This means I need a reminder every couple of days of what I can make. Whether it’s copycat Perfect Bars or Heavenly Hunks, or chocolate chip cookies, or Chex mix, I don’t always remember without my trusty list what I have on hand to make. Be sure you then add the ingredients for these to your grocery list, too!
Well, there you have it – my top 7 tips for planning out meals. Have I missed anything? I’ll be sharing my own printable menu planner soon!
