Meal planning for your family can be overwhelming when you don’t know where to start. I feel like I have a good handle on our daily rhythm at home, however, nothing takes me out for than those 3 words: “What’s for dinner?” I can handle a lot of things, but answering that question in real-time isn’t something I ever feel like doing.
This is why I make it my business to meal plan for my family every week. Deciding ahead of time what you and your family will eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner gives you peace that is hard to describe. It’s unmatched, really. This is something I finally got the hang of after listening to my friend Kendra’s podcast on how she meal plans. The simpler, the better, y’all. I’ve learned that I’ve been overcomplicating this for no reason at all.
Here’s the other epiphany I had: intentional meal planning creates space for intentional grocery shopping. Now when I order my groceries, I know exactly what I need without making it up off the top of my head or simply replenishing what ran out.
WRITE IT DOWN
First, I grab a pen and my Weekly Meal Plan pad. Pretty paper products give me an incentive to write things down consistently, but if you don’t have a blank notebook or meal planning pad to write on, a plain sheet of paper works just fine. (Be sure to take a snapshot of the list with your phone when you’re done just in case the sheet of paper goes missing.)
I always make my list in a quiet place when I know I will be uninterrupted for about 10 minutes to get this done. We overestimate multitasking and underestimate small pockets of uninterrupted time. I like to do this right before the kids get home from school and no one can bother me. What works for me is meal planning on Thursday or Friday. Because the new week starts on Sunday, getting it done before then is key.
What has become key in my meal planning is being honest with myself about what I will actually get done, what the budget is, and what our schedule looks like. It’s also important for me to do a physical inventory of what we have in our fridge and pantry (instead of assuming) to make sound meal decisions.
MEAL PLANNING DOESN’T MEAN COOKING EVERYTHING
Meal planning means planning ahead + writing down what meals you’re going to have. That doesn’t mean you have to cook them. Thankfully, Chris cooks and so I like to touch base with him and see if he’s okay with covering certain meals on certain days. On other days, I know we’ll be swamped with meetings, appointments, and the like, so I’ll schedule takeout. My goal is to cook dinner at least 3 times a week and be clear on what I’m packing for the kids’ lunch so I don’t have to think about it.
PLAN WHAT WORKS
Every day is not the time to try new recipes for your kids – especially if you have younger kids. The weekend is a great time to experiment but right before school or bedtime is not when you want to risk trying a new Pinterest recipe. Save that for a long weekend, or on days you have time. Meal planning allows you to plan to cook (or order) meals you know your family will eat so everyone goes to be happy, healthy, and full.
Lean into things like themed days (if you swear by Taco Tuesday or Pizza Friday – run with it!), food that’s in season, and the kind of food your family actually eats. If the kids don’t do shrimp, don’t force. Stick to recipes and/or meals with a high success rate. If it isn’t necessarily the healthiest meal, find a way to put a healthy spin on it or add veggies on the side.
Making decisions ahead of time really saves my everyday life so I literally plan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an after-school or afternoon snack. Leave no stone left unturned.
GROCERY SHOP ACCORDING TO YOUR MEAL PLAN
Once I’m clear on what meals I’ve decided on, I write down the ingredients we don’t have and add them to my shopping list before ordering groceries.
Because I order my groceries and have them delivered on Saturday morning, I like to put my order in on the Shipt app the day before. I love using Shipt because their shoppers always pay close attention to detail and you can schedule orders ahead. If you have a shopper that you really like, you can save them to your Preferred Shoppers list. I have a couple of shoppers that I really like and when I schedule my orders ahead I usually get them.
I’m also one of those people who order groceries every week, so I have their Shipt Everyday plan. With the plan, you get free delivery for all orders over $35 which is so convenient and well worth it in my opinion. The Shipt Everyday Plan is $99/yr and they deliver from so many grocery stores and retailers. Be sure to use my discount code MATTIE20 to get $20 off your first order of $50 or more.
If meal planning has been overwhelming you, I encourage you to make time in your schedule at the end of the workweek and get it done before Sunday or whatever works best for your family’s schedule. Then order your groceries and watch next week feel lighter because all of your meals are decided ahead of time.
