Meal Planning 101: How to Meal Plan, Even if It’s Never Worked for You

We have all heard how amazing meal planning is. It’s supposed to be the sure-fire way to save money on groceries, eat healthier, and bring some sanity to our crazy nights. But what if meal planning just hasn’t worked? What if we’ve made the meal plan (or even easier, printed someone else’s pretty one), yet two weeks later, we’re all off course again? These four meal planning pitfalls and six simple steps will help anyone meal plan successfully, even if it has never worked before.

This post focuses on meal planning for dinners. If you want help with lunches, check out 6 Tips for Packing School Lunches that are Stress-Free, Fast, and Healthy.

Meal Planning Pitfalls

Even the most well-intentioned homemaker can fall prey to these meal planning pitfalls. Luckily, each one really is a simple fix.

First, meal plans are too fancy.

Sometimes it’s the effort of making the pretty printable that we just can’t keep up with. More likely, the gourmet nature of the meals stops us. Sometimes our meal plans are just too fancy to cut it in real life.

Simple Fix: Don’t worry about the presentation. Use a simple template, a post-it note, or a chalkboard on the fridge. Don’t let a lack of prettiness stop you from reaping the benefits of a well-run meal plan.

More importantly, choose simple meals that you have actually made before. If you happen to frequent the drive-through a lot, this list may be short to begin with. Don’t worry! Start with the meals you are actually comfortable making. Keep reading for the simple way to experiment and expand your family’s meal list.

Second, meal plans don’t have a back-up.

And oh how we need a back-up plan! After all, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” A child’s practice might run late, a planned trip to the grocery store might fall through, or someone might need your help right when you were supposed to make that scrumptious dinner.

Simple Fix: Have a back-up plan. We’ll detail this in Step #5 below. Then, when anything goes awry, you still have a simple, healthy option for dinner.

Third, meal plans tell you what to cook, but not when to actually get it done.

Well-intentioned meals plans often miss the vital step of fitting meal preparation into real life.

Simple Fix: In your plan, determine how long it takes to make the meal and when in the day you’re going to do it.

Fourth, meal plans need to be made too often.

I remember talking to a friend about meal planning, and she made the very astute comment to the effect of, “Weeks just come around too fast.” Making a weekly meal plan can take too long and be too much for the busiest seasons of life.

Simple Fix: If a weekly meal plan is too often for you like it is for so many others, use a monthly meal plan. Plan once right now, and be done for weeks. You can even reuse that meal plan month after month, making only slight adjustments according to seasonal needs.

Now that we have the major meal planning pitfalls covered, let’s move on to the six simple steps for a successful meal plan.

How to Meal Plan in Six Simple Steps

1. Create a Master List of Meals
   • This list has two sections: Meals We Like and Meals We Want to Try.
   • I like to keep this list in writing and on Pinterest.
   • Take the time to create the list once, then add to it whenever time or thought permits. This one step will save SO much time as you meal plan.
   • If you can, jot a quick note by each meal with about how long it takes to make.
2. Evaluate the Family Schedule
   • Decide what time you want to eat. It can be the same time each night or different times for different days depending on kids’ schedules.
   • Determine when you have time to cook each day. You might have time right before dinner, in the morning for a crockpot meal, in the afternoon for a make-ahead meal, or weekly for batch cooking.
   • If just looking at your schedule makes your head swim, you may want to check out Be Less Busy: 20 Things to Cut from Your Busy Parenting Schedule.
3. Plug Meals into Your Schedule
   • Take your Master List of Meals We Like and plug them into your schedule for each night. Consider how you will use leftovers. Write the meal and when you will make it. (The when can be noted for each day of the week or each meal.)
   • Choose two meals from your Meals We Want to Try. Plug them into two nights during the month when you have extra time to cook. (Of course, you are free to do more new meals if you want, but I have found two a month to be a great way to try new foods without getting overwhelmed.)
4. Make it Visible
   • Put your meal plan in the calendar you use daily, whether that is a paper calendar or on your phone.
   • Post at least one week of your plan in a visible place, such as the fridge or bulletin board.
   • Having your meal plan visible will remind you when you need to pull the meat out of the freezer or use the 30 minutes before activities to put a casserole together. Additionally, when the plan is visible, your kids will help you be accountable to stick to it.
5. Create a Back-Up Plan
   • Make a list of last-minute meals. These meals will typically use ingredients that are shelf-stable or freezer friendly. Keep these meals on hand for the night when the meal plan goes awry.
   • Some examples of back-up meals include canned beans and minute rice, jarred sauce and pasta, homemade frozen burritos, or frozen vegetable soup. Each can be heated or cooked in about 15 minutes or less.
   • This back-up plan prevents both the unintended take-out (which is usually more expensive and less healthy) and the frustration of feeling like there’s nothing for dinner.
6. Write Your Shopping List
   • At the risk of sounding obvious, a meal plan won’t last if there’s no food in the house to work with. 😉
   • Write your shopping list (I shop for a week at a time), including items you need to stock up for your back-up meals. Decide when is the best time to grocery shop, or try grocery delivery.

Related: Organize Your Life: Organize Your Meals

The Family Dinner

When you implement these six steps and avoid the meal planning pitfalls, you will be able to create a meal plan that actually works for your family. In doing so, you will find that all that talk about meal planning is true: meal planning really does save money, time, and sanity.

The best part of all of this is that when we plan for meals effectively, we increase the chance of spending those meals together. Along that same line, we save time so we can spend more time with what matters most, lovin’ our Littles.

Calm, prepared meals become a solid and regular opportunity to connect with our children, teach them important life skills, and bond over food and laughter. I have foundational childhood memories of meals together, and I know our family relationships were strengthened around the table.

I hope each of us is able to bring joy, learning, and love into our homes more fully through Family Dinner. Effective meal planning, even if it’s never worked before, is one practical way to do that. Take the time right now to work out your meal plan, and you’ll be well on your way to family dinner success.

What problems have you had with meal planning? Please share in the comments.

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