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Home » Recipes » Cooking Resources

Official guide to meal planning

Last Modified: March 1, 2021 By Kathryn Doherty

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I have a planning problem. I like to do it way too much. Particularly as it involves anything edible.Ultimate guide to meal planning - tips, tricks and considerations to get started | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

I fear I’ve passed the syndrome on to my daughter. She’s 4 and it’s not unusual for her, while she’s eating her current meal, to want to know what she’s having for the next one. Sometimes, at 9:30 in the morning, she’ll ask what’s for dinner.

I tell her she’s getting ahead of herself, but she also knows that I know. I have the kids’ menu written out for the week and she’ll tell me to check it. I gotta say, I’m with her - I kinda like knowing what my next meal is. And the one after that. And the one after that.

Plus, meal planning takes all of the stress out of dinner time. I know what we’re having, I know I’ve shopped for the ingredients and I know I can throw it all together and make dinner happen.

I typically plan our adult menu for the month. Now stay with me here. I used to do it weekly, and sometimes I revert back to that if I can't get through a whole month of planning in one sitting. Or if I don’t know what’s coming up in terms of our schedules. But generally, I’ve got a monthly calendar with all of our dinners planned.

Ultimate guide to menu planning | FamilyFoodontheTable.comI like doing it monthly because you can make a note of the nights that you have a work meeting or a girls night or are traveling so you know that you won’t be there to cook and you can plan a freezer meal or leftovers for your spouse/family. You can plan around family get-togethers or dinner parties or other obligations so you know what to expect.

Menu planing also makes grocery shopping a breeze. You just check your menu, check your recipes and you’re all set. You save money by knowing what you need and what you don’t, and you waste less food by not buying a bunch of stuff you don’t end up using.

Now, of course, there is flexibility. Sometimes salmon goes on sale and I switch that dinner around so we can get it at a discount. Sometimes we have one of those days where the kids have worn me slam out and I’ll pick whatever is the least involved dinner for that week - or one of my back-up, go-to dinners - and have it that night. It’s a fluid thing. Here’s what my menu starts off looking like and what it ends up looking like. A total mess.

Meal planning guide | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Meal planning after menu | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

I got this year’s monthly menus from Landeelu. Pretty but also simple, which works for me. (Here's the link to her 2016 printable calendars.)

I also love these from Simple as That, The Taylor House and Craftaholics Anonymous.

Having a plan makes it so much easier to get home cooked meals on the table. So I've compiled an extensive run-through of all the considerations to take into account as you start to plan your weekly or monthly menus. Once you get into the groove, you'll wonder how you ever survived without it!

Menu planning how-to guide
If you’ve got soccer or swim or music one night, make sure that’s a night that you do something in the crock pot or have leftovers to transform into another meal or have part of the meal pre-prepared. I’ve got lots of quick meals that help me pull together dinner even on the busy nights.

I also make a note of when I won’t be home for dinner — girls night every third Wednesday of the month! Whoop, whoop! — or when my husband is out for work or travel. I know to make something ahead for him or to pull something from the freezer. If it’s him that’s out for a night, I load up on veggies so I can overdose in solitude. My guilty pleasure, minus the guilt.

Menu planning how-to guide
Are you zapped on Friday nights? Or do you want to kick back on Sundays? Plan around what you know works for you. Make your longer, more involved dinners on days that you tend to be more energetic. Save your quick and easy go-to dinners for your crazy days when you just aren't in the mood.

Menu planning how-to guide
You’ll need to plan your menu around when you grocery shop, if that’s something you have already scheduled. Particularly if you only shop once a week or if you frequent a farmers market or have a CSA delivery. Use the more perishable items the first few days after you shop and the more shelf-stable and longer-lasting veggies later in the week.

Menu planning how-to guide
I get an email once a week with what’s on sale at my grocery store. This is how I started menu planning, on a weekly basis. I would see what was on sale, create a menu for the following week and then load up on the sale items. Even doing it monthly now, I sometimes shuffle my menu around to be able to buy and use what's on sale. Budget-friendly is a good way to go!

Menu planning
We often do meatless Mondays, but I also occasionally get into other themes. Taco Tuesday and Fish Friday are favorites. I also like the idea of a regular burger night (veggie burgers, bean burgers, turkey burgers, regular burgers, burgers on salad), an Italian/Mexican/Indian theme night, a crock pot night, one-pot wonder night, everything on the grill night, breakfast for dinner night, panini night, a soup/chili night -- whatever you want to try and will work with your family and schedule. You can do endless variations with most of these themes so you won’t get bored. Plus you’ll develop a few go-to recipes in each theme that you can make with your eyes closed; perfect to pull out during a busy week. (Aren’t they all busy?!)

Menu planning how-to guide
You can balance your menu better when you plan it out. I try to vary our proteins — meatless/vegetarian night, chicken, turkey, pork and the very rare red meat night — as well as our starch — potatoes, rice, quinoa, barley, pasta — and our vegetables so we're getting a good variety.

You can also take advantage of batch cooking when you have a full week or more planned out. You can grill some extra chicken or double up on your rice one night to have to pull out for later in the week. Less waste and less time spent in the kitchen. What's not to love?

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So there you are. All my insights and tips into menu planning. It's a lifesaver around here and I strongly recommend it as a sanity saver. It may seem intimidating at first, but give it a try and I bet you’ll be hooked. And please let me know if you have questions or need help or ideas along the way!

** Do you plan your meals ahead of time? If so, how? If not, what challenges do you face? I’d love to hear from you! **

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness

    September 18, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    You are so incredibly organized! I never have a plan. I make impulse buys at the grocery store then have no idea what to do with it.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      September 18, 2015 at 7:37 pm

      It's a blessing and a curse I think, Cathleen 😉 Though I do love buying or ending up with extra veggies to make impromptu sides and lunches with!

      Reply
  2. Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

    September 19, 2015 at 8:36 am

    Oh I am totally and utterly in love with this post!!!

    I am a menu planner too and so many of my friends laugh at me about it!!

    This is less to do with the fact I am planning meals and more to do with the fact I am organised enough to do it. In my house you are lucky if you find two matching socks and I have remembered to put out sports uniforms and not formal uniforms. You are also very lucky if there is a spare toilet roll as I seem to have an uncanny ability to forget them when I do our shop. (I buy them in bulk of 48 so it is always a long time between purchases - that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!!!!!)
    But you ask what we are eating this week and I will know exactly! I know what we are having for breakfast, lunch, dinner and what snacks I will be making. I always have the ingredients I need and I never have to look around lost....missing items and looking around for things is a daily occurrence in my house!!!!

    So this post is just so wonderful, I am sending you a virtual hug as I no longer feel quite so strange that my food life is organised and scripted.

    LOVE IT!!!!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      September 19, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      Hugs back at ya, Claire! It's so nice to know that even when the laundry is piled up and the dishes are stacked all around the kitchen and the playroom is a total mess, I've got our food covered. 🙂 XO

      Reply
  3. Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages

    October 08, 2015 at 6:03 am

    I always do a weekly meal plan and generally stick to the same notions you have expressed here, makes life so much easier. I cannot fathom how to manage a month at a time though - well done, hats off to you.

    As guest co-host I'd like to say a big thanks for linking up to #FabulousFoodieFridays this week

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      October 08, 2015 at 6:40 pm

      It is such a time and sanity saver, isn't it? I started doing it weekly and have (mostly) migrated to monthly, but that just works for me. Thanks for hosting such a great party, Malinda! Have a wonderful weekend!

      Reply
  4. Quinn Caudill

    October 27, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    I feel like I am doing good if i take out 3 pr 4 meats, poultry, or fist out of the freezer on Sunday to have during the week. That is usually when I start planning. I couldn't imagine having the whole month planned out. Maybe I should start with two days a week.
    Thanks for sharing with us at #ThrowbackThursday. Hope to see you again this week.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      October 27, 2015 at 9:01 pm

      I think any planning or thinking ahead to the week's meals is a huge step! It's all about practice... from there you might want to have a few recipes you know you'll make and from there a few entire meals you've got in mind. It's all about little steps and whatever you need to make it work for you and your family. A whole month is probably too crazy for most people and that's totally OK. Every little bit helps!

      Reply

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Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a cookbook author, mom of two, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes to help you get delicious food on the table for your family!

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