I don’t know exactly when I started meal planning. It was definitely before we had kids. I think sometime around when my husband and I moved in together I started “warning” him about what was planned for dinner that week. (Side note: my husband was not always the adventurous eater he is now). All I know is that once I started I never stopped. There is something so nice about knowing what meals I get to enjoy for the week ahead. Not to mention it is a huge stress reliever to not cook dinner on the fly during the work week. Meal planning does not have to be complicated or intimidating. There are so many perks to meal planning I think once you get into a rhythm of doing it week after week you will never turn back.
Why I Meal Plan:
I mentioned there are numerous benefits to meal planning. Besides being able to pick exactly what food shows up on your plate, here are the other biggest perks I see.
- Nutrition: By making your own meals you get to pick and choose exactly what food goes into your body. It is easy to make small substitutions that can go a long way in improving your overall nutrition. Plus when you have your meals planned out ahead of time you are less likely to make impulsive, unhealthy meal decisions when crunched for time.
- Save money: Meal planning gives you an opportunity to save a lot of money. Plan your menu around what is on sale and you can save a pretty penny. Plus, as previously mentioned, meal planning prevents you from ordering out too frequently or running to the grocery store every night for quick impulsive (and potentially expensive) shopping.
- Easier/less stress: I can not stress enough how nice it is to not have to worry about what we are going to eat during the work week. Personally, I have enough on my plate (pun intended) during the week that I don’t have the mental energy to think up a different dinner each night. Instead I spend about 30 min one night a week picking out meals for the next 6 days.
How I Meal Plan
Meal planning doesn’t have to be hard. I meal plan one week at a time. I usually start meal planning on Thursday night because I grocery shop on Friday. So my meal plan, or menu, usually goes from Friday though to the following Thursday. Here’s a break down of my meal planning method.
Step 1: Take a quick inventory of what I already have on hand. I usually peek around my freezer, fridge, and pantry to see what I already have laying around. Is there something I need to use up that’s about to go bad? Or do I already have most (but not all) of the fixings for a particular dish? Ok, log that info away and keep it in mind for recipe selection. See next step.
Step 2: Research and select recipes. I really enjoy cooking. So I spend some of my free time watching the Food Network, reading cookbooks, and flipping through food magazines. I am also a huge fan of trying new dishes. So I will usually pick out one or two new recipes I want to try and add them to my menu. Otherwise I pick meals based off what is on sale or what I have on hand.
Step 3: Make the menu. Next, I write down what we will have for dinner each night of the week (Friday through Thursday). I also write down what I plan on having for breakfast and lunch during the work week. My menu usually looks something like this:
Sample Menu
- Friday- Homemade Pizza
- Saturday- Tacos
- Sunday- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Monday- Thai Peanut Noodles
- Tuesday- Leftovers
- Wednesday- Leftovers
- Thursday- Leftovers
- Breakfast & Lunch- Green Smoothies + Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Extras: Blueberry Muffins + Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 4: Make the grocery list. Now I go through each recipe and write down what ingredients I need. I usually already have several of the main ingredients like chicken, ground beef, flour, broth, etc. Then I add in our family staples. My son lives off yogurt and peanut butter spread on tortillas so those always make the list. Plus fruit, milk, bread, chips and whatever else our family eats regularly.
Step 5: Buy the food. Traditionally I am a one stop shop kinda gal. I hate running around to 3 or 4 different stores so I usually shop at a bigger chain grocery store that I know will have nearly everything I need at a good price. But you could make your menu based off where you know you are going shopping. Make it easy and convenient for you.
Step 6: Make the food. I do most of the cooking over the weekend. This is typically when I have the time. Sometimes I cook two meals at once and throw one in the freezer to use later that week. I almost always make big batch meals, or things that will have leftovers. This includes but is not limited to pastas, soups, casseroles, or big sheet pan meals. This way we can enjoy the leftovers and not worry about cooking after work.
How I Meal Plan When I Don’t Feel Like Meal Planning
So I don’t always like meal planning. Sometimes I get in a “food rut”, or I’m tired, or just plain don’t have the time. On these weeks I just stick to what is easy. I buy things that I know my family enjoys and are easy to whip together. Easy pastas, meat and veggies thrown on the grill, or maybe just sandwiches. I have a few simple recipes up my sleeve that are easy to throw together. One of these recipes is my Sausage Pepper Pasta. I make it at least once a month and we are still not sick of it. It is super simple and you can throw in whatever veggies or pasta variety you have on hand. Check out the recipe below.
Super Simple Sausage Pepper Pasta
First just slice up and brown either spicy Italian sausage or smoked Kielbasa sausage. I always keep Italian sausage in our freezer because its such a versatile meat that can go in many dishes. Brown the sausage on both sides and remove from pan. Wipe out most of the excess grease with a paper towel. But leave a little… because it adds some flava flave.
While the sausage is browning cook some noodles according to the package directions. I used gluten free noodles but you can use whatever you have in your pantry. I find that penne, rigatoni, or spiral noodles tends to work best.
Next, slice up some bell peppers and whatever other veggies you have laying around. Zucchini, sweet potato, tomatoes, or butternut squash all work well. Add the veggies to the original pan with some olive oil. Cook the veggies until softened and slightly browned.
Add pasta and sausage back into the pan and season with salt and pepper. And that’s it! I like to cook a large batch of this meal so we can have the leftovers later in the week.
You can find some more of my favorite recipes below.
- Healthy-ish Homemade Pizza
- Healthy Zucchini, Corn, & Chicken Chowder
- Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles
- Healthy Stuffed Acorn Squash
Let me know what other questions you have about meal planning. Hope you found my tips helpful. Good luck!
–Monica
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- 3-4 Spicy Italian Sausage Sliced (Or use smoked sausage)
- 14 oz Dried Pasta Penne or Rigatoni work best
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 onion Sliced
- 3 Bell Peppers Sliced
- 1 Zucchini (optional) Diced
- salt and pepper
Ingredients
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- Start with cutting your sausage into slices. Cook sausage slices on one side in pan until browned. Flip and cook until browned on other side and cooked through. Remove sausage from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Wipe out remaining remaining grease from pan using a paper towel.
- While sausage is cooking bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles according to package directions. I used gluten free noodles but feel free to use whatever brand of variety you have on hand. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Add olive oil to the pan. Add onion, bell peppers, zucchini, and any other vegetables you are using to the pan. Cook 6-7 minutes on medium heat until vegetables have softened or gotten slightly browned.
- Add cooked pasta and sausage back into pan. Stir and let cook an additional 2-3 minutes. I like to let my noodles get a little crispy on the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!