Do you meal plan? Do you sit down every week or two and plan what you’re going to be eating? Do you have a routine of deciding your dinners and constructing a shopping list?

Perhaps this feels like too lofty of a goal. Maybe you want to meal plan but don’t know where to begin. Deciding one dinner is exhausting enough. Why in the world would you want to decide 7?

Perhaps you wonder if it’s even worth the effort. Why go to all that trouble planning meals when you can just wing it instead?

I’m here to tell you that it’s worth it. Meal planning is worth the effort, and it’s not as hard as you think.

Why To Meal Plan.

1. It saves brain space.

Instead of having to decide from scratch every day what you’re going to make for supper, meal planning does the heavy lifting for you. Instead of having to come up with brand new ideas every day, you can already have a plan or at least some options in place ahead of time. You can direct your mental energy elsewhere, knowing that supper has already been decided.

2. It’s cost-effective.

When you meal plan, you usually only need to go to the grocery store once a week. No more running in for one or two ingredients because you didn’t have enough for a recipe. No more panic purchases when you’re in a pinch.

Meal planning helps you think ahead and be intentional about only buying what you need when you need it.

3. It promotes healthy eating.

Meal planning encourages healthy eating. When you think through your meals for the week, you can be intentional about eating nutritiously. You can make sure to have healthy foods on hand, and the best part? You can snack on leftovers.

4. It limits food waste.

When you plan your meals and only buy what you need for those recipes, you end up eating what you have and just purchasing what you need. You can plan with intention and shop with frugality.

How To Meal Plan.

Have I sold you on meal planning? If so, here is a simple 6-step method for creating a weekly meal plan that I think you’ll find useful. I will share the 6 steps and then break them down in detail.

The 6 steps are look, survey, plan, build, write and edit.

Now let’s break them down.

1. Look at the food you have.

I think this is perhaps the most important step of them all. Look at what you already have. Take inventory.

Unless you’ve eaten everything in your pantry, fridge, and freezer, chances are you have some food in stock already.

In our efforts to save money and limit food waste, it’s important to begin with what you have and use what you have. There’s never usually a need to buy all new ingredients for every meal.

So sit down with a pen and paper or open the notes app on your phone and write down some key ingredients you already have. What do you want to use up this week? What would make a good addition to a meal?

Do you have lots of pasta and beans in your pantry? Write pasta and beans.

Do you have a freezer full deer sausage? Write that.

Do you have an odd assortment of condiments that are going to go bad soon? Write down Dijon mustard and barbeque sauce.

When meal planning, this is the best place to start.

2. Survey the week ahead.

Next, look at the coming week. What events do you foresee? Have you invited company for dinner on Friday? Do you have a busy day out on Saturday?

Make note of these special days.

These days will dictate what types of meals you need. If you have company coming and one of them has an allergy, you’ll need a meal that accomodates that. If you’re going to be out all day and won’t have time to cook, you’ll choose a meal that doesn’t require much preparation. If you have a birthday, you’ll opt for something more special and suited to one person’s preference.

NOTE: This is also a great time to list any extra food you need to make for the week – a batch of muffins for the kids, a meal for a family at church, or a special dessert.

3. Plan your protein.

Protein (especially meat) is typically the most expensive part of your grocery budget and the most important element of your plan. A meal needs a protein, or you won’t be satisfied or nourished as you should be.

Designate a protein for each day’s dinner. You can do this for breakfast and lunch too, but I find those are much easier to decide on the fly. I also typically have the same breakfast and lunch every day, so those don’t need a special plan.

NOTE: This will become easier as you learn what’s available at your local grocery store and how much your family eats each meal.

4. Build out your meals.

Now that you’ve planned your proteins, it’s time to build out your meals. You need to flesh them out, and remember to keep on eye on your weekly schedule and what you have in stock.

5. Write your shopping list.

After you’ve planned your meals (or better yet as you plan each meal), compile your shopping list. Think through the ingredients you need for each recipe. Check what you have and what you need. And then write down what you need to purchase.

Some people like to put their lists in order of where they’ll find them at the store. They might put all the produce together at the top and then group all the meat into a section, etc. Do what works for you.

6. Edit your work.

Once your plan and list are made, it’s time to review. Does your list reflect your goals? Have you accommodated for all upcoming events and special days? Are you intentionally using some already-stocked ingredients? Will you be spending more than you want or feel is reasonable?

Make all necessary changes to your meal plan now.

And there you have it! You’ve created an intentional meal plan for the week.

A note on flexibility.

Meal planning is an excellent skill to possess. It can help you save money, eat healthier, and avoid food waste.

However, there is also a time to be flexible. Cooking on the fly is also a skill to be learned. Adjusting a current meal plan to better meet the week’s demands is sometimes necessary.

Both are valuable. Both can be done well or poorly. There is certainly a time to meal plan, but there is also a time for spontaneity. You might prefer one over the other, and that’s okay! There is room for both methods.

To finish, I have included a printable PDF to help you in your meal planning. It includes all 6 steps listed above, and it gives you space to fill in your own plans. I hope this resource is helpful.

Happy meal planning!