How to Make a Weekly Meal Plan

Making a meal plan is a huge time saver, and money saver for our family. It takes a little planning, but knowing what you will make for dinner each night is worth it. It also makes it easier for us to eat meals together as a family.

Here is how I create my weekly meal plan.

Research Recipes—I always want to try new recipes but never seem to have all the ingredients on hand. So, I occasionally research and select one new recipe and add it to my meal plan. Once I’ve chosen a new recipe, I add the ingredients to my weekly shopping list.
Make a Shopping List—I start by inventorying the food in our pantry. I’ll add any regularly purchased items to the shopping list. Then, I add recipe-specific ingredients I need for special meals.
Shop the Sales—If the grocery store has a special on specific items, I try to plan meals around those items. I also like to stock up on sale items and work them into future meal plans.
Make a List of Possible Meals – After shopping, I make a list of all the possible meals I can make.
Select meals based on your calendar of events for the week. – If we have a hectic day, I usually plan a slow cooker meal or something quick and easy. On weekends in the summer, we usually grill out.
Write down your plan and post it on the fridge, calendar, or somewhere everyone can see it. You can use this free meal plan printable I made.
Every morning, look at the meal plan – I look at my meal plan each morning to set out meat to thaw, prep food, or pick up any extras I might need. This prevents a 5 o’clock panic.