Complete step by step meal planning guide for moms to plan meals for the entire week. Putting great food on the table and maintaining a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be hard, let me show you how!

As you know, nutrition is the most important part of your fitness journey and health in general. Meal time can become so chaotic, especially with children and their varying food interests, that the easiest thing to do is to order take-out, day after day and week after week. The only way to make meal time manageable and easier is to meal plan or “menu-plan” a week ahead. Don’t be intimidated, it’s much easier than you think and I’m going to show you how to simplify the meal planning process.

Let’s take charge and be proactive in how we fuel our body because it is possible to eat good, look good, feel good and have time to do things that really matter to us. It starts with meal planning INTENTIONALLY.

What is Meal Planning?

Meal planning is simply creating a plan of what you will buy and eat during the week. Similar to planning out your “to do” list for the week, meal planning is writing out your “to eat” list. Meal planning or menu planning should take no more than 30-45 mins each week of your time.

Why Should I Meal Plan?

Meal planning…

• Saves time. It frees up and organizes your time so that you can do the things that really matter to you.
• Saves money. When you plan to spend, you plan to save. Unplanned spending or unaccounted purchases are the reason we lack financial control. Meal planning allows you to eat well, spend wisely according to your budget, and save. Having full control of spending habits in the grocery store, can save hundreds and thousands a year!
• Improves your nutrition. Meal planning provides more nutritional variety in our diet . Homemade meals use better quality ingredients, and are less processed than fast food, which generally are high in calories, carbs, trans fats and hydrogenated oils.
• Helps you stay on track with Macronutrients. Loosing weight or building muscle begins in the kitchen. Having a meal plan allows you to hit your fitness goals without having to stress about “Where am I going to get my protein from today?”.
• Decreases stress. How stressful is it to come home after a long day and not knowing what’s for dinner. Plan your weekly meals once and take the guesswork out of dinner for the next 7 days. 
• Improves culinary skills. Practice makes perfect. The more we cook, the more skilled we become and the more efficient cooks we become.
• Encourages your kids to make healthier food and life choices. Obesity is a preventable childhood disease that no child should have to endure. Obesity is environmental, it is a learned behavior that children adopt from their guardians or environment. What we teach and feed our kids, is what they become. Meal Planning teaches your family and kids that eating homemade food is important and it increases their understanding and perception of nutrition. We have to think of food as fuel and medicine and not just a substance that satisfies our hunger. What a great opportunity to involve children in meal planning and the cooking process.
• Reduces Food waste: No more throwing food away that was tucked deep in the fridge. Know exactly what you buy and plan how to use it in your weekly meal plan.

The Simple Process of Meal Planning

1. Determine the days you will make a meal.

It doesn’t have to be everyday, and that is the beauty of meal planning is that you are in complete control. I like to follow the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) in the kitchen. Eat healthy homemade meals 80% of the time and indulge or eat out 20% of the time, such as on weekends. The difference between eating out unplanned, and planning to eat out is that it gives you a sense of control and generally does not involve any guilt, because you planned for it. You are a meal planning genius who plans meals and schedules eating out, in full self-control. Say bye to guilt for good!

Check your calendar for any events, birthdays, or holidays. Plan your meals around these days so that you can be free and fully present when it is required of you. Maybe plan to eat out on the days you have soccer practice with your kids, or better yet, prepare the meal earlier in the day to limit the time in the kitchen in evening.

2.Check what you already have on hand.

Cost effective meal planning requires you to first take inventory of what you already have in the fridge, freezer and pantry and plan meals around that to avoid food waste and extra spending. Go through your food supply and check expiration dates, throw out anything that is rotten, moldy or just doesn’t smell right. When in doubt, throw it out! You’ll find that when you meal plan, you won’t be throwing food out as much.

Make a written list of what you have on hand. Check your refrigerator, freezer and pantry and write everything down.To make your life so much simpler, I’ve created a Simple Meal Planning Template just for you! This is the exact system I use when I meal plan, and this organizational process saves so much time. Download and print the Simple Meal Planning Template below!

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If there is any food that is sitting in your freezer for more than 6 months from the purchase date, it is a sign to eat it or dump it. Frozen foods are convenient, but should be used within 6 months to prevent freezer burn, the loss of nutrients and flavor. 

Go through the pantry and determine what ingredients may be incorporated into this week’s meals, such as canned tomatoes, beans, corn, tuna, etc. Account for grains and spices as well.

3. Plan your meals using inspiration online.

Come up with meal ideas with what you already have on hand or plan how to incorporate random ingredients into delicious recipes.

Pinterest is a girls best friend when it comes to meal ideas, there are so many great recipes on pinterest, definitely check it out. Cookbooks and old family recipes is another great resource for meal ideas. allrecipes.com has an awesome search bar that allows you to search thousands of recipes by ingredient. Enter the ingredients you have on hand, and allrecipes.com will generate plenty of meal ideas with your listed ingredients. How genius is that! Also plan to try some new recipes, different cuisines, different ingredient combinations, the kitchen is your Oyster.

Check the recipe section of this blog for simple, tasty, healthy meals that help you reach your fitness goals!

4. Write down your meals on a family calendar.

It is highly recommended to write out the meal plan for the week on a calendar the whole family will see. This instills accountability and sets boundaries as well, because your kids won’t be begging for takeout when you have planned a delicious meal in the calendar. This magnet calendar is a staple in the kitchen. It is dry erase, reusable week after week and has plenty of room to not only write down weekday meals but important weekly events.

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5. Create grocery list and shop.

If you are using the Simple Meal Planning Printable I provided, go ahead and tear off the “grocery list” section. After taking inventory, planning your meals around leftover ingredients and new recipes, write down the ingredients you are missing or need to complete the meals. 

Now that you have a rock solid plan, head on over to the grocery store, you’ll be surprised how quickly you stocked up on groceries this time.

Helpful Meal Planning Tips

Meal planning doesn’t have to be boring, here are some helpful tips to spice up your meal planning game…

• Theme Nights: Taco Tuesday, Meatless Monday, Soup Sunday… Mexican, Italian, American, Indian, Asian, Grill, Seafood, Slow Cooker, Loaded salad nights.The list goes on…
• Involve family: Have your children pick one meal they would like you to prepare this week. Better yet, list out the ingredients you have on hand, and challenge your kids to come up with ways to incorporate that into a dish. This is great way to invite children into the meal planning process and it gives them a sense of belonging. Psst….they are less likely to be picky!
• Set Boundaries: Picky eaters will remain picky as long as we enable them. Now, we all have different taste preferences, and that is ok. However, only wanting to eat chicken nuggets and PB&J’s for dinner is not normal and children ought to understand that meal time does not revolve around them. Moms, set realistic goals and expectations for dinner time. Cook meals that are nutrient dense, but not too extreme that your picky eater won’t touch (like oysters, don’t cook oysters). It is important to expose children to different food groups, and they may not convert right away, but with consistency and time, picky eaters will understand how to expand their palette.
• Save meal Ideas for later: Saving previous meal ideas can help you when you’re in a funk or just feeling uninspired. You can store meal ideas in a binder or snap a picture on your phone and organize it into a meal plan ideas album.
• Set family goals: How many days will we eat out this week? How may days will we cook this week? Write those goals down on a family calendar (link )for the whole family to see and keep each other accountable.
• Prep food before dinner: Chop up ingredients the night before or anytime during the day when you have just a little more time. 
• Use time saving kitchen tools: Crockpot– toss all ingredients in the morning and enjoy it just in time for dinenr, Intantpot– how did we ever live without this wonderful invention. Cook chicken breast, soups, eggs in 30 minutes or less (The definition of FAST food), Rice cooker– want fluffy rice EVERY. SINGLE. TIME then you need a ricecooker., Salad Spinner– the easiest way to wash and dry salad, Meat claws– shred chicken like a wolverine! Getting your hands on time saving kitchen technology is literally life changing!
• Set realistic goals for yourself: Don’t try a new recipe when you only have 30 minutes before you have to leave out the door. Stick to simple meals on busy days and on the nights you don’t have competing responsibilities, try something new.
• Cook larger portions: Hello leftovers! More food =great lunch for the next day. I always try to make a little extra to have as left overs the next day or to pack for work/school. Store leftovers in glass containers.

I hope this Meal Planning Guide answered all of your questions and simplified things enough to inspire you to be more proactive in the kitchen. Now, let’s get Meal Planning! 

Drop a comment down below for any questions you may have regarding this topic of Meal Planning!