Meal planning simplified

When it comes to cooking dinner, do you like to plan your meals ahead of time or fly by the seat of your pants?  No shock here, but I like to plan my meals.  Prior to having kids, it was no big deal to run to the store a couple of times a week and just grab what I needed.  Now, however, I can think of a lot of things I would rather do then drag two kids through the grocery store multiple times in a week, so it's more important than ever to plan our meals in advance.

One of my little "helpers" in the kitchen

I used to plan my meals out a week at a time.  This worked okay for a while, but I noticed that each week I dreaded coming up with 7 meals for the following week.  Some weeks I was overly ambitious and wanted to try a new recipe every night, but with dinner falling right in the middle of the witching hour (parents... you know this time well!), I was usually ready to throw in the towel and order takeout for the rest of the week by Wednesday!  Our grocery bill was also getting a little out of control.

I knew there had to be a better way to plan our dinners and save some money in the process.  So, I fell into the Pinterest rabbit hole for a few days and it was there that I found the idea for monthly meal planning.  I loved the idea of only having to sit down ONCE each month to plan our meals.  For a few months this worked really well.  Then the pandemic hit.  We weren't grocery shopping as much and ingredients weren't readily available, and truly once we threw an out of state move into the mix, my motivation to meal plan went out the window for a while!

At the beginning of the year I knew that for both my sanity and our budget, I needed to start planning our dinners again, but looking at an entire blank month felt daunting.  That's when I had the idea to give myself some parameters for our meals.  I figured if I could chose a "theme" for each night, it might make it easier to quickly think of meals.  I had seen ideas for themed nights before but some of them were too limiting for our taste, so I came up with some of our own.  For the past few months, I have been planning our meals using the following template:

Sunday: Family dinner (comfort food in the fall and winter, grilling in the spring and fall)
Monday: Meatless
Tuesday: Tacos (any Mexican food, really!)
Wednesday: Soup, salad, and/or sandwiches
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner

I don't plan for Fridays and Saturdays a month in advance since we usually don't make plans until the last minute.  Usually one night we order pizza or eat out, and the other night we make something easy or eat with family and friends.  Weekends are also when we give our kids more of the typical "kid food" like Easy Mac or chicken nuggets... momma needs a break sometimes!

On our busiest weeks, I keep the meals simple; pasta on Monday, burrito bowls on Tuesday with chicken and peppers from the crockpot, grilled cheese and tomato soup or a bagged Caesar salad with some grilled chicken on Wednesday, and eggs with toast and fruit on Thursdays.  When I'm feeling more creative I will make a couple of new recipes throughout the week.

If you'd like to give monthly meal planning or themed nights a try, here are my tips:

Look at your schedule:

Do you work late on Tuesdays?  Taking kids to soccer practice on Thursday nights?  Those probably aren't the best nights to try a fancy new recipe or make a dish that takes an hour to cook.  Look over your schedule to decide what days you have more time to spend on dinner and what nights need to be simple and quick.  I know that by Thursday I'm starting to feel burnt out and ready for the weekend, so breakfast for dinner is an easy pick.  Sometimes we end up with leftovers to eat on Thursday, so it's no big deal to use those ingredients for breakfast on the weekend if we don't use them during the week.  Be realistic about your time constraints and your season of life.  Which brings me to my next tip...

Use shortcuts from the grocery store:

I love making my own sauces, dressings, breads, etc., but sometimes I just don't have the time or energy!  There's no shame in relying on bagged salads, precut veggies, and rotisserie chickens to save time cooking.  Yes, homemade is usually cheaper and healthier, but sometimes you just need to be able to get dinner on the table without too much hassle.  Grocery pick ups and deliveries like Instacart and Shipt are also a lifesaver!  Walmart even offers free pickup where we live, so I have gotten in the habit of placing a pickup order every Friday.

Keep a list of family favorites:

You can probably think of several meals your family loves, but then you sit down to meal plan and draw a blank!  I keep a running list on my phone of our favorite meals and recipes we want to try.  Remember to note where you found the recipes too so you can easily access them.

Stock your pantry with the basics:

There are some ingredients that we tend to use often, like onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, black beans and chicken broth, so I try to keep these on hand at all times.  

Batch cook:

During the spring and summer months, my husband does a lot of grilling.  If he's making steaks for dinner one night, I'll usually have him throw on meats or veggies for another night to save time during the week.  Doubling a recipe and putting half in the freezer for later is another great option that doesn't require much extra work.

Shop seasonally:

Shopping for produce that is in season helps save money, and it tastes better too!  In the spring and summer we eat a lot of tomatoes, zucchinis and peppers.  In the fall and winter I love making hearty chilis and soups.

Be flexible:

Even with the best plan, life happens.  We don't always stick to the meals I have written on our monthly calendar and that's okay!  When I have meals planned ahead of time though, I find it easier to get back on track.

I hope you have found this helpful.  What tips do you have for planning meals?  I'll be packing lunches for my kids next year so I'd love to hear what works for your families!