#Weekly meal planning for free
#Weekly meal planning pro
#Weekly meal planning plus

#Weekly meal planning pro

Second pro tip: Try to pick several meals that use at least some of the same ingredients. Pro tip: Since the goal is to go shopping just once per week, try to schedule meals that use quickly-perishable ingredients toward the beginning of the week, and plan to have leftovers, recipes made from pre-cooked ingredients and pantry staples, or “freezer meals” at the end of the week. Many people allot an hour per week or month to search for new and interesting recipes to try, so they’re not always eating the same meals week after week. You can then fill in your menu template with meals that appeal to you (and/or your family), remembering to use fast or easy recipes on the nights when you’ll have less time to prepare them.

#Weekly meal planning plus

The second way to do it is to keep a list of go-to meals or recipes that the family loves, plus a folder (hard copy or on your computer) with recipe ideas clipped from magazines or found online. Simply decide on themes or specific meals for each night of the week for example, Monday is the night for grilled strip steak with green beans, or Wednesday is “pasta night.” This approach greatly cuts down on the time required for planning meals, but it also limits variety and experimentation. The first method is easier, but some families find it makes mealtime a bit monotonous. There are two common approaches to filling out the meal planner. You now have your weekly meal planner template. And note any day of the week when the whole family won’t be around for dinner, so you’ll know not to plan a big family meal. Also mark the nights when you’ll be eating late (or early) because of other commitments like sporting events or PTA meetings you’ll want to plan something super-easy for those dinners. Once you have your calendar, highlight the days for which you need to plan meals, and cross off any nights when you’ll be going out for dinner. These are the best tools for meal planning: printable and customizable blank calendar sheets that you can turn into your own monthly meal or weekly meal planner templates.

#Weekly meal planning for free

Just do a Google search for free printable calendars, and you’ll find a wealth of calendar layouts for either a single week or an entire month. Today, there are a number of websites that offer printable meal planners, although you have to deal with never-ending ads and recipes on many of those sites, just to find the “free” download for their printable weekly meal planner. In your mother’s or grandmother’s day, they’d have to draw a chart on a piece of paper or in a notebook to be able to plan out meals for the entire week. The Internet makes life simpler in an infinite number of ways, and this is one of them. Let’s demystify the process of meal planning by exploring the real key to success: your meal plan template.

Get organized with a weekly meal plan template, a list of meal or recipe ideas and a weekly grocery list.Īny initial “pain” will quickly be replaced by relief the relief that you’ve gained more control over your life, and the relief that you’ll be coming home each night to a delicious, healthy meal.

Going to give it a go? There are three important rules to follow. And it’s the number-one hurdle you’ll have to clear when you’ve decided to try weekly meal planning. That’s the same reason many people give up on diets shortly after starting them. Whether you’ve just accepted a challenging new job or moved into a new house filled with nothing but boxes – the temptation to simply bail out and walk away can be overwhelming. Taking on any new project is intimidating.