We’ve all heard the old adage “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” If you wished you ate a healthier diet, if you wished you knew what you were making for dinner tonight, if you wished you have better options on hand for breakfast–the key is to plan.
I’ve been an avid meal planner for years. I plan what I’m making for dinner for at least a week, if not 10 days at a time. I’ve had many different methods, from good old fashioned paper and pencil, the Notes section of my phone, to specialized apps.
Here’s my general procedure:
- Grab 2-3 cookbooks and look through for favorites.
- Check Pinterest for anything I’ve pinned lately I wanted to try.
- Write down titles of recipes and their sources.
- Check pantry and refrigerator for items needed and add them to the appropriate list–either Costco or the regular grocery store.
- Note down if I’m doubling a partial dinner–such as double the batch of meatballs to use in 2 different meals, or double the rice for one meal to use in fried rice in another.
- Take note of breakfast or dessert recipes I want to try this week and add those. Not one for everyday like dinner–usually just 1-2.
There are plenty of list making apps out there, but I’ll tell you that my current favorite app is called AnyList. I have lists created for each store I go to–Costco, Trader Joes, Grocery (encompassing all other grocery stores such as WinCo or Safeway or Sprouts etc.). I also created a general list for my Meal Plan. There is a recipe import function, but I rarely use that.
You can categorize the foods on your list into departments and then order those departments like your store is ordered, so it makes going through your shopping a breeze.
For the actual planning part, I have created the Meal Plan list. The title of the recipe is the “item” and the link to the recipe (if it’s on the web) goes in the notes section. It’s clickable from there so I can easily check the recipe website from the Meal Plan list. If it’s in a cookbook, I just note the book name and the page number. It it’s pinned, I note the board. It’s great to even re-use recipes by looking at titles you’ve previously crossed off. Or start typing in the “add item” box the word “chicken” and all the recipes that have the word chicken will come up as suggestions.
Of course there are many many meal planning and list apps out there! Find one that works for you!
To make planning easier, here’s a few things you can try:
- Reuse recipes!! This is a big one. Be sure to keep a running list of family favorites because every night does not have to be a new recipe! I used to never make the same exact thing twice, but that idea is long gone! If I don’t make spaghetti every couple of weeks, there is a revolt.
- Theme your days so you are looking for specific types of food: Meatless Mondays, Italian on Wednesdays, Crockpot meals on Sunday, etc.
- Be sure to check your calendar for evening commitments that will hinder dinner making. Note down which days this week you need to plan a leftover night, which nights need to have an earlier or later dinner time.
- Plan days you are going out for dinner or getting take out! Yes that is part of my plan!
- Ask your family members what they want! My kids aren’t always full of ideas, but often they’ve been hoping for tacos and I haven’t made them in a while. You don’t have to think it all up on your own!
- Not every night is a “recipe.” Make sure you have ingredients on hand for quick, no-recipe-needed favorites like quesadillas with leftover chicken, frittata with all the veggies in the fridge, paninis (perfect for bread thats gone a little dry), or simple pastas with jarred low-sugar sauces.
What are your favorite ways to get dinner on the table?
