Back and ready for another week of Meal Planning!? If it just so happens that you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I love meal planning for my family of 5. It’s been one of the most beneficial things that I’ve started doing to stay in budget when it comes to our household groceries. I check in weekly to break down my weekly meal plan, and explain my thought process in planning and scheduling things how I do them. If you’re interested in getting started, check out my blog post HERE on how to start meal planning. It’s a great read, really easy explanations, and full of really great tips.
I meal plan on Wednesdays, because I like to check out what’s on sale at my local grocery stores. If I lost you just now, no worries I’ll explain. The average grocery store prints their new sales ads every Wednesday. They normally come in the newspaper if you get one, but you can also check them out online if they have an official website. If you’re a couponer, even better! You should already know the importance of matching your coupons with weekly sales to maximize your savings. I do my plans from Monday to Sunday for the following week, just for schedule purposes. I normally grocery shop on Thursday or Friday of every week.
I normally plan out breakfast meals for my kids, a various list of lunch options (We plan, but we definitely wing it!), and our family meals. For other examples of my weekly meal plans, check them out here on my blog.
This week I’ve planned the following
Monday: Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: (Options) Peanut butter sandwiches, applesauce, fruit, yogurt, string cheese, carrot sticks, leftovers
Dinner: Bacon Ranch Turkey Burgers, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Baked Beans
Tuesday: Breakfast: Eggs, Fruit
Lunch: (Options) Peanut butter sandwiches, applesauce, fruit, yogurt, string cheese, carrot sticks, leftovers
Dinner: Jambalaya
Wednesday: Breakfast: Pancakes, Smoothies
Lunch: (Options) Peanut butter sandwiches, applesauce, fruit, yogurt, string cheese, carrot sticks, leftovers
Dinner: Barbeque Chicken Sliders, Salad
Thursday: Breakfast: Yogurt, Fruit
Lunch: (Options) Peanut butter sandwiches, applesauce, fruit, yogurt, string cheese, carrot sticks, leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Friday: Breakfast: Eggs, Fruit
Lunch: (Options) Peanut butter sandwiches, applesauce, fruit, yogurt, string cheese, carrot sticks, leftovers
Dinner: Barbeque Chicken Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza
Saturday: Oatmeal
Lunch: Tuna and Crackers
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup and Salad
Sunday: Breakfast: Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit
Lunch: Tuna and Crackers
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Salad
An important reason to meal plan is so you’re wasting less. Less food, less money, less time. In my Meal Planning 101 article, I explain the importance of using leftovers, sides, and extra condiments in other dishes throughout the week. I’ll be using the leftover Hamburger Buns from Monday’s meal (Bacon Ranch Turkey Burgers) and using them for my Wednesday meal Barbeque Pulled Chicken Sliders. I’ll be using my leftover Barbeque Chicken from my Wednesday meal on my Friday meal of Barbeque Chicken Pizza. Ideally, I plan to find a large pack of Chicken Breast for a reasonable price to use in my Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Meal. Feeding a large family on less!
Meal planning doesn’t have to be as complicated as you would think. Spending 30 minutes to an hour worth of your time, can save you lots of time (and money) over the course of your week. So why not start? Save yourself some much needed time, and money and start planning.
16 Comments
Omg! I am so glad I came across your blog. Meal planning has always been a challenge for me but I’m finding it to be less stressful doing the planning weekly rather then monthly.
I’m glad you stumbled on my blog also! lol I tried monthly meal planning once before, and I found that so much harder to keep up with. It was nice to have it already planned, but for some reason as time went on life wasn’t going according to plan. I prefer weekly meal planning much better.
I love your suggestions! they are awesome. I’m pinning this!
Please do! Thanks for the support.
I looooove meal planning! We were spending way too much money before. Plus, we try more new and interesting food this way.
That’s so true! I feel like I try out a larger variety of meals this way. It for sure saves us money when it comes to grocery shopping.
I totally need to get on the meal planning bandwagon. I hate the feeling of not knowing what to make for dinner every night. Thanks for the inspiration!
Please join the bandwagon! lol You won’t regret it. Meal Planning is LIFE for me now.
I need to get my butt in gear and start meal planning. This looks great!
You should! Check out Meal Planning 101 to help get you started.
I must admit I suck at meal planning! My husband who never complains just told me something about our dinner the other night, and that’s when I decided I should really start on really doing this. I opened your other post about starting a meal planning and I hope to be consistent at it. Thanks for the great post!
I’m glad you enjoyed my posts. I hope that you can start and stay consistent. Baby steps! Plan a few of your meals throughout the week, and just see where that takes you.
Great ideas! We are just getting into meal planning so this helps. 😄
Good luck on your meal planning journey! I’m glad I could be of some assistance. Thanks for the support.
you have great suggestions-I like meal planning because I’m not buying extra stuff I forget about (and spoils)
I feel like that’s the worst part of just winging it and cooking whatever. I hate when food goes to waste, or things spoil before the week is over. It’s even worse when something goes bad, and I end up buying the same items the following week.