Now that it’s back to school time again, it’s time to get things back on a schedule. For many of us, that means meal planning so that we can have a healthy, nutritious meal on the table for our families and still have time for homework, kids activities and a regular bedtime.
These simple strategies can help make it easier to get dinner on the table and don’t require a lot of thought or effort. Think of it as a basic formula for meal planning.
- Theme nights. Have a specific theme for each night of the week. This makes it easier to select the meal for that evening. At my house, we have Taco Tuesdays. To make sure we don’t get burned out by having tacos every week, we switch up the tacos. One week might be turkey soft tacos while the next might be crispy beef tacos. Other theme nights could include meatless Monday, pasta night, soup night, leftovers night, crock pot night. Get creative and make it fun! Check out a couple of my family’s favorite Taco Tuesday recipes here and here.
- Cook once, eat twice. This might sound like leftovers but it’s not! Certain meals are easy to repurpose into an entirely different dish. For example, a large pot roast one night can be made into brisket sandwiches the next day. You’ll only cook once and with little effort you’ll have two meals ready to go.
- Keep a well-stocked pantry. Sometimes the day doesn’t work out the way you want it to and you have to change your dinner plans. Having a well-stocked pantry with a few staple items can help you throw together a dish in a pinch. Check out my well-stocked pantry here.
- Have a regular system for meal planning and grocery shopping. Trying to fit meal planning and grocery shopping into your schedule may seem impossible but having a regular system and schedule makes it a priority and makes sure it gets done. It may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for your family, but you’ll find it saves time, money and aggravation.
- Use the slow cooker. My slow cooker is probably my most useful kitchen appliance. It’s so easy to throw a few items in the slow cooker in the morning and have dinner ready when you get home. Find some easy family favorite slow cooker recipes here.
- Create a shopping list. Having a written shopping list can be a life-saver, not to mention money-saver. Use a printed list to make sure you have everything you need for the week and avoid those extra items that get thrown into the cart. Download my free printable meal planner below to help you make your list.
What is your biggest meal planning challenge? How do you meal plan? Tell us in the comments below!
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Angelic Sinova says
August 14, 2015 at 9:07 amI love having themed dinner nights! For use it’s broccoli Alfredo Tuesdays and Taco Thursdays! Meal planning definitely takes the stress off of things. It’s great not having to wonder about what to cook each night <3
Angelic Sinova recently posted…Happy Half/6 Month Birthday Loki (Dachshund Lab Mix Puppy)
Penny Struebig says
August 14, 2015 at 11:34 amMy week really does run so much smoother when I have my meals all planned out. My biggest challenge is just sitting down to figure it all out.
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Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
August 14, 2015 at 12:49 pmThis printable is great! Maybe now I’ll actually start planning our meals. I usually do it by the seat of my pants. That doesn’t work very well!
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Jacob Fu says
August 14, 2015 at 12:52 pmI always try to cook once and eat twice 🙂 We’re really bad at keeping our pantry stocked though.
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HilLesha says
August 14, 2015 at 4:45 pmI actually never tried planning meals for an entire week, but I can see how it would simplify my time and budget. I’ll definitely have to try it someday!
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Jaime Nicole says
August 14, 2015 at 8:02 pmThe slow cooker is the best meal planning tool! I love having dinner cooked when I get home!
Miranda @ The Bright Side of Reality says
August 14, 2015 at 8:24 pmThis is great advice. I’ve been thinking about getting a meal plan started for my family but I’m never quite sure where to start. I just bookmarked this page. 🙂
Miranda @ The Bright Side of Reality recently posted…20 Mind-blowing Dessert Recipes to Ruin Your Diet
Ourfamilyworld says
August 15, 2015 at 2:43 amThese are great tips. I need to start planning our meals to save more time. Thanks for sharing this.
Ourfamilyworld recently posted…Cheap Healthy Meals For Large Families
Miranda (Myrabev) says
August 15, 2015 at 5:46 amAll great tips which I think will come in very handy for me once am done with all my holidays. Thanks for sharing these tips
Miranda (Myrabev) recently posted…HEALTH & EXERCISE MONTHLY UPDATE ~ FOUR
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
August 15, 2015 at 7:42 am#2 is my personal fave! I always cook more of one item (for example, rice) with the intent to make another dish out of it the day after. Also, I often reinvent leftovers!
Lisa @bitesforbabies recently posted…Chickpea Pasta Salad
Michele says
August 15, 2015 at 9:30 amI don’t plan my meals–but then if I went out to lunch with my Mom I don’t eat dinner at all! I probably should get a crock pot–it seems you can do a whole lot with one of those.
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Leelo R says
August 15, 2015 at 9:45 amI love the Cook once, eat twice idea and I totally need a slow cooker in my life.
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Franc Ramon says
August 15, 2015 at 10:30 amI think preparing things earlier is faster. It also ensures that you won’t miss a thing.
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Ron says
August 15, 2015 at 10:54 amThe number 1 and 2 tip works wonders for us too. Great tips indeed!
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Susan Quackenbush says
August 15, 2015 at 9:09 pmI got into coupon collecting a few years back and I found it was critical to meal plan as well. Now we have our own quirky, but effective system for ensuring we have plenty of food for our big family 🙂
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Kara @ The Joys of Boys says
August 16, 2015 at 12:03 amThese are great! I don’t know what I would do without my slow cooker on busy nights. With 4 boys I am always on the go.
Kara @ The Joys of Boys recently posted…ABC: Back to School Breakfast
Rosey says
August 16, 2015 at 6:51 amThe slow cooker is truly a life saver, isn’t it? I love ours here for fast ways to eat good…well, not fast, but fast at dinner time. YOu get it, right? lol
CourtneyLynne says
August 16, 2015 at 10:42 pmThese are some really great tips!!!! Back when I was mowing am the time I was a about the meal Planning!
CourtneyLynne says
August 16, 2015 at 10:43 pmThese are some really great tips!!!! Back when I was modeling all the time I was a about the meal Planning!
Heather says
August 17, 2015 at 12:01 amI love using my slow cooker and meal planning. I think it helps the whole back to school thing go a lot easier especially now that my son is bringing home homework!
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