Do you dread that time of day when your family inevitably asks, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” Finding time to plan nutritious meals can feel impossible when life gets busy. But what if you could simplify meal planning, save precious time, and even cut down on your grocery bill? In this post, I will share practical tips and tricks to streamline your meal planning, making your life easier and your family’s meals healthier. Dive in and discover how a little planning can go a long way in transforming your kitchen routine!
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Why I love meal planning
I love meal planning because it adds structure and efficiency to the weeknight chaos. Taking time to create a plan makes feeding my family healthy and delicious meals a breeze while also cutting down on food waste.
How to create a meal plan
Narrow down your options
Coming up with dinner ideas every week can be hard, which is why it is important to give yourself a starting point. Rather than trying to figure out what sounds good out of the millions of options out there, first look at what you already have. I like to keep a whiteboard on my refrigerator in case inspiration strikes throughout the week. If I make a recipe this week and only use half of an ingredient I purchased, I’ll make a note to work it into my meal plan next week. You can use a resource like All Recipes to type in the ingredients you have, and it will return recipe options to use them up.
It only takes a few minutes to scan the fridge and pantry for anything you’d like to get used up, and I really believe it saves time in the long run. While you are in there, it’s a good idea to note any pantry staples you may be getting low on.
Creating your plan
I only meal plan 4-5 meals a week give or take, and for weeknights, I try to stick to a few criteria: minimal prep time, easy clean-up, and quick cook time. This is not the time to spend three hours on a homemade lasagna. I also try to pick one or two meals that will provide some leftovers and a couple that we will eat up that night, so there aren’t too many leftovers that will end up being thrown away. The other nights we do one of the pantry-pull meals I will talk about below or a leftover night. You can download my printable meal plan template by signing up for our newsletter below.
Save your favorites
Keep a log of your family’s favorite recipes. You can print them out and keep them in a binder, save the links to a note on your phone, or create a spreadsheet that you can filter by various criteria. Check out mine here for some inspiration!
Keep it simple
I have a few go-to meals that are more of an outline than a recipe. In my opinion, a balanced meal consists of a protein source of some kind, a vegetable, a carb or starch, and likely a sauce to bring it all together. This could be stir-fry with purchased or homemade sauce, pasta with a jar of sauce and a salad, soup with bread or crackers, or meat with sauce with a roasted or steamed veggie on the side – think BBQ chicken or breaded pork chops. You don’t necessarily need a “recipe”, just a combination of those basic components.
I love to have an all-purpose seasoning blend or sauce on hand that I can use to grill up any kind of meat I have and pair it with a steam-in-the-bag vegetable and a baked potato. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
Pantry-Pull Meals
Knowing that you have meals you can make but that also won’t go bad if you don’t make them adds flexibility to your plan. That is where keeping a well-stocked pantry comes in handy. Stock up on things like pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, stock, beans, and lentils. This also includes freezing portions of previous meals that you made too much of such as chili or pulled pork that you can pull out and warm up at a moment’s notice.
Some of my favorite pantry-pull meals include:
- Grilled cheese with tomato soup
- Refried bean and cheese quesadillas
- Dal with rice or naan
- Fried rice
- Potato soup
- Frozen pizza (for when I need to hit the easy button)
My Go-To Weeknight Dinners
These are some of my favorites that I come back to again and again!
Stir Fry
I pair this sauce with chicken or tofu, this one with beef, and this one with just about anything!
Pasta
- Any jarred pasta with sauce mushrooms and sausage
- Pasta Primavera – my favorite in the summer with fresh garden veggies!
- Pasta with Broccoli and Parm
Handhelds
- Tacos – ground beef, shredded chicken, shrimp, or just beans all work great!
- Cheeseburgers and Fries
- Steak Sandwiches
- Meatball Subs
Salads
Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks
I keep my breakfasts and lunches simple most of the time. We have a rotation of options we cycle through every week that we keep the ingredients for on hand. They include:
- Eggs and toast
- Breakfast sandwiches
- Frittata
- Biscuits and sausage gravy
- Pancakes
- French toast
- Dutch baby
- Oatmeal
The lunch rotation usually consists of eating leftovers first. If there are none, we’ll do some kind of pantry-pull sandwich or wrap situation. Tuna, grilled cheese, egg salad, quesadillas, and PB&J are all solid options. Lately, I also have been loving cottage cheese on toast with everything bagel seasoning, tomatoes if I have them but not necessary, and balsamic vinegar.
Snacks
We keep a variety of healthy snacks on hand, but we don’t get too crazy with them. We stick to fresh fruit, meat sticks, RX bars, That’s It bars, and trail mix for a quick energy boost. These options provide some sustenance to keep us going until our next meal.
Lorissa’s Kitchen Grass-Fed Beef Jerky Meat Snack Sticks – Keto Friendly, Gluten Free, No Added Nitrites or Nitrates, Original Flavor, 1 oz. Pack of 12
My most used kitchen tools
Half the battle is having the right tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently. These are the ones I use the most:
Shun Cutlery Classic 3 Piece Starter Set, Includes 8″ Chef’s, 3.5″ Paring, 6″ Utility Knife, Handcrafted Japanese Kitchen Knives, 3 sizes
Tramontina All in One Plus Pan, 5 Qt Ceramic Non Stick (Blueberry Blue), 80110/085DS
Amazon Basics Nonstick Baking Sheets & Cooling Rack Set, Half Sheet Size, 2-Pack, Gray
Summary
Meal planning doesn’t have to be stressful! With the tips shared here, you can save time, money, and energy while feeding your family delicious, balanced meals. If you found this guide helpful, don’t keep it to yourself—share it with a friend who could use some meal-planning inspiration! Follow me on Pinterest for more time-saving tips, and subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive resources, including a free printable weekly meal plan and shopping list. Together, we can simplify life, one meal at a time!
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