Prep/prepare meals – you can prep whole meals for the entire week or part of the meal ahead of time or just make them as needed.

Shop for the meal plan ingredients – make a list.

Add the items you need to your grocery shopping list.

Make a grocery list based on those recipes and meals – start by shopping your own kitchen cabinets to use items you already have on hand.

Decide which recipes to make based on your schedule – pick out your favorite recipes to fit into your plan.

Choose your recipes or meals style – do you want one pot dishes, meals made in 30 minutes or less, sandwiches or crockpot meals? With a meal plan you can be sure to include your family’s favorite meals.

Review your schedule – which meals do you want to make to fit into your schedule?.

Here’s the basic steps to use to creating a meal plan that works for you: Start by planning one to three meals a week and build on that. The more you meal plan the quicker you find what works for you. My biggest tip is to start slow and build on your previous meal plan experience. The important thing is to tailor it to your needs.

You don’t have to invest much time when doing your menu planning. Don’t be intimidated or try to make your meal planning more complicated than it is. There are some basic meal planning steps to follow to make meal planning faster and easier. The one thing that all types of meal planning has is they save you money and time. You create a meal plan that works for you and your family to suit your own personal needs. Meal planning can help you create healthy meals that all of your family members will enjoy.Ī meal plan can be any of these things. You might plan your dinners so you can come home to a hot meal that’s already cooking in a slow cooker or perhaps is ready to be cooked in the oven. Perhaps you will only plan certain meals so you aren’t tempted to purchase takeout. Your meal plan might include only home cooked meals or you might plan to eat out on certain nights or for certain meals.

You might plan a few days at a time, plan on a weekly basis or plan out a few weeks. You don’t need to play a whole week of meal or even plan every meal. Meal planning, in its simplest form, is taking some time to plan out your meals. Meal Planning and Meal Prep can help you in so many ways!

Free printable weekly meal planners