The most hated question – what’s for dinner? This is a huge reason why meal planning works! When dinner came there were two options, stay stressed during the week with no plans OR take 20 minutes each week to think through meals for the following week.

Meal planning used to be something that I cringed at and didn’t want to think about. Now it’s something I do every week. But not the way you might think. I don’t precook all my meals or the week, I simply plan what we are going to eat during the week so when dinner time comes, we have a plan and no stress.

Why is meal planning important?

I break this down into 3 things. The first one being is that it saves time and money, which is a must with how expensive everything is! When you don’t have a plan you start grabbing random things at the store and then head to check out and ring up for $100 and realize all you got was goldfish, bagged salad, and pizza.

Stress reduction is reason number 2 why meal planning is important. It takes a little thought at the front end but then you don’t have to be stressed during the week! The trade-off is totally worth it!

Thirdly, meal planning leads to better eating habits. Being intentional about what foods you are eating can seem like such a small thing but I promise it will make you feel different.

When should you meal plan?

When it comes to choosing a time to meal plan this is very individualized. What works for me, may not work for you. It can also change. Pick a time that works best for you. I used to do it on Sunday and then shop on Monday but then I realized that I didn’t like spending the weekends doing that so I changed it. Think about your schedule and what works for you then mark it off in your calendar!

What should you use to meal plan?

This comes down again to you and what works for you, your preference. I have used a couple of different things. I’ve used a cute weekly meal plan notebook, courtesy of my husband. It has each day of the week listed with multiple lines under each one so you can write out each meal. To the right, it says grocery list and you are able to write down what you need for each meal. 

Another resource I use is my FASTer Way app. I am a certified FWTFL Coach and every week we are provided a full meal plan and grocery list. Looking through those meals helps me get ideas. 

When you sit down to plan your meals for the week you’ll want to consider what you have on the calendar that week. The days you’ll have time to cook, maybe you’ll be out of town or need to throw something in the crockpot. Look at these things before planning. Remember, you have the freedom to make your planning process look how you want it to.

My favorite meal planning tips

• Find a template you can use each week that’s the same – maybe a meal planning notebook or downloadable template
• Switch up what kind of meals you’re making – skillet meals, crockpot meals, meals from the grill, etc.
• Make meals your family loves – you don’t have to change all the meals you normally make to plan efficiently

I promise it gets easier over time and for me personally, the less amount of stress in life, the better!

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