![]() ![]() If you want meal planning to work for you, you have to keep it realistic, especially when it comes to your time.Īnd how do you do that? By being honest with yourself. If your list starts to get too big, you can always organize it by category or theme. Think of this sheet as a running list that you’ll probably always be adding meals to. Then, whenever you try something new and it’s a huge hit, be sure to add it to your list/tracker. All you need to do is set aside a few minutes to brainstorm the meals you already know your family enjoys. Having a list of favorite meals to pull ideas from really is a game-changer and can help you keep the meal planning process fast and easy.Ĭreating your own list is really simple. Track your family’s favorite mealsĪ favorite meals tracker was one of the first meal planning printables I ever created (you can print one of these below) and definitely one of the most useful.ĭo you ever just “go blank” when you sit down to plan out your meals? You can simply pick out 7 dinner ideas for the week, buy your ingredients for those meals, and then pick and choose depending on which one you’re in the mood for. ![]() You also don’t have to assign a day to each meal if you don’t want to. For most busy families, that’s going to be dinner. Instead of planning every meal for every day, maybe you can start with the meal that stresses you out the most. This is just not necessary or realistic for most people. One common misconception about meal planning is that you have to plan every single meal for an entire week (or month) in advance. Whether you’re new at meal planning or you’ve tried it before with mixed results, here are a few golden nuggets I’ve learned through my own trial-and-error to help make your meal planning efforts successful. Related: Kitchen Inventory Sheets for Ultimate Organization Tips for successful meal planning It’s a free resource that can help you find meal ideas based on the ingredients you have at home. Tip: If you’re not sure what you can make with the ingredients you already have at home, check out Supercook. When you are in control of making your own meal plan, you can plan to eat the foods you already have at home that you may have otherwise let go to waste. Since you’ll be eating at home, you’ll be avoiding a lot of the unhealthy convenience foods that are often high in calories and sodium and low in nutrients. Meal planning is especially helpful if you’re trying to lose weight or feed your family more nutritious meals in general. You’re also less likely to make impulse purchases at the grocery store if you know what you need to buy before you go. If you know what you’re going to make ahead of time, it’s much less likely that you’ll find yourself in the drive-thru line. It helps you avoid the fast food lines and save money Meal planning can take a lot of the daily decision-making off of your plate (pun intended), which can reduce stress and make life easier. When you have a plan for what you’re going to eat for the week, you don’t have to spend time and energy each time day digging through your kitchen trying to figure out what to make. ![]() How many times have you opened the fridge after a long day, having no idea what you were going to make for dinner? (And, of course, no one else knows what they want either.)ĭoes it often result in you giving up and ordering pizza? $19.22 Buy on Amazon Benefits of meal planningīefore you start printing, let’s talk about some of the reasons why it’s beneficial to plan your weekly meals. Not only will you save money on ink, but you’ll also be able to use your weekly menu templates over and over again. All you’ll need is a dry-erase marker to reuse them. Self-laminating sheets make this very easy to do. You don’t need any fancy machines to do this. Laminating your printables is an easy way to make your ink last a lot longer. It feels like every time you turn around, you’re printing off another batch of templates. Meal planning can help take some of the stress out of dinnertime by giving you a roadmap for the week ahead.īelow you will find 19 free meal planner templates to help keep your family organized! Quick tip to save on ink when you’re using meal planning sheetsĪs someone who loves printables, I completely understand the frustration of going through so much ink. Trying to keep your family fed and happy can be a full-time job. Are you looking for a free meal planning template that’s cute and functional? ![]()
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