How to Make a Simple Family Meal Plan (Even if You’re Busy!)
Looking for an easy way to save time and money? Having a weekly family meal plan is the key! Learn how to make a meal plan that fits your family’s needs and preferences while saving your food budget!
I hate meal planning. There, I said it.
As moms, our lives revolve around caring for our kids, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and preparing meals. Over and over again.
So, if you hate cooking and cleaning, you might think being a mom isn’t the right job for you!
But in reality, it simply means that you find ways to make those things easier, more manageable, and sometimes even fun. (At least that’s what you tell yourself.)
The truth is, being a mom is a juggling act! We’re always busy.
Whether you’re a working mom, stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, homeschooling mom, mom of a child with special needs, or a mixture of these, you have plenty on your plate.
You’re always looking for ways to streamline and simplify your life. In my home, that means setting my morning routine, having a cleaning routine, and making a weekly family meal plan.
I’ve found that planning weekly menus makes my life easier, saves my family money, and helps me stick to a healthy eating plan.
The most challenging thing about menu planning is having a system that makes the menu plan easy to follow each week.
Related: Free Printable Daily Routine Checklist for Moms and Kids
Why Busy Moms Need to Make a Meal Plan
My husband and I sometimes play a game called “Grocery Roulette.” We head to the grocery store without a plan or a grocery list.
Walking up and down the aisles, we try to remember what foods we already have at home and plan our meals on the fly. It’s often disastrous.
Once, I was feeling in the mood for chili, so we bought some hamburger meat. When we got home, I realized I didn’t have any canned tomatoes, onions, or beans. Hamburger meat seasoned with chili powder isn’t my idea of a good meal.
Sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself to sit down and make your week’s meal plan. But when you’ve done it for a while, you realize that there are tons of benefits to making a plan and sticking to it, including ensuring you have every ingredient to make your favorite recipes!
A Weekly Family Meal Plan Saves Time
Sitting down with your recipe books, phone, tablet, or computer and searching for recipes seems like a waste of time. But consider the time you waste returning to the store multiple times to buy forgotten ingredients.
Think about wandering around the store trying to remember what you need. Those activities take a lot longer than simply making a meal plan.
Having a set meal plan is also a great way to help avoid decision fatigue. If you’ve ever paced back and forth between the pantry and refrigerator at dinner time trying to decide what to make, you know what I mean!
An Easy Meal Plan Saves Money on Your Food Budget
They say time is money, and if that’s true, planning a menu is a good idea to save money. First, it will help you to know exactly what to buy at the store. When making your plan, you can check the ingredients already in your pantry and avoid buying things you don’t need.
Secondly, knowing what you’re going to eat each night of the week helps prevent food waste. You can make plans to cook once and eat twice, and schedule time to eat leftovers into your plan.
You might find that having a menu plan involves making a printable shopping list, or even one on your phone. This will help you avoid impulse purchases–the true budget-killer!
Meal Planning Helps You Eat Healthier
Eating healthy is hard. But taking time to make a healthy meal plan that fits your family’s individual needs, planning simple meals, and using easy recipes make it totally doable. Yes, you can serve healthy meals to your family, even if you’re a super-busy mom!
One of the most important parts of healthy eating is having balanced meals. When you plan family dinners for a whole week, you can get an overview of what you’ll be serving at each one.
You can choose your family’s favorites, and find ways to serve them that make everyone happy. As you get used to preparing healthier meals, you’ll probably realize it’s not as hard as you first thought.
Once you find your groove, you can stop relying on convenience foods. These are usually full of preservatives and ingredients you don’t want in your body.
Having a meal plan is an easy way to find good, healthy foods your whole family will enjoy and feel good about eating.
How to Create a Weekly Family Meal Plan
If you search for “free weekly meal plans” you’re sure to find plenty of options. However, I’ve found that making my own meal plans works better for me. It helps me make sure I’m getting delicious recipes that my picky eaters will gobble right up!
It’s also easier to customize your choices if you have a small or large family, children with allergies, or limited grocery store options.
Set a dedicated planning time each week.
As with most things in life, consistency is key. Take care of your meal plan on the same day and time each week.
For some moms, the beginning of the week is the perfect planning time. I do my grocery shopping on Thursday or Friday, so I make my plan on Thursday mornings.
Gather the planning items you need, such as cookbooks, your phone, tablet, digital coupons, etc. Then, make your plan!
Do a quick pantry inventory.
Knowing what’s in your pantry is a lifesaver when buying groceries on a budget. First, it helps keep you from buying multiple of the same ingredients.
Secondly, it helps you keep your family’s favorite foods on hand.
Here are a few of my pantry staples that I like to keep stocked:
- pasta
- spaghetti sauce
- canned green beans
- jasmine rice
- brown rice
- olive oil
- quinoa
- tortillas
- peanut butter
- hazelnut butter
- cereal bars
- soy sauce
Having these items in my pantry assures me that I have something to eat even on busy days.
Brainstorm ideas and create the menu.
Now, you’re ready to create your plan. This is where personal choice really comes into play. When creating your own meal plan and grocery shopping list, you get to consider your family members’ preferences, dietary guidelines, and your budget.
If your family is adventurous, you might want to try several new recipes in the coming week. Or, you might prefer a simple approach like Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesdays, etc.
Make a detailed grocery list.
A little prep work goes a long way toward saving you time in the grocery store and the kitchen. The more detailed you are in your list now, the less time you’ll spend roaming the grocery store.
This is also a helpful tactic if you’re using coupons. You can make a note of the specific grocery store that offers a good deal on ground beef. Or, track how many sweet potatoes you need to make that casserole on Sunday.
No more second-guessing, wondering if you have enough or questioning, “Why do I need red onion?”
Best Tips for Meal Planning Success
You’ll have an adjustment period when you start making your weekly family meal plan. It might take you a few weeks to settle into a meal-planning routine that works for you.
But don’t give up! Taking a little time to make a plan in the first place, will save you so much time and money in the future.
Be flexible and adaptable.
The best plans are ones that aren’t too rigid. This means different things for each of us. For me, it means sticking to a one-week meal plan rather than trying to schedule a whole month at a time–but if that’s your thing, go for it!
The only way a plan can work for you long-term is if it’s flexible and fits into your lifestyle. Allow times for leftovers, times to eat out, and even days when you try new meals. Make it a framework instead of being hard and fast rules that must be followed.
Use your slow cooker and pressure cooker.
I tend to use my slow cooker more in winter. It’s perfect for making soup, stew, or chili. But it’s a handy tool in summer, too!
Using a slow cooker or instant pot is a great way to get food to your dinner table quickly and without stress!
Keep track of family favorites.
If you’re like me and have picky eaters, you know how rare it is to have a meal that everyone loves. So, when you do find one, you should track it! Keep a master list of your favorite easy meals so you always have a starting point for meal planning.
Involve your family members.
If you’re fresh out of ideas for meal prep and planning, ask your family for ideas. Let them weigh in on what they’d like to eat. You’ll get some great ideas for foods you might not have had in a while. Plus, if they help you choose meals, they’re more likely to eat it!
Make Meal Planning Work for Your Family
While it is a time commitment at the beginning of your week, meal planning will save you so much time and money in the long run. It saves time running to the store, searching for ingredients, and wondering “What’s for dinner?”
It will save you money when you’re not making impulse purchases–or stopping at the drive-thru because you don’t have food at home. It also helps you prepare healthy recipes for yourself and your family.
Take time to figure out the meal planning method that works for you, and stick with it. Don’t worry if it takes some time to get in the groove. Once you do, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!
