Meal Plans

For us, meal planning is the only way to stay on top of things around here. There was a time when I didn't really care too much for meal planning, but that also has changed over time. Meal planning in advance helps prevent unnecessary trips to the store, allows me to use up pantry and fresh ingredients before they go bad, and helps to keep our grocery budget in check.

There are about 100 plus ways to meal plan, none right or wrong, just different. Some people choose to meal plan 2-3 days at a time, some prefer one or two weeks at a time, and then there are those of us who redefine crazy by planning our meals a whole month in advance. Below you'll find each of my monthly meal plans linked as I add them, so feel free to copy them or use them as a starting point for your own meal planning. If you scroll further down this page, you'll see a few different meal planning templates and formats if you'd like to explore some different variations. Hear me loudly when I say find what works for YOU! 

2017 Meal Plans:

• JANUARY 2017
• FEBRUARY 2017
• MARCH 2017
• APRIL 2017
• MAY 2017
• JULY 2017  
• OCTOBER 2017

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Blank Calendar Monthly Planning:
When I first took up meal planning I turned to almighty Pinterest to get ideas of how to do so. My methods have evolved over time but the system I am using currently is one I'm pretty happy with. While I am all about reducing waste and being as eco-friendly as possible, there are certain times when those of us with Type A personalities simply have to put pen (either color coded or pencil for easy changes, of course) to paper. Meal planning is one of those instances for me. I like to start with a blank calendar, just like this one:

Once I print the calendar, the first thing I do is write in any conflicts that will mean we aren't cooking at home that day/night. Things like traveling out of town, a holiday party with friends, a work dinner, a date night out... all those things get written in using pen. Then, I simply draw a line to divide all the other days in half, and use each half to write in what we will plan to have for lunch or dinner that day. At our house, breakfast is usually a rotation of 3-5 different options that are all staple ingredients in our house, so planning them in advance really isn't necessary. To begin my meal planning, I usually do a quick inventory of our groceries and pantry (more info on how I do this found here) and then begin filling in meals based on the things we have on hand. For instance, if I have lots of chicken legs on hand, but not many breasts, then I would obviously choose a few more recipes using legs. If I have a heavy supply of quinoa but no brown rice, I would be silly to run out and buy brown rice when I could simply plan for the grains I have on hand. You get it; I work with what I have first, then build my grocery list from there for things we are low on, fresh greens and produce, etc. To keep things somewhat streamlined and still prevent us from eating the same thing 5 times a week, I use the following as a general outline when planning:

• 2 chicken
• 2 seafood
• 2 vegetarian 
• 1-2 "other" (i.e. - pork, beef, pasta, etc)
• 3-4 salads
• 3-4 leftovers

I also recommend compiling a list of your family's favorite recipes to keep within reach when meal planning. It makes it so much easier to have ideas handy and close by versus staring at a blank sheet of paper and trying to come up with 60 meals to fill in the blanks. Some families find it simplest to go with themed nights such as "Meatless Monday", "Taco Tuesday", etc. to help them structure. Find what works for you and be willing to play around with it a bit until you get the hang of things. Remember, there's no wrong way to meal plan.

I particularly like this calendar design for the fun colors and for the fact that I can simply print 12 identical copies of these (since they don't have the dates pre-filled) meaning I can use the same design year after year! To print yours, simply click here or on the image above!

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Week-by-Week Planning:
While completing the Whole30, I realized that for many people weekly or bi-monthly meal planning was much more manageable than doing a whole month at a time. I spent hours trying to find a format that would work for me to do so, and the saying "if you want it done right, do it yourself" held true in the end. Not to say that many other meal planning templates out there were not efficient and cute, they just simply weren't working for me, so I made my own. Personally, I still resort back to the calendar format more times than not, but I wanted to offer these as an alternative. By clicking on the photo of them below, you can print them and use them yourself for free.

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Our Whole30 Meal Plan:
Speaking of Whole30 meal planning, I have taken the time to type up what we ate each day on our Whole30 as a download for you also. This allows you to simply follow our meal plan if you so choose, eliminating the meal planning efforts on your end. These are laid out exactly the same as the above blank copies, but have Day 29 and Day 30 listed at the bottom of the second page. Now, just because you have the plan, you still have to put it to work by buying the groceries, prepping the meals and so-forth. If I had about 6 clones of myself, I would offer to do all that for you too, but since I don't, you're on your own for that part. :)

Remember, menu planning is a concept that should make your life easier, not more complicated. Keep it simple, do what works for you, and don't be afraid to mix it up if your original system just isn't cutting it. Oh, and also please feel free to leave me a comment about how you meal plan, or if you have any questions I might be able to help with!