Four Easy Steps to Healthy Meal Planning

Creating a healthy meal plan for your family doesn’t have to be difficult. I’ve narrowed down my method into four easy steps!

ONE: STREAMLINE THE PROCESS

Here is my very best tip, make a list of every meal that your family enjoys eating. I have a running list on my phone that I can easily update and reference often. The goal is to have a treasury of meals that you can pull from when you’re out of ideas.

The next thing I do is pick themed dinners for several nights each week. Our current rotation is tacos on Tuesday, pizza on Friday night, a crockpot meal for Sunday so it’s ready after church. Oh, and we usually order Chipotle once a week. That’s four nights a week already planned (takeout counts as meal planning as long as its written down!) Other categories I love soup & sandwiches (chili, chicken noodle, tomato, etc), Italian (pasta, bread & salad), breakfast for dinner (waffles, eggs & bacon), Asian (stir fry, beef & broccoli bowls, ramen).

I also have several boards on Pinterest with recipe ideas (CHECK OUT MINE HERE). The save feature on Instagram is also great for organizing food blogger posts. Check out my Monday Memo posts for some of our favorite meals!

TWO: WRITE IT OUT

I use a simple 5 subject notebook for menu planning. I start with the days of the week in a column on the left side and fill in the meals. We don’t have many planned activities, but some nights are busy and require something fast.

Don’t stress about having an array of perfectly complimentary side dishes. I usually add extra vegetables when I can, but something quick and green is better than nothing. Hugo loves broccoli (I have no idea how I lucked out on that one!) I always keep bags of frozen on hand. Other sides that we like are peas (frozen ones sautéed with garlic & butter), salad, avocado & pico de gallo, cauliflower rice, kimchi or fruit like clementines and apples.

If you have older children or a house with a lot more activity you can also post the weekly menu to the fridge so everyone can see what’s going on.

THREE: MAKE YOUR GROCERY LIST

I create a grocery list column on the right side of the paper (and if I’m being extra organized, I’ll separate the items by store). Then I start to work through my weekly menu, and add items that I’ll need. Don’t forget to check the pantry and fridge to see what you’re running low on. I do this at the same time as entering my order with Walmart Grocery and schedule a pickup for the next morning. (USE THIS LINK FOR $10 OFF!)

I don’t typically plan out breakfast and lunch. Instead, I always have a few staple items for those meals that I buy either in bulk or every week. Josh and Hugo eat eggs & toast or oatmeal for breakfast every day. Lunch is leftovers or a turkey sandwich on gluten free bread. I find that cutting down the options to two or three things is so helpful for us.

FOUR: GROCERY SHOP

I’m a huge fan of Walmart Grocery and Target pickup for most of our groceries. I buy almost 100% natural/organic so I usually have to stop by Sprouts (best produce!) or Aldi (a new store just opened by us and is really nice) once a week. I also go to Costco monthly for bulk items. Most of my mom friends stick to one or two stores and make it work. But I enjoy cooking and do a lot of it, so an extra stop is worth it to me to grab my favorites.

I hope this post is helpful to you. It’s always fun for me to see how others organize their kitchens and groceries.

Are you a regular meal planner? What are some of your favorite meals that you eat often?