You’ve probably heard it a hundred times: “Just meal plan, it’ll save you time and money!” And yes, technically, it can. But also… have you ever sat down to meal plan and suddenly felt like you had to reinvent your entire diet, scroll Pinterest for an hour, and guess what you’ll feel like eating four days from now? Yeah. Same. That’s why I created a simple meal planning system. One that’s actually doable. One that doesn’t suck up your energy or require a new personality to stick with it. Let me show you how it works.
Why meal plan?
The main reason is simple: figuring out what to eat every single night gets old very quickly.
But planning your meals ahead of time also means you:
- Waste less food
- Use up what you already have
- Buy only what you need
- Reduce last-minute stress and takeout orders
You can even batch meals around common ingredients. Bought a watermelon for a recipe? Great! Now, plan another meal with watermelon the next day so none of it gets lost and mushy in the fridge.
The foundations of your simple meal planning system
We’re not going full chef-mode here. You don’t need themed nights or a binder full of color-coded recipes. We’ll start with one list.
Know your favorites and make meal planning for picky eaters (or not so picky ones) easier
Start by listing meals your household eats and enjoys. Don’t try to be fancy. Nothing is too simple. If you write the list on paper, leave some space between each meal. You’ll need it for the next step.
This list is your “tried-and-true” stash, so you’re never starting from scratch.
Improve your list
Now, for each meal, come up with a few variations. Same dish, different protein. Or a seasonal twist. Or even just a new spice.
You can also sort your meal list in a way that works for you:
- Quick weeknight dinners vs. longer weekend meals
- Seasonal meals
- By main ingredient (main ingredient, protein, vegetable…)
For example, we receive veggies from our local truck farmer weekly, but we don’t choose what we get. So, I sorted my list depending on the vegetables. Now, if we have an eggplant, I only need to look at the recipes in the “eggplant” category. Far easier than searching the whole list!
When you try new recipes, and the whole family happily eats the dish, don’t forget to add this new meal to your list.
Planning meals for a month (or at least a week)
You don’t have to go all out with a monthly meal plan unless you want to. A week is a great start and is more doable.
Here’s how to make it easier:
- Check your fridge and pantry. What needs to be used ASAP?
- Check your calendar. Got busy nights? Plan simpler meals there.
- Pick from your list based on what you already have and your schedule.
To make it easier, I use the veggies from our weekly farm delivery as a starting point. A list of locally in-season veggies would be as helpful. Another way to beat the blank page syndrome is to start with a protein you want to use: fish on Fridays, vegetarian on Mondays, and so on.
How to make it work for frugal meal planning?
Meal planning already helps you avoid overbuying, but if you want to go further:
- Always check what’s in your fridge or pantry first.
- Plan your meals so you use up opened ingredients quickly.
- Prefer ingredients that are in season. They are cheaper and tastier during this period.
You’ll save money and reduce waste. Win-win.
Are the usual simple meal planning systems too rigid for you? You’re not alone.
You love the idea of meal planning, but sometimes your plan says salad, and you’d prefer some comfort food. No need to throw the whole plan!
Here’s what I do instead: I create a menu, not a schedule. I count how many meals I’ll need and list the recipes on a whiteboard on the fridge so my husband also knows what he can eat instead of picking ingredients from 3 different recipes for a quick snack.
Once we eat a meal, I erase it. If a few meals don’t get made because life gets in the way, I just carry them over into the next week.
Simple meal planning for real life
Meal planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t need to be perfect or spend hours at your desk with cookbooks and markers. Start with meals you love, match them to your schedule and ingredients, and make it as flexible or structured as you need.
And if digging through your fridge or pantry isn’t your favorite part of the process? I’ve got something for you. Kitty’s Count & Categorize is my food inventory spreadsheet that lets you track what you already have, plan meals around that, and even builds your grocery list for you.
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