My Meal Planning Routine
I was resistant to the idea of meal planning for a long time. Before having kids, I loved being creative with our meals, beginning with grocery trips without a list. I would walk the produce department and find whatever caught my eye and looked beautiful, followed by the meat or fish counter, and I’d go home and have fun playing with new flavors and methods of preparation. It was therapeutic. But in this current stage of life, I can’t be quite so free-flowing. With an 8 year old and a 5 year old, our meals are most successful if they are planned out and predictable. I still mix in a decent amount of “new” recipes, which are typically met with resistance from the peanut gallery, and that is ok because at least they are being exposed to new things on a regular basis in addition to the usual, approved menu.
These days, I rely heavily on meal planning to give us a sense of structure in a particularly unstructured season. But I follow a few guidelines to help me feel that spark of creativity that I love so much. It took me a while to settle in, but the balance I’ve found has helped me put together weekly meal plans that don’t feel rigid, allow me to play with new recipes, and encourage the kids to get involved. Plus, having a meal plan has helped me create a more consistent and predictable grocery budget with little to no wasted food.
Here are the things I think of every week as I plan our meals:
Weather. I know. This sounds weird. But every time I sit down to plan our weekly meals, I open up my weather app and check out the temps. If I know a chilly day is coming up on Wednesday, I’ll likely plan something comforting like this pasta dish or this roasted chicken soup. If it is going to be particularly warm, I’ll plan on grilling burgers or hot dogs or maybe this date night steak salad. Weather heavily influences what I want to eat, so it is a logical first step and helps get my juices flowing!
Favorites. I have a running list of favorite foods that the kids always enjoy. Meal times should be enjoyable for everyone, right? So I incorporate 2 or 3 no-fail meals every week. Lately, this tomato soup with grilled cheese has been on repeat. We also do tacos, homemade pizza (this French bread pizza is always a hit), and stir fry regularly.
Fun for me. Things I love: baking bread, making homemade pasta, braising, roasting, chopping…I love really getting into a recipe and learning new flavor combinations and techniques. So, when I can, I try to include recipes that are new or a little more involved. Since I do the majority of the cooking, it is important to me to stay excited and interested in continuous learning and growing. It fills me up and gives me energy that can get lost in a meal plan that is overly predictable.
Flexibility. Stuff happens. Sometimes we need to change things up and that is OK! I always allow myself the room to switch nights around or fall back on take out if it just feels too hard. Meal plans should make life easier, not harder, so give yourself grace.
Leftovers. We rely on leftovers for lunches at our house, so I do my best to plan for that in my meal plan line up. Not every meal needs to have leftovers, but things like my vegetarian baked beans are perfect for having on hand throughout the week to round out meals or to have for an easy lunch option.
Recipes. You might be wondering where I find the recipes for my meal plan and that answer is, as you might expect, dependent on what I want to make. Many recipes come from some of my favorite cookbooks, my own blog, or through searching Pinterest. Sometimes, if I’m feeling really daring, I’ll simply wing it. But this does not always bode well when it comes to feeding small, particular humans. :)
And that’s about it! Using this loose set of guidelines helps me feel like I have some control while allowing for creativity. Every Sunday night, I sit down with a stack of cookbooks, my laptop, and a notepad and spend about 30 minutes making a shopping list and assigning each day of the week a delicious dinner. It is never perfect but it always helps give me some focus as I start my week. I hope this helps you do the same! And for some extra inspiration, here is our meal plan for the upcoming week…
Monday: Hamburgers on the grill + sweet potato fries
Tuesday: One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
Wednesday: Ground Pork & Mushroom Stir Fry
Thursday: Lazy Girl Chicken Enchiladas (From What’s Gaby Cooking)
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Spring Power Bowl with Grilled Salmon
Sunday: (not sure yet!)
Happy eating, friends!
