How To Make A Weekly Meal Plan - The Easy Way

Are you looking for a simple way to make a weekly meal plan? I’ve got you covered! Creating a weekly meal plan can seem a bit overwhelming at first but trust me, after you start making meal plans you will wonder why it took you so long to start!

There are many different ways to create a meal plan for your family but today my goal is to share a simple and easy method that has worked for us for years. I searched for easy ways to meal plan so many times and I never really found one that worked for me. I’m not your type A with all the color coordination and meals planned out through the end of next year.. I like it short and simple. So instead of trying to make someone else’s plan work, I created my own method.

Each of us have different ways of thinking and different methods that click in our brain. I hope this weekly meal plan clicks for you. It is a LIFE SAVER! But if not, don’t give up. Keep searching for a plan that works for you.

Things you will need:

A phone or computer
A word/google document or notes app
A list of meals you already know how to make/want to make

My biggest meal planning secret:

This might seem a little controversial but…I only meal plan for dinner! In our house, we eat leftovers or sandwiches for lunch and for breakfast we have eggs and toast, oatmeal, or a smoothie.

I do not plan for breakfast or lunch because It is added stress and a lot more to plan for. I want to be present and not feel trapped in the kitchen 24/7 so I make an abundance of one meal a day to help with that.

Everyone in your house might not love leftovers but this method has worked for us and the alternative is keeping simple staples like sandwich fixings stocked at all times. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way..let’s get into it!

Step 1: Create a starter list of meals

Begin by opening a blank document on your device and start writing down meals you want on a rotation. I use google docs because I can access it from all of you devices but you could use a note app or word.

Check out some meals on my list below:

Your meals might look different than mine, that’s ok! You are writing down meals that work for YOUR family. An ideal list would have at least 14 different meals on it but if you cannot think of that many, that’s ok, your list will grow over time.

A TIP FOR ADDING NEW MEALS: Use Pinterest for ideas! I add new meals to my list from Pinterest all the time. Typically, when I have some left over ingredients I didn’t use for a meal, I’ll search Pinterest for a meal using those ingredients. That’s how I found my favorite lo mein recipe when I had leftover spaghetti noodles but no sauce!

Step 2: Make a Weekly Meal Plan Doc

Now that you have some meals to work with, we can start creating the meal plan. We are only on step 2 and we are already making the weekly meal plan, can you believe it! It really can be that simple.

Open a new document on the app you have chosen and title it “Weekly Meal Plan.” After you’ve titled the document, write the date at the top and each day of the week below, like I did in this picture:

Start the meal plan on whatever day of the week fits your schedule. My weekly meal plan starts on Friday because I go grocery shopping on Friday.

TIP: If you use google docs, add a new page for each meal plan you make. Additionally, change the date at the top of your doc to “Title text” and all the dates will appear on the sidebar for each meal plan you make (as seen in image above). This makes it easier to go back and copy previous weekly meal plans.

Step 3: Plug in meals

Now we are ready to add in those yummy meals! Head back over to your list of meals and start adding them to your meal planner.

Some people will tell you to go shop your kitchen first and see what you have on hand. Other people will tell you to think about bulk buying meat and using it for multiple meals. Let me put your mind as ease, it is ok to just make a meal plan without thinking about all of those things. Over time you will create a routine and you will discover ways to save, combine, and be more cost efficient.

We are just trying to keep this weekly meal plan as practical and effective as possible over here!

Below you’ll see my meal plan for the week: