Just like clockwork, Sunday (or insert any day of the week here) rolls around and you are thinking what am I going to make for dinner tonight? Or even more daunting, what am I going to feed this clan for the entire week?
You don't have the time to commit in your weekly planner to orchestrate the ideal menu to please your picky eaters, research your local grocery store discounts let alone clip those annoying coupons.
Anyway, you are sick of the same old weekly meal repeats, you don't have the energy to come up with something different and your family is no help.
Then, out of nowhere you finally have a great suggestion from your spouse and realize you are missing a necessary ingredient.
Even more frustrating, as you were scavenging the kitchen you found too many items way past their prime that need to be tossed in the trash. You see your hard-earned dollars simply going to waste.
You feel like you have relived this dilemma over and over and over again. It's like groundhog day!
If any part of this paints an all too familiar picture in your mind, then you absolutely need Simplified Meal Planning.
In just 5 easy action steps, it revolutionized my life!
Simplified Meal Plan
The simplified meal plan is designed to organize the process into small manageable pieces. Each action step builds on the previous one. The most wonderful thing is that once you have completed the 5 actions, you will only need a few minutes weekly to answer, "What am I going to feed this clan for the entire week?"
Action 1: Select Categories & Meals
First, get your family involved and brainstorm various categories of meals that you all enjoy. I like to pass out post-it notes and sharpies for this. Set a timer for 5 minutes. And have everyone jot down 1 category per sticky note.
Some of the categories that we have used include:
I then collect and organize the sticky notes quickly on a flat surface, grouping like ones together but making sure each category is represented.
Everyone then takes their sharpie and is given an opportunity to take a quick vote by placing a check on the sticky of their top 6 choices. The categories with the highest votes become our daily themes.
We only choose 6 because I always build in 1 leftover day in our meal planning schedule. This forces us to eat up any lingering refrigerator items and reduce our waste.
This organized action step should take less than 10 minutes to complete, allows for everyone's input, and includes the opportunity for as much creativity as your family desires.
Your turn, take action, have fun with it, and complete this step with your family! It sets you up for success as you move into action 2.
Action 2: Choose & Organize Your Weekly Meals
In this step, we will create 4 weeks of meal plans. Hold on now, don't let overwhelm set in. I know you may be saying, "I can't even plan 1 week!"
But, hear me out. Let's simplify and keep routine staples on hand for breakfast and lunch. The first time through, use this process to plan variety into your dinner plans only.
You will simply choose 4 meals for each daily theme. You can even involve your family in this just like action 1 if you'd like.
Items to keep in mind:
- Choose meals that match your culinary skill level.
- Vary the ingredients as much or as little as your family's palate allows.
- Think about your budget when planning ingredients.
After you have the 4 meals begin to organize them so that your week includes ingredient variety. You definitely don't want to eat beef all 7 nights. You also want to look at your planner and arrange the simple meals on busy evenings and vice versa.
If you are a visual person, pull out the sticky notes, and find a flat surface to move those meals around until you get it just right.
At this point, it is a great idea to get feedback and buy-in from your family.
Here is an example of our very first crack at this...
Alright, you got this! This action step should take less than 20 minutes to complete. Go forth choose your 4 meals for each daily theme and arrange your 4 weekly plans.
Action 3: Grocery List - Staples & Ingredients
Yes! We have made significant progress with our plan. Next, we will create our grocery list which is composed of our core items plus our weekly dinner plan ingredients.
First ask yourself, "How often do I shop for groceries?" Your answer will determine your list details.
For example, I shop weekly so my list includes enough core item staples for 1 week of breakfast and lunch options plus my weekly meal plan items.
In this scenario, you will need to create your core item staples list to include quantities sufficient for the week.
Next, look at your week 1 meal plan and create a list of ingredients needed to make all the meals in your plan. Create a separate week 2 ingredient list and repeat for weeks 3 and 4, respectively.
Here is my grocery list for the entire month on 1 easy to use standard 8.5" x 11" page. However, each column is 1 week of my plan including my staple items plus the week's dinner plan ingredients.
I print the list once a month and use it each week. I also give myself space for any non-routine items that might pop up.
On a roll! This action step is the most time consuming, but if you put in the time now you don't have the weekly worry. So, buckle down and just do it, create your grocery list for the month.
Action 4: Take It for a Test Drive
Congratulations! You have done all the heavy lifting and now is the time to test drive your new simplified meal plan.
Do you love it? If it is not quite perfect, it simply takes a few minutes weekly to modify it until you absolutely LOVE IT!
Does your family love it? I found that my kids absolutely raved about knowing the plan, those crazy creatures of habit. And my husband was grateful that I no longer pressed him for dinner ideas. As he would say, "Happy wife, happy life!"
Action 5: Set It and Forget It!
Yipee! The best news is that you can now set it and forget it. 4 weeks gave us enough variety that we used our 1st plan for 6 months without tiring of it.
Not to mention, I loved that a dreaded weekly chore of mine seemingly vanished off my to-do list. In just a few minutes a week, I can take a quick inventory, add any non-routine items to my printed grocery list, and voila I am done.
Each time you complete these 5 action steps, will be even more efficient than the last. I have vowed to never go back to my old time-consuming process.
YOUR TURN
Have you implemented the simplified meal plan? What was the 1 thing that pushed you to go for it? How did you adapt to the change?
I'd love to hear your story in the comments below!
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