There are many good reasons to start a monthly meal plan including: it saves money eating out when you haven’t planned ahead, it takes the stress and worry out of deciding what to make last minute, and when you plan ahead you can have a stocked fridge and pantry to cook with and nothing goes to waste. I started making a monthly meal plan for several reasons. first, I got paid once a month and would then grocery shop once a month and I wanted to have all I needed that month. Second, my kids started doing more sports and extracurricular activities and it was nice to know what I needed to make ahead of time. Finally, we have a freezer of our farm raised meats that we need to stay on top of using up while it’s the freshest. To start making your own monthly meal plan use the following steps to help you get started.
3 steps to start your own monthly meal plan
- The first step you will need to do is to grab your calendar and see what your nights look like as far as sports, meetings, family events, etc. This will give you a idea of what you need to plan around, such as if it’s a busy night of activities then a crockpot or make ahead meal may be needed. If there is a family birthday part one night, you’ll know to not worry about making a meal for that night.
- The second step involves compiling a list of all your go to recipes that you and your family like best. These are ones that are relatively easy to make for a weeknight but can also be a more complex comfort meal on a non-weeknight. This list will give you a variety to choose from instead of the same 3 meals over and over. I have broken this list down more to include a list of side dishes to use, along with a list of crock pot or make ahead meals to choose from when needed.
- The final step is to form a meal list. I have attached a copy of the one I use here. Monthly meal list.pdf I go off of this one when I write our weekly meal on our dry erase board, so no one has to ask/wonder what’s for dinner that night. Below is a picture of one I have made. There are many different ways you can compile your list. We like to have a taco Tuesday (any kind of Mexican food). You can do any international cuisine like Italian night, (Spaghetti, Ravioli, baked ziti, or Laasaga), Asian night (fried rice, beef and broccoli, Pad Tai, or Ramen bowls), Mexican night (Tacos, burritos, Enchiladas, Nachos, or Fajitas) or European night (Gyros, Butter chicken, or cabbage rolls). I also include a comfort food night (like pot roast, chicken and noodles, fried pork chops, or chicken pot pie), and a crockpot night like soups in the winter or a grilling out night in the summertime. We usually got out to dinner on Friday nights and do an easy cheat meal on Saturdays (like chicken nuggets, frozen pizzas or mac and cheese) then do leftovers on Sundays. I hope this helps you with your own meal planning ideas.
