Meal Planning 101

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I thought I haven’t shared how I meal plan on here before because honestly, it seemed way too basic and not really blog-worthy. But then I realized because it’s so basic, it makes it something I need to share. I also realized after I wrote half of this post that I gave you a quick overview here! But today I want to go a little deeper because I know a lot of people have a difficult time meal planning each and every week. I thought a refresh would be helpful for those of you in the throws of school, sports, work, whatever-season-you-may-be-in! (I hope?!) I plan on going into more detail in the future based on what you find the most useful. Comment, message me, or e-mail me with what helped you the most! Here we go…Each week, I think about what’s in season, what we are getting from our CSA, and I take a look at our calendar. On nights when Eric had softball games, I have plans, or something else is scheduled, I want a quick meal on those nights. My newest, “thing” is taking a look at the weather. Something i’ve definitely cringed at is having a comfy, hot soup on an unexpected 85 degree day. Or if I’m making my Autumn Roast on a 95 degree day, it’s definitely not as enjoyable as on a rainy 60 degree day.

I’ll make a list of about eight recipes I plan on making for the week. Then, I’ll glance at the list and see if any ingredients overlap, that way I won’t waste ingredients throughout the week. I also don’t like to make similar things back-to-back. (A quiche, frittatas, then eggs and bacon for dinner, etc.) We have our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day majority of the time. If dinner is something that we don’t have enough left over or takes forever to pack up for lunch, I like to make a big bowl of something to have on hand for lunches throughout the week. (Winter Couscous Salad) If we ever run low on leftovers for lunch, it’s nice to have something from breakfast (like a quiche) that we can use for a lunch as well! 🙂


Here’s an example of meal prep from a few weeks ago. It’s a great mix of veggies, fruit, protein, and healthy fats all throughout the week and each day!

Breakfasts:

Dinners:

  • Monday- Chocolate Chipotle Sweet Potato Chili
  • Tuesday- Cobb Salad (When I buy eggs, I can use them for the quiche and this salad. I use bacon here and for Saturday as well).
  • Wednesday- Veggie Detox Bowl (I’ll use kale here and for my Winter Couscous Salad. If I buy carrots in bulk, sometimes I’ll roast them and add them to the detox bowl, then I’ll use them in the roast below).
  • Thursday- Autumn Roast
  • Friday- Dinner out.
  • Saturday- Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast (you can use chocolate chips here and for the snacks below), a salad for lunch, and eggs and bacon for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner!
  • Sunday-Free for all. 😉

Snacks:

All of these are more tips and tricks that I added from here, AND the app I use for my grocery list that is a GAME CHANGER! Be sure to check out. 🙂 Remember to take one thing at a time. It may take a little longer the first few times you plan but eventually you will be able to do this in no time! It doesn’t have to be fancy but it DOES have to be practical and work for you. These markers always make it more fun to write things down! xo