Meal Planning Get Started Guide with 22 Recipe Resources
I tried meal planning on and off for months before I found an effective strategy. I would prefer flexibility and cook based off my mood, but that became too difficult after I had a baby (and even more so after my second).My goal when I plan and cook dinner is to find a balance of easy, healthy, and cost effective recipes.Over time, I’ve incorporated several time saving techniques to make dinner preparation and planning much quicker, easier, and more efficient.Remember that although meal planning requires time upfront, it will save time and money in the long run. I initially hit a brick wall when brainstorming dinner ideas, so I recorded what we ate for a month or two. This list provided a source of ideas that work practically for our family.Think you’re not the meal planning type? It’s worth a try for healthier eating, more time, and less stress! You’ll find some of the time saving meal preparation techniques listed below in our weekly newsletter – get meal plans with recipes and shopping lists delivered to your inbox weekly.
Menu Planning Steps
Decide your most convenient days for shopping and major cooking each week.Write down your dinner plans for the week, using this Weekly Fitness and Meal Planner if you find it helpful, create a complete shopping list and save it for the future.Vary your meals by assigning theme, cooking technique or content to each day of the week.
- Menu Type: Italian, Mexican, Asian, traditional, soul food/comfort food
- Cooking: salad entrée, one-dish, casserole, slow cooker, stir fry, grill
- Food: beef, chicken, fish, vegetarian, soup & sandwich
Practically: I plan five meals each week. I leave room for takeout, leftovers or easy dinner options. It’s not so important to me that we MUST EAT ITALIAN FOOD EVERY TUESDAY. What’s important is that I have the meals planned, recipes ready, and shopped for all ingredients.I also rarely make it with just one grocery store trip a week, but I try to buy all my dinner ingredients at once so if I have to make a second run for milk and bananas, it’s a very quick trip.
Batch Cooking (Bulk Cooking)
As a stay at home mom, it’s much easier for me to cook on the weekends when my husband can help with the kids. I try to cook strategically, making larger batches on the weekends to use for leftovers or to freeze.The idea of batch (or bulk) cooking – cook once and eat two or three times – is as simple as eating the same meal Sunday and Friday, using your leftovers to create a new dish, or using Freezer safe storage
Foods to cook in bulk
- Taco Flavored Meat: Cook for 3-4 meals at a time with ratio of 1lb ground beef or turkey +1/2 cup chopped onion + 1 packet taco seasoning. Use for: tacos, taco salad, tostadas, quesadillas, nachos, Mexican casserole, soups or chilis
- Italian Flavored Meat: Cook for 3-4 meals at a time with ratio of 1lb ground beef or turkey +1/2 cup chopped onion + 1 tsp Italian seasoning + 1 tsp garlic powder. Use for: Meat sauce, meatballs, meatloaf, lasagna or baked pasta dishes, soup.
- Roasted Chicken/Chicken Breast: Roast a whole chicken, bake or grill chicken breasts. Use meat to top salad, pasta, stir-fry bowl, or use in casserole.
Need some ideas for what to do with your leftovers? Check out
- AllRecipes Everyday Leftovers Collection
- 65 Healthy Meals You Can Make from Leftovers from Greatist
- Moms Who Think 8 Weeks of Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes
Slow Cooker
You need a Slow Cooker
One is that some recipes still require time intensive prep and pre-cooking. They aren’t necessarily bad recipes, they just don’t end up saving me any time and create extra dirty dishes.The second problem is that I struggle to find slow cooker recipes I actually enjoy. Not all slow cooker meals taste delicious, fresh, and flavorful.Now, I double-check recipes to ensure I don’t have to spend too much time preparing ingredients and after I try a recipe, I need to consistently make notes about whether I want to use it again or make alterations.
8 Slow cooker blogs and recipes
- Slow Cooker Queen
- Get Crocked
- 365 Days of Slow Cooking
- A Busy Mom’s Slow Cooker Adventures
- Six Sisters Slow Cooker
- Once a Month Meals
- AllRecipes Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Group Pinterest Board from Frugal Living
Freezer Cooking
Before my second son was born, I bought a Taste of Home Freezer Pleasers cookbook. I hadn’t done much freezer cooking before, but it was a lifesaver! For three month’s prior to Luke’s due date, I would a double meal once a week to fill my freezer. Some cooking plans to get in the habit of:
- Make 2, Freeze 1: Make two pans of pasta dishes or casseroles chicken tetrazzini, lasagna, quiches, pot pies, meatloaf.
- Bulk Cooking Freeze: Portion 1-2 cups cooked ground beef, chicken, etc. (see above under Bulk Cooking) or freeze portions of meatballs, meatloaf, soup, chili, casseroles. Thaw and add to salads, soups, tacos, casseroles, etc.
- Slow Cooker Freeze Ahead: Combine ingredients in a plastic bag and freeze, defrost and cook according to directions.
8 Resources to Get Started with Freezer Cooking
- Creative Savings Blog First Time Freezer Cooking {The Series}
- Happy Money Saver Best List of Freezer Recipes
- Freezer Cooking 101 and Printables from Money Saving Mom
- The Pioneer Woman Freezer Recipes
- Living Well Spending Less Freezer Recipes
- Pinterest Group Freezer Board
- 7 Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes from New Leaf Wellness
- Ring Around the Rosies Freezer Cooking
Ready to Get Started?
Are you ready to eat more home cooked, healthy meals with less preparation time? Each week, we email a meal plan including shopping list and recipes. The breakdown of meals will usually include
- Bulk cooking (cook once to eat twice in leftovers or to freeze) recipe
- Slow cooker recipe
- Quick and easy weeknight meal
- Soup, salad, sandwich, or pizza night
- Creative ways to use leftovers
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