How to make a meal plan work for your family using these 3 secret {and totally doable} tips!

Today I’m sharing 3 Secrets to How to Make a Meal Plan that will work for you. It’s guaranteed to make your life simpler!

Even when I was a stay-at-home mama and had all the time in the world to meal plan I would still find myself standing in front of the fridge at 5:00 wondering what to cook for dinner. Now that I am teaching again I must have a plan to save my weeknight sanity.

I’ve used this meal planning method for the past 6 months and it has truly worked wonders for our busy schedule.

How to make a Meal Plan Work for You

Meal Planning Secret #1 – Don’t pay for a pricey meal plan.

There are tons of meal planning menus floating around. But it’s hard to find one that will truly work for your family.

Don’t waste money trying to follow a pre-made plan with meals your family won’t eat. Follow these simple steps to create a meal plan with dinners your family loves.

Meal Planning Secret #2 – Make a Personalized Meal Plan of Your Family’s Favorites

The problem with most pre-made meal plans is my family simply won’t eat the recipes included. They are filled with great meal planning ideas but honestly my kids just aren’t going to eat them.

And there’s nothing worse than cooking a dinner that no one will eat!

I solved this problem by creating a list of meals I know my entire family will eat. It’s a simple list that includes meal planning ideas into beef, chicken, pork, seafood, and meatless dinners.

Print this worksheet and take a few minutes to write down a list of your family’s favorite dinners. Print two pages if needed!

Click HERE for the Family Favorite Meals List Worksheet

Meal Planning Secret #3 – Add Slow Cooker Recipes

Everyone knows that a slow cooker is a lifesaving tool for a busy mama! Make sure to add a few slow cooker recipes to your Family Favorites Dinner List.

One of our favorite slow cooker recipes is this Meatball Pizza Bake. Four ingredients + four hours is all you need to make this crowd pleasing recipe!

Meatball Pizza Bake

If you are a low carb lover like me, you need this roundup of 10 Low Carb Slow Cooker Recipes. It’s a great list of crock pot recipes for you to add to your family favorites list.

10 Low Carb Slow Cooker Recipes for the New Year

How to Meal Plan – Write it Down

Now that you have a list of family favorites the next step in how to make a meal plan work is to create a bi-weekly or monthly meal plan. Simply look at your list and start plugging in meals.

Next take stock of what is already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry before completing the meal plan. Items are already have a great starting point for how to make a meal plan that will work for you.

Oh! Don’t forget the weekly sales at your favorite stores. I often look at the sales flyers (or on my local grocery store’s website) to see which meats are on sale for the week.

Please note that this is not an every meal of the day plan. Planning for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks is not what I needed. I simply needed a plan for dinners.

A two week meal plan works the best for our family. A monthly meal plan was too overwhelming for me but a two week plan was a perfect fit.

Click HERE for a Bi-Weekly Meal Planner

Click HERE for a Monthly Meal Planner

Here’s an example of what my Bi-Weekly Meal Plan looks like:

Now that you have created your meal plan and checked your grocery supplies all you need to do is make your grocery list.

To save time I created a printable spreadsheet that lists almost all of the grocery items we use on a regular basis. A copy of this grocery list stays on the side of our refrigerator. We highlight the items we need to pick up on the next grocery run.

Do you meal plan? Do you have any tricks or tips for how to make a meal plan work for a busy family?

Got a favorite slow cooker recipe you’d love to share?

Leave a comment below and tell me all about it!

More Tips & Tricks for How to Make a Meal Plan

• Meal Plan Like a PRO with these 12 Tips from One Crazy House
• 30+ School Lunches for Picky Eaters from Happiness is Homemade
• 13 Healthy Recipe Ideas for the New Year from Domestic Superhero

 

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