The most time consuming part of meal planning is figuring out what will go on your menu. The act of writing down the menu will help you remember what you planned and also hold you accountable to it. It doesn’t matter whether you use the notes section of your smart phone, a blank notebook or pad of paper, or a pre-designed meal planning pad ( this is the one I currently use, but there are lots of options available). This may seem really basic, but putting pen to paper makes all the difference when it comes to implementing a plan. You do what’s best for your personal family needs. Remember: There’s no right and wrong when it comes to meal planning. I usually plan one week at a time, but on occasion I’ll look ahead and plan for a week and a half or two weeks, especially if a holiday week is coming up or I know I’ll be recipe testing or out of town. Once you get the hang of it and find the system that’s right for you, you can progress to whatever is the best fit for your family. Start by planning two meals a week and work yourself up to three, then four. If you’re a meal planning newbie, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Meal Planning for Busy Families – Top 10 Tips Now that you understand the reasoning behind meal planning, let’s make meal planning for busy families more manageable with my top 10 tips. You’ll be less likely to fall into the rut of serving the same few dishes over and over again when you plan your menu in advance (especially if you plan more than one week at a time).
But here are five other reasons that may just motivate you to get on the meal planning train. If you don’t mind serving your kids dinner on the later side or ordering take out or popping a freezer meal in the microwave every night then this reason may not be good enough for you. I could not get nutritious and delicious, balanced meals on the table for my girls by 6 pm every night if I didn’t do it. On a nearly daily basis I hear parents talk about what they’re going to make for dinner, or, as is more often the case, asking “what am I going to make for dinner?!” Meal planning for busy families is not an easy task, but it can be done, and I have the tips to help you do it.īut first, do you know why meal planning is so important? Why You Should Meal PlanĪs I already mentioned, for me, meal planning is my saving grace when it comes to feeding my family.
On a rare week that I don’t plan my menu in advance, I find myself at a loss for what to cook or out of ingredients that I need to make a meal. As our lives got busier, meal planning became my insurance that I would be able to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table (almost) every night. I started regularly planning my weekly menus back in 2012 around the time that my twin girls were about 6 months old and ready to eat real food with my husband and me. My focus on it has resulted in speaking engagements and media interviews on the subject, as well as a following of people who look forward to my weekly posts. Meal planning isn’t a novel idea, but to my surprise, these weekly meal plans have been a huge hit with you guys. I consistently share my weekly Menu Plan Monday posts here on the blog, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you’ve followed along with me for a while now, you know that I’m an avid meal planner. Pin this Post This page contains affiliate links. Get healthy and delicious meals on the table all week long with these 10 meal planning tips for busy families.