They're super simple and can be customized for Sunday or Monday weekly starts. These monthly calendars can be customized for a nice overview of each month (be sure to print the entire year at once).I find that asking for input from my kids means I avoid making anything they’re not going to like which might end up wasted food in the trash. (I’ve done this plenty of times and it tastes great, plus you don’t let anything go to waste!)Īs you make your weekly meal plan, ask your family if there are any special meals they’d like to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If there’s sloppy joe mix left over, you can use that to make spaghetti with meat sauce the next night. For example, say one night you plan to make a big batch of homemade sloppy joes. One of my favorite meal planning tricks is to repurpose ingredients from one meal to the next. If so, you can add a “leftover night” into your meal plan to use up things you’d otherwise have to toss. Chances are you’ll have some leftovers that pile up in the fridge over the course of the week. Incorporate leftovers into your weekly meal plan.As you create your weekly meal plan, pencil in some easy, healthy meals for those nights when you don’t have time for a complicated recipe. You might want to make something ambitious for dinner but a busy weekday when your kids have sports, music lessons and after school tutoring isn’t the right time. Choose simple meals for your busiest days.Print out a copy of your weekly meal planner template, grab your favorite pen and block off an hour or so to create your menu. Choose one day each week to write out your meal plan, like Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. Pick one day of the week to meal plan.Here are some of my best tips for creating a weekly meal planning schedule: But creating a weekly meal plan schedule or routine can make the task easier. If you’re trying out weekly meal planning for the first time, it might seem a little overwhelming at first. Related post: Healthy Breakfast Ideas for School Quick and Easy (30 Kid-Friendly Recipes!) Tips for Creating a Weekly Meal Plan Schedule And using a printable weekly meal planner template is the easiest and best way to keep track of it all! And as an added plus, you could even lose some weight by eating healthier!īottom line, meal planning puts you in control of your time, your money and what’s going into your family’s bodies. Planning meals could also lead to healthier eating habits if you’re consciously choosing your foods each week. Meal planning can take the stress out of mealtimes because you don’t have to worry about what to make. Scrambling to make dinner on the fly is stressful and as a busy mom, you probably have enough to deal with. Meal planning can help you avoid both of those issues. Food waste is not only bad for the environment, as it can contribute to greenhouse gases when compressed in a landfill, but it also means you’re throwing money in the trash. Americans throw out 40 million tons–or 80 billion pounds–of food each year.
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And that’s huge if you’re trying to stick to super cheap meal ideas. Meal planning can save you money if you’re making out a shopping list and only buying the items on that list each week. Planning out your meals can keep you from wasting time in the kitchen and in the grocery store because you’ll know exactly what you’re shopping for and what you plan to make. If you’re new to meal planning, there are some definite benefits to know about. You can list out the items on your weekly shopping list and see at a glance what’s on the menu each night. Using a weekly meal planning template printable can help you to stay organized while planning your family’s menu.
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Related post: 23 Easy Three-Ingredient Recipes to Make When You’re Short on Time Why Use a Printable Weekly Meal Planner?
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You’ll have everything you need to get started with meal planning in one simple free download! That’s a total of 5 PDF meal planning printables altogether. In addition to this weekly meal planning template, you’ll also get a monthly meal planner template and a three-page pantry organization checklist. Download your free weekly meal planner template!