This Printable Weekly Meal Planner is my gift to you, friends! I want to help you get homemade dinner on the table, without a lot of stress.
To get a copy of it, put your email in the box below and I will send you the printable PDF along with recipe ideas for dinners and more.
Having a Plan = Time & Money Saved
Meal planning does not have to be complicated or hard! In fact, the benefits of meal planning will make your life so much easier.
Meal planning simply means thinking through your meals in advance. You're going to have to think about them anyway so thinking them through with enough time to prepare will actually benefit you in so many ways.
Let's talk about those benefits quickly. It's important to realize the many benefits to meal planning because it will help get you motivated to actually sit down and come up with your plan. Here's are a few of the benefits to having a meal plan:
- Your fridge will be cleaner. When you're buying only what you need, your fridge won't be full of random stuff all the time.
- You'll waste less food. When you have a plan and a shopping list, you won't over-buy or ultimately have to throw out food that goes bad before you can eat it.
- You'll feel like a boss. When you have a plan, you just come home and make your meal. No stress! No feeling frazzled! You got this!
- You can better
cater tomanage picky eaters. Everyone can weigh in on the menu early in the week rather than at the last minute or when food is already on the table.
Tips
To meal plan effectively, I recommend breaking it into just two steps:
- First, create your menu for the week. Print your the meal planner. Start with a few dinners and maybe breakfast ideas for the weekends. If you are eating out, write that on your menu. Don't feel bad about it. If you're too busy to cook, that's fine! But write down where you will be eating out and maybe even what you'll order so that you don't make a last-minute unhealthy choice.
- Then, write out your shopping list. Write down ingredients you need to make the meals on your menu. Simple enough right? It's not hard! If you want to get advanced, try to find recipes that use some overlapping ingredients so that you cut down further on waste.
I specifically designed this meal planner to be super simple yet functional. It's just one page so it's overwhelming.
How to use the Meal Planner:
- Fill out your menu for the week in the top portion.
- Check your fridge and cabinets to see what ingredients you already have. In the bottom shopping list portion, write in what you need to buy. The list is organized by department to make in-store shopping more efficient!
- Cut the planner in half.
- Take your shopping list to the store or save time and use a delivery or pick-up service. I personally love Walmart pick up!! Such a time-saver and helps me not impulse buy. (Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner)
- Post the menu half on the fridge as your guide and reminder for the week.
That's it! Super easy. So beneficial.
Get Your Free Meal Planner
If you're ready to start meal planning, sign up for my seasonal newsletter and I'll send you the weekly meal planner printable, FREE!
Ready to get started? Browse all my easy recipes for ideas!
Jerry Denton says
Sign me up!
ms says
I'd love a Free Weekly Meal Planner Printable. Thank you
Angela G. says
Sent!
Amy says
Meal planner. Please
Angela G. says
Sent! 🙂
BOBBIE MCGILL says
Looking for ideas on getting my organized with school and sports in full force.
Angela G. says
Hi Bobbie, We are right there with you, full swing into school and sports. It's overwhelming!
I'll send you my meal planner and also, check out some these ideas for busy weeknights:
Crockpot meals - prep in the morning, cooks while you work, eat in between work/school and sports OR have a hearty snack and eat dinner after sports.
Soups - make ahead, store in fridge and heat up for dinner. Add some bread w/ butter and/or a side salad.
Sliders - some of my faves are: pulled pork, meatballs, make ahead and bake ham and cheese sliders, roast beef sliders
Salad - prep in the morning, pull out of the fridge and eat for a quick dinner
Egg Salad Sandwich - Make the egg salad ahead of time
Tuna Salad Sandwich or on top of a salad - Make the tuna salad ahead of time
Breakfast for dinner - Eggs, bagel sandwiches, BLT sandwich
Grilled cheese & tomato soup - https://www.mightymrs.com/roasted-red-pepper-tomato-soup-grilled-cheese/
Noodles tossed in pesto sauce w/ rotisserie chicken - Everything gets prepped ahead of time then just combine and heat when you're ready to eat.
Hope this gives you some ideas. You can browse my recipes for more ideas here: https://www.mightymrs.com/recipes/
Andrea Roberts says
I would love this please.
Debbie says
I'd love to receive your meal planner template.
This will be perfect to work with my (less-able) stepson. He is 46 and wishes to live on his own but doesn't understand about setting up menus and shopping only for those items.
Angela G. says
Hi Debbie, happy to help you and your son. 🙂 Check your email for a link to download the meal planner.
Debbie says
Unfortunately, I have celiac disease. I am the only member of my family with it.
I am hoping you may be able to offer suggestions on how to make your recipes gluten free.
I am very new to your recipes and am so excited to see your hollandaise sauce recipe!
Eggs benedict are my FAVORITE and I'll be making some this weekend.
Thank you!
Debbie
Angela G. says
Debbie, I'm not very familiar with celiac disease and have only experimented a little with gluten-free recipes. However, I think that if you got familiar with how to substitute ingredients that have gluten with non-gluten ingredients, then you would have many options. For example, you can opt for gluten-free flour for baked goods and pizza crust. And for pasta, I know you can purchase gluten-free varieties. Good luck on your journey! I'm sure you will discover how to manage things little by little. And I hope you enjoy the Hollandaise sauce! That's one of my favorites. 🙂
Sylvia says
Thank you!
Angela G. says
Hi Sylvia, you're welcome!
Sondra Lucht says
Love your recipes
Angela G. says
Thanks, Sondra! SO glad you're enjoying them.
Lisa says
This is helpful
Harley smith says
I’d love to have a free meal planner template
Mitzi Bedingfield says
Hi, this is awesome!
I'd like the weekly meal planner.
Barbara says
How do I get the free meal plan template?
Angela G. says
Hi Barbara, put your email in the box towards the bottom of this page and it will automatically send to you. Thanks for asking!
Cam says
Thanks for the free printable.
Angela G. says
You're very welcome!
Claudia says
I'm interested in the meal plan template. It is great!