Easy meal planning for busy moms

Here are some meal planning tips for busy moms, as well as templates you can use.

Hello everyone! How is your day today? Are you having a good morning? We are preparing for Fit Team.Join us here) and some errands to take care of later.

In today’s post, I want to talk a bit about meal planning because right now is the time to save (time and money!). With so many evening activities and events lined up, not knowing what to eat can easily lead to random meals or takeout. It’s definitely worth sitting down and meal planning each week (at least for dinner) and making a shopping list for those big grocery store trips.

Taking a little time each week to meal plan can take the guesswork and stress out of last-minute dinners and save you a ton of time, money, and effort. Planning, preparing, and cooking healthy meals takes time, but meal planning in advance can help you make more consistent, healthy meals for your family. It can also help you get the most out of your grocery shopping and make mom life a little easier overall. So I thought it was time to share some meal planning tips for busy moms. Let’s get started.

Easy meal planning for busy moms

Set aside time to plan your meals each week

Take 30 minutes each weekend to plan your week. For us, dinner is the most important thing, but also think about what to pack for your daughters’ lunches and what to make for breakfast each day of the week. Plan as many meals as you want to eat throughout the week, focusing on dinner and weekly staples.

Create a Master List

Once you’ve planned your meals, create a master grocery list that includes all the ingredients you’ll need for each meal. Unless you like to keep extras on hand, inventory your pantry and refrigerator to avoid duplicate purchases.

Keep an effective food record

Once you find a meal that’s a huge success for your family, keep it in mind forever — until the next time you make it and your kids don’t like it? (Kids can be mysterious sometimes, seriously.) I keep a cheat sheet on my phone of meals my kids really love and will eat again, plus some staples (like the easy meals in this post) that I know are always a big hit.

Ask your family for help

I try to ask my kids what they’d like to eat in the coming week and incorporate their suggestions into my list. I also keep some cookbooks on the table so they can pick recipes that look delicious. Sometimes their choices surprise me, but I like it because it adds variety and helps keep dinner from getting stale. Plus, it helps me know that my kids will enjoy, or at least have a good chance of enjoying, what I cook for them every meal.

Create a meal plan using items you have on hand

Before you start your weekly meal plan, think about the ingredients you have on hand that you want to use. For example: Butcher Box Or you want to use vegetables from your garden. Search for recipes that use these ingredients from your sources.

Create a theme for a specific day

This is crucial if your schedule involves extracurricular or after-school activities that culminate in dinner time. On soccer nights, intentionally plan meals that can be quickly prepared in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, or that are already prepared. If you plan on coming home later that evening, choose meals that can be prepared earlier in the day.

Bulk cooking

I love making large batches or doubling recipes so I can freeze leftovers or use them later. I also like to only make certain dishes once a week, so if I know I’ll be having rice twice, I’ll make a big batch and save half. A lot of leftovers from dinner are perfect for breakfast or lunch the next day, which makes lunch planning a little easier.

Order your staples and s online

Ordering certain items online really streamlines meal planning by ensuring you have your meat and pantry essentials on hand. I order almost all of my meat online. Butcher Box Most of the food in our house Thrive Market(<— Both links offer discounts if you try them out! Thrive is offering 40% off your first order, and ButcherBox is currently offering 30% off + free chicken for a year.)

Buy as many of your essentials online as possible, and only buy fresh produce like eggs and dairy from the store. Not only is this super convenient, but it also means you can get the best deals on Thrive Market and your groceries online. Butcher Box We save a ton of money this way, as the prices are significantly lower than the current prices at the grocery stores. Not only that, but we also like shopping at Costco because they carry a lot of our brands and products (Rao’s Pasta Sauce, Salad Kids, organic veggies and berries, salsas, avocado oil, syrups, almond butter, etc.).

Prepare your proteins and other ingredients ahead of time

Preparing as many ingredients as possible in advance is a huge help for busy moms. I wash fresh fruits and veggies, chop up anything I can for dinner or a quick snack, and prep a few protein staples. I also boil eggs for the week and smoke chicken. Whatever you can, prepare ahead of time. I encourage you to do it.

And if you can afford to spend money on convenience items that will make your life easier (like pre-cooked and pre-cut chicken), then by all means, do so. There’s no shame in doing what’s necessary to set yourself up for success.

Use a Meal Planning Template

A meal planning template is a great way to plan your meals for the week – just print it out, add your meals and write your shopping list on the other side. Consistency is key with meal planning and a template gives you a guide that you can use each week.

Free weekly meal plans for busy moms

Here’s a free weekly template I created for meal planning: If you need more help, enter your email address here and I’ll send you a free copy of The Meal Prep Blueprint with my exact strategies for meal planning, plus some new recipes.

If you’re looking for meal ideas, here are sample meals for the week.

Here’s what’s on the schedule this week:

Sunday: Steak, roasted asparagus, salad kit, homemade sourdough

Monday: Chili with gluten-free cornbread and salad

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (Ended!)

Wednesday: Garlic lime chicken thighs with sweet potatoes and zucchini

Thursday: Greek Bowl (rice, chicken, grape leaves, hummus, tzatziki sauce, cucumber, olives)

Friday: Takeaway

Saturday: Mixed meals (leftovers and breakfast mixed for dinner)

So tell me guys, do you plan your meals in advance? What’s on the menu this week?

i love you

Gina

more:

Easy to make weeknight dinner

5 days worth of lunch in 1 hour

5 High Protein Meal Prep Recipes

Preparing healthy meals for the week