The Lowdown: Meal Planning

I am NOT a meal planner. In fact I’m the exact opposite of it. Usually I get to 3pm and am like “whoops I have no idea what I’m doing for dinner” and then run around like a headless chicken.

I’m still NOT a meal planner but I am trying to get better at it.

After a few weeks of my husband being away and me feeling like I have no control in my life anymore, I decided to get the meals sorted. So I sat down and tried to write a meal plan for the week out.

I even Googled it to see what I could find out about meal planning and will share it below with you. Also below is a meal planner that I have designed which also doubles as a “to do” list or anything you need to remember for the day.


1. THEMES

You don’t have to create an elaborate list (or meal) each day. If you’re anything like me, even thinking of something to have can be difficult – even when I’m planning in advance; so keep it simple. Perhaps have a theme for each day of the week. Like this:

Mondays – Meat free Monday
Tuesdays – Slow cooker Tuesday
Wednesdays – Pasta / noodles
Thursdays – Stir fry
Fridays – Home made pizza
Saturdays – Wraps
Sundays – Roast


2. PLAN BEFORE YOU SHOP

If you do a Saturday shop, plan the night before so that you have an idea of what you’re shopping for. We use the “Reminders” app on our phone, which shares with each other. So we add what we need as we go.

Also try and utilise what you already have in your pantry. Stand up and look in the pantry as you’re planning your meals – you don’t have to buy a million ingredients – especially if you’ve already got them!


3. KEEP IT SIMPLE

You don’t have to create elaborate meals. Meat and two vege are absolutely acceptable forms of meals. My own list for the week includes “sausages and pasta”, “Spaghetti Bolognese” and “chicken drumsticks with rice”. Very basic – and the kids love it.


4. SHOP ONLINE

If you can afford to do this, then you SHOULD. Shopping online often makes the shopping process easier because you can access previously ordered items quickly. You may end up saving money by shopping online too because you’re only getting what’s on your list and aren’t distracted by the other food in the aisles.


5. USE A MEAL PLANNER

I have created a very basic meal planner (which is below) that also doubles as a bit of a “what’s on today” type of list. You can either print it out yourself, or use this Adhesive Meal Planner from Kmart.

Click the image to download a PDF version of the file:

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The Lowdown: Meal Planning

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