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Then list any tasks you could prep at the beginning of the week to make meal time easier, whether that’s cutting produce or making part of a meal (like rice) in bulk. This list is more for items you have to buy special. I leave out things like flour, sugar, seasonings, etc because I always have those on hand. When you’ve finalized your meal plan for the week (this should take about 10-15 minutes tops), browse through your recipes and list all the ingredients that each recipe requires in your spreadsheet. Create your grocery list and add meal prep tasks Since those often change from week to week, I like to start with a blank slate!īut you can totally fill those in if you want. That’s because when I print out this menu, I can write down which recipe I want to try and list out all the snacks we have on hand or specify which snack recipes I want to make. I like to leave a spot blank for my New Recipe theme night and the Snacks section. I like to add dinners first, then go back through and add my lunch ideas as well as specify which days are best for leftovers based on the dinners I listed. Referencing your meal plan list, type in your nightly themes on the left-hand side, then plug-in your dinner ideas where they best fit. That’s so you can easily toggle between them depending on which weekly meal plan you want to use. On this spreadsheet, you’ll see tabs on the bottom labeled Week One, Week Two, Week Three, and Week Four. Once you open this link, click FILE –> MAKE A COPY so you can edit the file in your own account. I’ll send a Google Sheets link straight to your email.
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Plug your themes and dishes into your meal planįirst, download your monthly meal planner template below. Whatever your week looks like, plan your menu around your busy schedule and you’re much more likely to stick to it. But I have more time on Saturdays so I’m game to try a new recipe! Same with Sundays: I’m preparing for the week ahead and don’t want to make an elaborate meal.
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Pro Tip: When you’re deciding on nightly themes, think about the rhythm of your week.įor example, Wednesdays are often busy because we have small group at 6pm so I need something quick and easy. That way, you’re ready to open up your template and plug-and-play. Decide on your nightly themesįor additional structure, you can categorize your meals based on nightly themes.
#Dinner menu calendar template how to#
Related: How to Streamline Your Grocery Shopping So You Don’t Hate It 3. That way I can use up the eggplant before it stinks up my fridge and I only have to purchase it once for both recipes, instead of two weeks in a row. Look over your list and using different colored highlighters ( mildliners are my fave!) highlight meals you can list in the same week because they use similar ingredients.įor example, when I put Eggplant Parm on the list, I should also list Eggplant BLT Sandwiches a day or two later.
This next part isn’t 100% necessary, but if your produce often goes bad before you can use it all, then this will help tremendously! Highlight meals using similar ingredients If you want to take this list this one step further, brainstorm a few lunch ideas and side dish options to pair with your main dishes. This number gives you a variety of meals to choose from as well as space to repeat a few of your all-time favorites. These don’t have to be elaborate meals! Pizza and pancakes totally count. Grab a blank sheet of paper and write down about 20 favorite dinner ideas. Make a list of your family’s favorite dishes Especially if I had to use their recipes, not my tried-and-true ones.įYI: Plan to Eat uses your own recipes to meal plan, but I also didn’t feel like typing all of them into a database when they’re already organized inside my Recipe Binder!ġ.
In the past, I felt frustrated using these services because I didn’t like other people telling me what to eat and when. I studied what companies like Once a Month Meals and eMeals were doing and considered replicating their system using my own recipes. No matter what I did, I couldn’t find my rhythm. From winging it to jotting down random meals on a sticky note to assigning theme days and investing in done-for-you meal plan services. The truth is, I’ve tried just about every meal plan strategy out there to help me fall in love with meal planning. You would think that because I’m a planner by nature (my bullet journal is consistently by my side and Google Calendar lives permanently as an open browser tab) I wouldn’t mind this weekly chore. Every time Sunday evening rolls around, I sigh.
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