my meal plan routine

how to meal plan - to save money, time, and energy

Meal prepping can be stressful, time-consuming, and just plain boring sometimes. Today I am going to take you guys through my entire meal plan routine from start to finish.

STEP #1: SET UP

Grab whatever method you like to plan with - Notes app, pen and paper, whatever. I use a template I made (that you can download for free here) to plan out my entire week. I do this every Sunday morning, where I am refreshed and focused. Choose a day that is calm for you - don’t do this when you’re hungry, stressed, or agitated.

STEP #2: BE REALISTIC

Focus on the meals that are the hardest for you to plan and prioritize those. For example, I struggle with lunch and dinner the most, and my breakfast and snacks are usually pretty easy for me. Therefore, I plan out my lunch and dinner the most. I prioritize those recipes. Figure out what meals you need the most help with and start there (maybe you skip breakfast all the time and need to plan that out).

Once you know what meals you are going to plan, pick a mixture of recipes that are easy and exciting. Plan in some meals that are quick and easy to make that require little to no thinking. This is not the time to try 7 new recipes in one week.

STEP #3: BE INTENTIONAL

Plan out the days you are going out to eat or ordering takeout. For me, I usually go out to eat 1-2 times per week, but I schedule it out in my meal plan. There is nothing wrong with going out to eat if you are intentional about it. Plan it, look forward to it, and enjoy it.

STEP #4: MAKE IT EASY FOR YOURSELF

When it comes to grocery shopping, schedule a day to actually go. You don’t have to go on Sundays just because it’s trendy. Pick a day that is easiest for you to go and GO. There is no point in doing all of this planning if you don’t have the groceries.

There is nothing wrong with curbside pickup or grocery delivery services like Instacart. If you’re having a busy week, ORDER YOUR GROCERIES. Have them delivered or pick them up. Yes, there are fees; but those fees are much cheaper than ordering out every day.

BONUS

If you need more help with meal planning, recipes, and more, check out my meal planning guide, where I give you the nitty gritty on meal planning. It has meal planning templates, a sample meal plan with 11 recipes, snack ideas, nutrition guidance, and much more!

Listen to the full podcast episode about this topic HERE.