Happy Monday, friends!
It’s another edition of SHAY’S WAYS but this time, I’m covering my keys, tips and tricks to MEAL PLANNING…
So, here’s the deal, I know I say this all the time, but…
…I am quite the meal planner 🙂 .
Many years ago, I even wrote a book about it.
I’ve blogged many, many, many times before about how I meal plan/why I meal plan/etc, but since it’s the beginning of the school year when I feel like my own personal meal planning game is at its strongest, I thought it was officially time to make it a “Shay’s Ways”. I’ve now introduced Walmart+ to my routine, so it’s tweaked ever so slightly for the better now too.
I mean, right?!
My meal planning game is ALWAYS the strongest this time of year through the holidays. I come back after Christmas pretty strong into the cozy months of winter, but if we’re being honest, once I return home from Spring Break, it kind of goes out the window until we circle back to the beginning of the school year. I just don’t get as excited to meal plan spring/summer food as I do fall/winter/back to school food. Anyone else? During that time period we forage for food more than we should and make repeat recipes many nights.
Right now though?
Right now, I am giddy to make a plan, do some food shopping and get in the kitchen. If that’s you too, grab your coffee, open your favorite list app or get an actual sheet of paper and let the meal planning begin.
HERE ARE MY 13 KEYS TO MEAL PLANNING:
1: SCHEDULE IT INTO MY WEEK
The day of the week has varied a bit over the years, but I always start off the year and find the best day for me to sit down, focus and meal plan. Right now, for me, this is Friday. I take out my legal pad (I like to write it out) and go over what we’ll be eating beginning on Sunday night (so this gives me Friday and Saturday to plan, shop and get the food before Sunday night comes around). I just hate having “meal planning” hanging over my head on other nights OR on the night when I actually have to make dinner (and as a rule, we eat out on Friday nights to give this mama a break), so Friday afternoons are great for me to meal plan.
2: PLAN FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH
I know, I know…it sounds scary, but I really try to plan out my whole month once and then each Friday, I can edit/tweak as necessary. I write out all of the days of the month on a piece of paper (front and back). Next, I go back through and add any important dates/reminders to that month’s calendar (for instance, a birthday or date night where I won’t be cooking, I write that in). Plus, I glance at my Cozi app calendar and see if there are certain nights when I know things will be crazy, and I’ll add a little * next to those days so I can remember to make an easy recipe/pull out my slow cooker/etc. After I add all of this info to my calendar, I start to meal plan for the month.
I try and cook dinner five nights a week plus, I bake an extra sweet treat or two a week to feature on my blog/bonus blog recipes/etc as well. I write out any recipes that I know my family loves (like Cheesy Ranch Tacos) and add that on the calendar several times (they can eat the same recipes multiple times a month!) and then fill in as many gaps as I can (it’s okay if you can’t think of something for the entire month, this is just to get you started!). Every Friday afternoon, I can look over the upcoming week and make edits/adjustments to what I have down for that week according to new plans/what’s going on now that we’re actually closer to those dinners.
3: KEEP A LIST OF RECIPES HANDY
On my phone, I have an entire note dedicated to things to make for my family. Sometimes, we’ll be driving around and Smith will say “Remember that pasta with the mushrooms and ground beef that you used to make all the time, I wish you would make that again”, and I will think, “YES! I haven’t made Beefy Mushroom Pasta in a while! I need to add that into my meal plan. Or maybe we’re at a restaurant and someone is eating something they love and ask if I can make something similar at home…yes, I’ll write that down. Sometimes, friends will mention things they make, and I’ll jot that down. I refer back to this handy list so often. It’s very helpful when my brain is stuck on what to make for dinner.
4: KEEP A SHARED NOTE ON YOUR FAMILY’S PHONES
Andrew and I started keeping a shared note on our phones with grocery items we need to buy. If I need more ground beef, I’ll add it. If he notices we need more AAA batteries, he’ll add it. Then, the next time that either of us are at the grocery store, we look at that list, buy those items and remove them. This way, we are maximizing every trip to the store and there’s no more “Oh, I wish I would have known you were going to the grocery store, I just realized today we were out of AAA batteries!”. Now that my teens have phones, we’ve added them to this note too. The other day, I noticed that Kensington had added Granny Smith Apples and Smith had added a certain sausage he likes to grill to the list. This has been really helpful making sure they also have what they want/need each day too.
5: MIX AND MATCH WHEN YOU CAN
When I’m meal planning, I’m all about the mixing and matching. If my family loves Sloppy Joes, but we had them last week, I’ll change it up and this time, I’ll make Taco Joes. Same basic recipe/method/idea but just slightly tweaked enough that my family feels like they’re getting an entirely new meal (I mean, this is my whole brand, this is what I do…clearly…but you should too 😉 ). Look at your meal plan and “tweak” it just a bit to give your dinners a little refresh. Instead of regular spaghetti make Chicken Spaghetti or an easy Stroganoff instead.
6: LET GROCERY DELIVERY (OR PICK UP) BE YOUR FRIEND
I have always been a big fan of grocery pickup! I make my list on Friday, add what I need for the week to my grocery store’s grocery pick up app, schedule pick up for that weekend and bam, the bulk of the shopping has been done for me. This helps out TREMENDOUSLY and saves me both time and money (how often do we walk through the store and throw things in our carts we don’t need?). Earlier this year though, I discovered Walmart+ which has REALLY made my life easier. Now, I meal plan, add my groceries to my Walmart+ app and then they do the shopping for me and deliver it right to my door WITHOUT EXTRA FEES EACH TIME often within the hour. This has been a total game-changer for me!
7: SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY
I mean, who doesn’t want fancy gourmet meals? But really, who has time on a busy weeknight? I’ve learned that I’m more likely to make my family dinner and get it on the table on time without being stressed when I keep it simple. Tacos and guac? Perfect combo. Burgers with a side of corn and some chips? Fabulous. I’m trying to feed my people food from home before/after their extra activities, and honestly, they don’t need fancy/multiple courses/lots of sides, they just need a happy mama, full plate and time as a family to chat. A frazzled/running late mom who is trying to get three sides on the table that, let’s be real, no one really cares about is not what my family needs. On weeknights, I keep things super simple.
8: PULL OUT THAT SLOW COOKER
Yes and yes! Even if you don’t prepare the entire meal in the slow cooker, let it help you out in the kitchen. Let it be your “friend”. Maybe I’ll make enchiladas or tacos or a pasta that needs a slow cooked chicken/pork/beef…I let the slow cooker do that work and then, all I have to do is assemble. If you need to poach chicken for a recipe, let the slow cooker do that for you! Then, it’s easy to make those tacos, that soup, etc. Don’t just use the slow cooker to make the entire meal, use it to assist you as needed.
9: OKAY, PULL OUT THAT AIR FRYER TOO
And yeah, pull out the air fryer too. We love roasting veggies, baking potatoes, and even tossing tater tots inside for super quick sides to accompany any meal.
10: BUY IN BULK ONLY IF YOU LOVE IT
I went through a phase when I visited Costco regularly and maybe, I’ll go back…but I haven’t been now in about two years because…I was over-buying things I just didn’t need/my family didn’t use just because it was “in bulk”. I know for some people, Costco can be a life-saver and at one time, it was for me. Now though, I try to really only buy the food I know we are going to eat instead of stocking up because stocking up was taking up a lot of room…and not always being consumed.
11: MAKE MORE NOTES AFTER THE WEEK
After a meal, I’ll make more notes. If my family really, really loved the recipe, I’ll jot that down on my notes sheet. If my family would have preferred it better with “extra green onions, no sour cream, etc”, I’ll note that too. It’s just a helpful way to make sure that every time you make the recipe, it gets better and better.
12: ASK, ASK, ASK AND ASK SOME MORE
If you ever meet me at the park after school, there is a VERY good chance that I’m going to ask you what you’re making for dinner tonight. In fact, I ask people ALL THE TIME. Some of the best ways to get good ideas about easy and delicious food is just to ask. I ask people all the time and often get so many great ideas, tips and suggestions.
13: MAKE GROCERY SHOPPING A GOOD EXPERIENCE
And finally, try to take your list and make your grocery shopping experience a good one. If I go to the store right after school with four tired and hungry kids when it’s the most crowded, I will have a terrible time. If I were to go, heaven forbid, on a Sunday afternoon, I would have a terrible experience. If I go on a Tuesday morning early, alone and with my Starbucks coffee, I will have a wonderful experience. Going to the grocery store can be super delightful…just make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. Even if you have to go on that busy Sunday afternoon, plan ahead, make sure you have extra time, grab that Starbucks drink, maybe leave the kids at home and try to enjoy the process. I think we would all love cooking more and meal planning better if we made grocery shopping more fun..
And those are my 13 KEYS TO MEAL PLANNING 🙂 .
Don’t forget, you can also catch my…
25 Keys to a Peaceful Morning
22 Keys to making Fall Cozy
19 Key Fall Kitchen Essentials
18 Keys to Prepping for a Trip
14 Keys to simplify BACK TO SCHOOL
21 Keys to Savoring Summer
21 Keys for Working at Home {Summer Edition}
25 Keys to Outdoor Summer Entertaining
25 Keys to Maintaining our Yard
17 Keys to my Holiday Prep
11 Keys to a Cozy Winter
9 Keys to Returning from a Trip
12 Keys to Leaving Your Kiddos When You Travel
Okay, what are you guys doing for meal planning? Please comment and share!!!!
Don’t forget, every single week, I share…
…my MEAL PLANNING MONDAY with five easy recipes, one sweet treat and a bonus recipe too. Make sure you check out THIS WEEK’S MEAL PLAN today too!
Have a wonderful start to your week! I can’t wait to read your meal planning tricks and tips! xx
Erika Slaughter says
I enjoy making new dinner meals-even simple ones so I like to meal plan! It’s actually on my to do list for today!
Sheaffer says
I’m going to leave our favorite taco recipe here so you can put it in your notes section!
2 pounds ground beef
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Rotel (drained)
I can Ranch Style Beans
The beans and the Rotel really stretch the recipe and you’ll have leftovers that are perfect for nachos or taco salad!
p.s. I haven’t even meal planned for tonight yet. Haha! Guess I need to head to your archives to find something asap!!!!
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank you, thank you, friend!!!! xx
Amy says
You could also add tortillas and cheese as layers to make this a casserole!
Callie says
I started meal planning by the month about 18 months ago and it is a game changer! Once a month I sit down and plan for the next month – doing the same things you do by writing down important dates or things we may be doing that I wouldn’t need a meal for. Then weekly I check it, and order groceries as needed and sometimes take things off the meal plan as needed too, if we have too many leftovers that need to be eaten. It’s a lifesaver and I feel so good knowing what’s for dinner each night. I also only have one toddler right now, so we add in days like “Fend for yourself” and leftover nights pretty regularly.
Beth Knecht says
Yes, I love numbers 2 & 13! When you mentioned years ago to meal plan for a month at a time I started making a Google Sheet for each month and added our meals on there. Now a few years later I have years of meals and seasonal desserts that I can access from my phone whether I’m in the kitchen or the grocery store. I can copy and paste them to different dates. I’ve tried to add links to others recipes and make links to my own recipes so that the recipes are there too!
I, also, despise the grocery store on a Sunday! Who wants to go with nine million people?! I love a Thursday evening when I can whiz through and quickly grab all that I need. A busy grocery store is not for me!
Julianna says
Amen to Walmart+ ! We do ours weekly. On Sundays, my husband and I will go through our shared grocery list and add meals for that week. Then I schedule a Walmart pickup or delivery for Monday. I prefer pickup because it gets me out of the house with my toddlers (without having to actually go in the store). Plus there’s a Starbucks drive-thru next door 🙂 Then one of us will do a quick trip to the local grocery store for a few fresh items.
Tuesdays is always tacos. We’ll “mix & match” the protein/toppings or we might do salads/fajitas instead of traditional tacos, but I never have to think about “what’s for dinner” on Tuesdays!
I also like to prep a big green salad or pasta salad at the beginning of the week for easy lunches.
Excited to come back for the comments today!
Dana P says
1. These Shay’s Ways are so helpful when I’m lacking motivation. I just search your blog and they’re all right there. Love it!
2. I’ve never thought to ask people what they’re having for dinner! What a great idea. I’m always looking for new recipes.
3. My go-to recipe is a sheet-pan harissa chicken dinner from the Defined Dish. It’s perfect for company and I’ve started mixing and matching with other veggies too, especially pre-cut frozen ones. After making it a couple of times, it’s gotten so easy and it’s delicious! https://thedefineddish.com/sheet-pan-harissa-chicken-veggies-with-lemon-aioli/
Mix and Match Mama says
That sounds DELISH!!!! Thank YOU for sharing, Dana! xx
Taylor S says
Dana, do you serve it with any sides??
Dana P says
It’s really a meal in and of itself! You can also serve it over rice if you want. It is fantastic!
Elizabeth McCracken says
I have a white board on my fridge that has each day outlined. That’s where I put my meal plan for the week. It keeps me accountable and reminds me of both our activities each day and what I’m going to cook. I’ve been using it for years. Meal planning for a month sounds overwhelming to me, but I can do a week at a time.
Ann Reedy says
We use the app OurGroceries. It can be shared by multiple family members, everyone puts in what they finish off so I’m not responsible for it all any more! You can have separate lists for each store and it divides the items out by type so you see all the dairy items etc together, making you less likely to forget something. There is a paid version but we just use the free one.
Elspeth says
I love a good meal plan and j always try to build in a leftover night or clean out the fridge night too!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Amy says
I have older teens/young adults at home along with my husband. We have Walmart + as well, and I now use the Walmart app cart as my “grocery list”. As soon as I realize we are low on items, I add it to the cart on the Walmart app. Items will stay listed in the cart until I make another order. When I’m getting ready for a delivery order, I text all the people in my house to add their snacks and anything else they want to the cart, if they haven’t already. (Might save you having to use another list/app, and an easy way for the teens to add their groceries to the list)
Lois says
Kroger.com has changed my grocery shopping experience! #lifechanging
Also, love the key about making it a good experience. Nothing makes Trader Joes better than sipping a coffee while walking the aisles aimlessly post church!
Megan says
I meal plan by the week and asked my husband a few years ago what he thought about me changing and doing it monthly and he told me I was insane. You have inspired me to try doing it monthly from now on.
Mix and Match Mama says
My husband calls me insane quite a bit 😉 .
Natasha says
I meal plan a month at a time too and it’s a GAME CHANGER! Also, I love the “What we’re eating” question in the What’s Up Wednesday link up because I always get new meal ideas from the other bloggers. I’m going to start asking more friends what they’re eating for dinner because I really think the hardest part of meal planning is coming up with ideas.
WhittyWife (Lindsay) says
I love that section too! I oftentimes get great ideas from bloggers like Erika!
Emilee says
God bless 2023 and grocery delivery! 👏🏻 It totally is a godsend for this tired mama of two.
Mix and Match Mama says
Amen and amen!
Laura Holmes says
I know you use your air fryer often. We have one of the largest ones out there and I like it also. My only problem is that often times I cannot cook what we need for our family (quantity wise) in there. It’s too small for instance to put tater tots in for 5-6 people. I find if I layer them then they don’t get crispy. Or, you have to limit the number of chicken breasts that can go in there. Do you do multiple batches in yours? I would love to hear your solve for this!
Mix and Match Mama says
Great question! I always just pull out one and use it. For tater tots, I’ll just pause it a bit of the way through, give them a toss and keep going (to get them crispy all over). For larger cuts of meat, I will do it in multiple batches and then keep it warm in the oven. For things like broccoli, etc, I just toss it around mid-way as well.
Carrie says
This couldn’t have come at a better time! I have been struggling with meal planning but these tips are just what I needed.
Julia says
You should check out the shopping list feature on Cozi! It allows my husband and family to add items to our shopping list just like you use the shared notes app. We have a list for Costco, Trader Joe’s, Home Depot, etc. thought you might like this since you and Andrew are on board with the Cozi calendar – you should check out this feature of the app too!
Amy says
I like to review my pantry and freezer to see items we have to incorporate in my meal planning. It helps to use them vs stocking them. I was over buying and this has helped. I like to view as a challenge like the show chopped!😂
Jen says
I love meal planning. Sometimes it takes me a while, but I still enjoy it. It’s a must with multiple kids in sports diff days per week and rushing around. On Sundays I’ll try to batch cook something for the week like hard boiled eggs for quick breakfast for kids or grill a bunch of grilled chicken to use for different meals. Also, bring out those instant pots ladies. It’s so easy for rice! Can make other things as the rice is just cooking away and ready in no time. I’ve got some garlic butter chicken in my crockpot right now. Also, i made your easy turkey and rice skillet last week! It was perfect for week night and meal prep!
Denise M says
Garlic butter chicken? That sounds delicious! Would you be willing to share the recipe? 🙂
WhittyWife (Lindsay) says
YOU have made my meal planning so much better!! I just realized… last night we had your Cajun shrimp pasta (except we used chicken), tonight we’re having your chicken chili verde tacos, and tomorrow we’re trying your pancake blueberry muffins with roasted veggies. 😁 Thank you!!
Mix and Match Mama says
Yay!!! This makes me so happy! THANK YOU!
Kacy M says
Planning ahead is always key! I saw on your stories you haven’t visited the new HEB in your area yet. I recommend it! I’m a Houstonian and grew up going there. They have great stuff and their in house HEB brand is amazing (tortillas, chips, guac, etc). Their tortillas have a cult following (they even did a Christmas candle with that scent) but they’re literally the best!
Hillary says
Our family has a shared list on our phones for groceries like you guys do (so my teens & husband can add items to the grocery list), but I also took it a step further and created a shared list for meal ideas that everyone can contribute to. At the beginning of this summer I told everyone that they had to add at least 1 dinner idea per week to the list. So now I can check the list on my phone and meal plan accordingly. And, bonus!, everyone gets at least 1 dinner each week that they really wanted & it cuts down on complaining that I *never* cook anything that they like. 😜
Beck says
Hi Shay! Love your Shay’s Ways posts – always helpful little nuggets in those! Thank you for sharing. Somewhat unrelated – would you consider a post on how you do safety with your kids? Like what rules you have designed to keep them safe in various environments etc. Like when home alone, or when at beach/at pool, when heading out for solo bike ride or walk, etc…? I think it would be so helpful to get ideas from you and your followers!
Mix and Match Mama says
I can certainly jot that idea down! I’m not sure I’m doing it correctly…but I sure hope I am!