Easy Tips for Meal Planning
Hey friends and welcome back! I took a poll on Instagram stories the other day to see if some of y’all were interested in how I meal plan for the week. I figured I would go ahead and share what we are having next week for our dinners in case you are wanting to use these same meals and cook along with us. I am going to share a few easy tips for meal planning that I have found super helpful when I’m doing this process each week. I hope you enjoy!
Every week Chris, my husband, and I like to have at least four meals planned out for the week. We have tried doing more than four, but we always ended up leaving one out. I cook Sunday through Wednesday typically. By Thursday I just don’t want to be in the kitchen to be honest. If I cook on a Saturday it’s because we have gone out to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients just for the meal that day. Again this is just what works for us.
Tip #1 Online Grocery Shopping
Using an online app to go grocery shopping is a life saver for us. We have been using the Wal-Mart Pick Up since it first started and I can’t imagine going back to regular shopping again. This helps us to save money by not going in to the store and being tempted. You can easily see your amount in the online cart. This really helps you to also budget for your meals. For the two of us we typically don’t spend more than $120 a week. This amount includes all the food for our four meals, our pet supplies the cats, breakfast and lunch food if we don’t eat leftovers, and any household items we may need for the week.
Just to give you an example I added all the ingredients that I needed for the four meals I shared below, it totaled to $58.21. This total doesn’t include our everyday items this is just for the ingredients I needed for the meals. So that’s what an average of $14.50 per meal. Pretty good right? Way cheaper that eating out! As you can see below the app shows all the Rollbacks and your favorites so it makes shopping so easy!
You can get $10 off your first order from Wal-mart using this code! It’s so worth it you guys! If you ever have an issue with your order you can just send a quick email in the app to customer service and they usually give you a credit for that item. It is very rare for us to have issues. Over the years they have gotten better and better. Before you submit your order you chose whether or not your want to substitute out of stock items or not. I typically ask for them to substitute all my items if need be and then if it’s really not a comparable substitute I decline that item when I get there.
Tip #2 Take Inventory of What You Have
Before I start our online order I go through the refrigerator and pantry to see what I actually need for the week. The Wal-Mart app has an amazing bar code reader. I like to scan items that I’m running low on using the bar code reader. Once it scans it will automatically add it to your cart. If it’s an everyday item that I’ve just run out of, before I throw it away I like to scan it into the app.
Tip #3 Pick a Day of the Week to Pick Up Your Groceries
I think I have finally found a good day to pick up our groceries. I did try and do it on Fridays but then I realized that because I cook Sunday through Wednesday that my produce didn’t keep that long. I then decided that Sunday was the best day to do my pick up since that’s the day I start my “cooking week” as I like to call it. This of course will vary depending on your lifestyle, but this is just what works for us. Having a set day of the week will keep you on schedule and give you more structure to cooking for the week.
Tip #4 Use Pinterest for Recipe Suggestions
Nine times out of ten when I want to try a new recipe I go to Pinterest for it. I have compiled a list of my favorite recipes over on my Pinterest if you’d like to check them out. I’d love it if you gave me a follow as well.
Tip #5 Don’t Try New Recipes on Mondays
This may seem weird to y’all, but I have learned over the years that Monday is my least favorite day to cook on. I’m always super tired since Mondays are usually a busy day, and the last thing you want to do is try to figure out a new recipe. I like to stick to what I know on Monday.
Tip #6 Vary Your Proteins When Planning Meals
So my husband could probably eat the same 4 meals every week, but this chick likes variety. If I make meal three weeks in a row I get burnt out on it. The only exception is tacos. Tacos are always ok. Am I right?! When I’m planning I like to do a chicken dish, beef dish, seafood, and occasionally a pork dish. If it’s not a one pot meal or a salad I at least like to have two sides one being a green vegetable.
Tip #7 One New Recipe a Week
I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself when it comes to cooking. I only like to incorporate one new recipe a week. New recipes can take up more time than a dish that you’re so used to making. So unless I’m really feeling frisky I try to only choose one new recipe a week to put into our rotation of meals. If it’s good, then I will keep it and incorporate it again in a few weeks.
What We’re Cooking This Week
Ranch Pork Chops (I’m going to add roasted green beans and red potatoes with this dish)
Greek Chicken Souvlaki Bowl (For the Greek Seasoning my “Go To Holy Grail” is Cavendar’s Greek Seasoning
Tip #8 Write Down Your Menu on A Message Board
Does anyone else get annoyed when someone asks “What’s for dinner tonight?” Well I do! So I like to display the weekly menu up on our message board each week. That way no one is asking that question because it’s already posted for everyone in your family to see. Sometimes I have an idea of what day I cook what, but sometimes I let my hubby choose what he wants.
Tip #9 Clean Your Fridge Before Pick Up
My last tip is to clean your refrigerator of left overs you didn’t eat or any old produce. I like to do this before I go and pick up the groceries for the week. That way I’m not putting new stuff in with the old stuff. You can start the week off right with a clean fridge full of new groceries.
Check Out My Recipes!
I’ve also been adding a few of my own recipes to my blog sporadically for you guys. If you’re interested you can check them out here. I just recently added my Baked Spaghetti Squash. It’s a good one y’all if I do say so myself.
If you’re planning on using one of the recipes that we are cooking this week be sure to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook stories! I’d love to cook along with y’all! Meal planning doesn’t have to be daunting each week. Come up with a routine that works for you and your family and stick to it. That is the best advice I can offer. Thank you so much for flying by today friends!
xoxo,
Robyn
*This post is not sponsored by Wal-Mart. I just really love the app!
