Simply print the meal planner chart (it’s a pdf document) and pencil in your meals for the days you’ll be cooking or eating at home, or packing lunches for school or work. Some families just write in the main dish for each meal, but I like to add my plans for the side dishes too so I can write a detailed shopping list for my monthly and sometimes twice-monthly big grocery shopping trips.

I’ve found that keeping certain staples always on hand, including a freezer full of grass-fed beef and chicken and plenty of long-grain rice, olive oil and artichoke hearts in the cupboard, and sour cream and chicken stock in the fridge makes menu planning and last-minute meals easier.

Do you use a printable meal planner? Where do you get menu ideas?

Menu Planning for a Family

Everybody has to eat, but it can be a hassle to serve healthy and interesting meals, especially if you have a family. Menu planning is a way to get those meals on the table, without a lot of trouble. Most people meal plan for two basic reasons: it saves time and it saves money. Because there is no last-minute rush due to not knowing what to cook, your day should run smoother. Also, you won’t be running to the grocery store for missing ingredients or convenience meals. Menu planning can make a huge difference to busy families.

Menu planning isn’t at all difficult. The first thing you will need is a calendar of some sort. Some people prefer to write their menu plans on paper, while others may enjoy using a computer generated system. Either way is fine; just pick one. Once you have your menu format, pull out your favorite cookbooks and start browsing for recipes. Most families enjoy a base of tried-and-true recipes, plus a few that you are experimenting with.

How long your menu plan is will largely depend on your lifestyle and availability of ingredients. Some people really don’t feel comfortable planning more than a week ahead, while, for others, having an entire month prepared gives them more peace of mind. It’s also perfectly acceptable to plan several weeks and then rotate them for a full month of menus.

Below you will find an example of a one-week menu plan, indicating only the main dish dinner:

Monday- French Bread Pizza

Tuesday- Tacos

Wednesday- Tortilla Soup

Thursday- Chicken Alfredo

Friday- Meatloaf

As you can see, this planner left out the weekend dinners, preferring instead to serve leftovers or other easy to prepare dishes. This is a perfectly sound strategy, so use it yourself if planning seven dinners a week is overwhelming to you.

Menu planning makes sense. It is a valuable tool for any busy family, cutting down on grocery trips and saving money and time.