10 Brilliant Meal Planning Methods To Make You A Meal Planning Rock Star

Meal planning can sound like a chore, but taking the time to be proactive about planning your family’s meals can save you so many headaches!

There is no one-size-fits-all way of meal planning, so the important thing is to find a system that works for you. I compiled 10 different meal planning methods into this post so you can get ideas and find one that will work best for your family and lifestyle.

Remember that your meal planning system doesn’t have to be complicated or pretty. Even scribbles on plain paper can work! Select a meal planning method that you can commit to sticking to.

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10 Genius Meal Planning Methods

1 | Meal themes for each day of the week

Keep things simple by establishing a theme for each day of the week. For example, soups/stews on Mondays and Mexican on Tuesdays. This helps you narrow down your meal choices each week and ensures you vary your menu day to day. Check out how this blog post to read how Tiffany’s family uses themed meal planning.

2 | Weekly Meal Plan Printable Calendar

Another meal planning method is writing down your meals for the week on a pretty printable. You will find tons of free printables on Pinterest, like this pretty one from Luvibee Kids. A printable meal planner is perfect for hanging on the fridge. Print multiple copies and store in a kitchen drawer or laminate one and use it again and again.

3 | Sticky Note Meal Plan Printable

I love the idea of a sticky note meal planner because you can reuse the printable every week. It also gives you the flexibility to easily move around the sticky notes if you need to during the week. Download this free printable from Sarah Inspired. 

4 | Meal Planning Binder

Taking the time to compile all of your recipes and meal plans into one binder will save a ton of time in the long run! It’s nice to have everything in one place so you aren’t sifting through a dozen cookbooks, plus it helps you remember all of your favorite recipes when you’re brainstorming meals for the week! My friend Megan from The Homes I Have Made has the most organized kitchen binder I’ve ever seen – check it out here. 

5 | Flexible Meal Plan List

Rather than assign meals to specific days of the week, make a big list of meals options that you have all the ingredients for. This is a simple meal planning method that allows you to choose a meal depending on the time you have available and what mood you’re in that day. Read more about how I do this here. 

6 | Meal Plan Insert For Your Planner

I love the idea of organizing your meal plan within your paper planner! Christine from Where The Smiles Have Been shows you exactly how to create a laminated meal plan that snaps right inside your binder. So handy!

7 | Bullet Journal Meal Plan

Bullet journals are a fantastic way to stay organized, and what better place to keep track of your meal plan?! Sublime Reflections shares her bullet journal pages for her meal plan and shopping list in this blog post.

8 | Menu Planning Board

This meal planning method takes a bit of work to set up, but investing time upfront to organize things always pays off in the long run! Meredith from Unoriginal Mom shares here organized menu board in this blog post. 

9 | Dry Erase Menu Board

Make a cute dry erase menu that you can reuse week after week! This can be hung up in your kitchen so the whole family always knows what’s for dinner. Check out this dry erase menu board made by Melissa from Polished Habitat.

10 | Menu Plan Subscription Service

Another meal planning method is to hire it out! There are a lot of meal plan subscription services out there these days that will email you a full meal plan along with corresponding recipes and grocery lists. This streamlines things and cuts out the sometimes time-consuming task of brainstorming meal ideas. David and I have used eMeals in the past and it was a great way to try out new recipes while saving time! eMeals has many types of menus to choose from – we’ve tried the meal plans for two, the budget-friendly meal plan and some of the healthy eating plans. Sign up for an eMeals subscription here. 

Once you choose a meal planning system that works for your family, it’s time to create an actual meal plan! I personally create meal plans for two weeks at a time to align with our grocery shopping trips.

Download my free grocery list printable here or read my tips for using Evernote as a digital grocery list. 

One of the most important components of creating a habit is building it into your regular routine. Choose a time during the week to create and review your meal plan. You can read all about how I design my weekly routines here. 

Happy meal planning!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See my disclosure for more information.