A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning

You’ve probably heard about meal planning before, but never really taken it any further than a quick glance. If you’re ready to jump into meal planning and getting more organised with your meals at home, here’s a beginner’s guide to get you started. 

In this guide you’ll find details on what meal planning is, how meal planning can save you money, and a step-by-step walkthrough on how to meal plan effectively. I’ve also created a free weekly meal planning printable for you to download and use. 

What is meal planning? 

Meal planning might sound complicated, but at the heart of it it’s very simple. It’s where you decide what you’re going to eat for the week ahead of time. You spend some time thinking about your meals for the week and assign them to each day. It’s up to you whether you focus on just dinner, or include breakfast and lunch too.

Having a meal plan means you already know you’re going to make pizza for dinner on Wednesday, or that you’re going to sit down and enjoy a roast dinner together for lunch on Sunday. It’s a way of getting organised for the week ahead so you can spend more time on other things. 

There can be some confusion over meal planning vs meal prepping. Meal planning is where you plan or organise what you’re going to make, and meal prepping is where you get everything ready before you need to cook it. Some people like to do both, or just meal plan and cook as they go. It’s totally up to you. 

What are the benefits of meal planning?

One of the major benefits of meal planning is that it saves you time. By making the decision about the week’s meals ahead of time you don’t need to think about that every evening. Instead, just look at your meal plan and you’re ready to go. 

Here are some of my other favourite benefits of meal planning.

Saves money

A great way to start saving money is to reduce your food shopping or grocery bill. If you’re meal planning, you know exactly what you need to buy so there’s less waste and it’s easier to avoid impulse buys. It also means you’re less tempted to reach for the phone to order an expensive takeaway because you don’t know what to eat.

Reduces decision anxiety

One of my biggest problems around making dinner has always been trying to decide what to have. If you’re anything like me, this means sometimes 9pm rolls around and you still haven’t eaten. Meal planning makes this problem go away, so you’ll never be left wondering again. You still have to decide which meals you’ll want to make, but you can concentrate all that thinking time on a set day. 

Encourages you to try new dishes

We all get stuck in our ways and it’s easy to end up eating the same few meals over and over again. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, but if you want to expand your recipe selection then meal planning is a great way to do this. You could set one day a week as a day for new or more adventurous recipes to introduce new ideas to your collection. 

Helps you use up store cupboard ingredients

For many of us, our kitchens are home to items that we bought once and forgot about or haven’t used in a while. This means there’s a lot of untapped potential for great meals lurking in our cupboards or freezer. Meal planning is a good way to get you using up more of what you have in stock, by looking for recipes that use staples like rice or pasta or easy ways to use up frozen ingredients. 

Can bring you together

With our busy lives it’s easy to end up preparing multiple meals for people every day, especially if you eat different diets or have children that are fussy eaters. Starting a meal plan can create new opportunities for you all to come together and eat one meal together. You could even get everyone involved in meal planning by asking for recipe suggestions, preparing meals together or helping with the grocery shopping list. 

How to meal plan

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, it’s time to take a look at what you need to do to create a meal plan. Here’s how to research, make and use a meal plan. 

1. Decide how often you’ll meal plan

Before you jump into creating your meal plan, first of all decide how often you want to create one. 

A weekly meal plan is popular as it’s easy to fit into a schedule and gives you more of an opportunity to adapt your meals to what’s happening or your current tastes. Once you’re more comfortable with meal planning you could switch to a monthly plan, or stick with a weekly plan if it works for you. 

2. Check your calendar

Next, look at your calendar or schedule for the week ahead. You’ll want to be aware of which days are busier than others, so you can plan easy recipes for busy days or meals that require more prep for quieter ones. There might also be days where you aren’t eating at home or might need to make enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. 

3. Look at what you have in your kitchen

If you’re meal planning to reduce waste or cut down on your grocery bill, you’ll want to check your cupboards and fridge/freezer next. Look through and make a master list of everything you have at home, with expiry dates if that’s relevant. Once you’ve done this you’ll have a list of ingredients you can hopefully integrate into your meal plan for the next week. 

4. Research recipe ideas

Now’s the fun part – building a list of recipe ideas to see you through the next seven days. If you built a master list in Step 3, use this here to help guide the recipes you look for or use. Use a website like MyFridgeFood to search by which ingredients you have in stock. If not, go wild and see what takes your fancy. 

There are so many recipe sites online, but here are some good places to start: 

• BBC Good Food
• Hello Fresh
• Delicious Magazine

5. Use a meal planning template to plan your week

Once you’ve gathered the recipes you want to try for the week it’s time to get organised and assign them to different days. Using a meal planning template makes this so easy, as all you need to do is write down which meal you’re having on which day. 

If you don’t have a template already, I’ve created a really simple version to get you started. It’s available in both pink and green, and you can download your copy by popping your email address in the box below.

Once you’ve done this you’ll just need to confirm your email address and it’ll arrive in your inbox in minutes. Easy! 

6. Create a shopping list for extra items

If you’re lucky, you’ll have everything you need at home and you could even get started on some meal prep for the week ahead. Most of us though will need to shop for extra ingredients or fresh items like meat or vegetables. Create a grocery shopping list based on your meal plan and use it to order online or take it with you on your weekly shop. 

7. Hang your meal planner somewhere visible

After you’ve finished your meal plan for the week, make sure you keep it somewhere that’s easy to see and reach. If you don’t, it’s all too easy to forget and get stuck into old habits. Try sticking your meal plan to your fridge with magnets, or use it as the front cover of a ring binder full of recipes. 

And that’s all there is to it! 

Meal planning tips

If you’re new to meal planning it can feel overwhelming, and there’s always new tips and tricks to pick up. Here are some of my favourite tips – both from experience and learning from seasoned meal planners. 

Set a goal

Are you doing this to save money? Keep things simple? Reduce the time spent wondering what to cook? Once you have set a goal you’ll find it easier to create a meal planning habit and approach that suits your wants and needs. 

Make it a routine

Do your meal planning for the week ahead at the same time every week. Sundays are great for this if you have them free, but pick a time where you’re usually able to spend an hour or so looking through the kitchen and researching recipe ideas. 

Bookmark your favourite recipes

Make it easier to find recipes you love by bookmarking them on your browser or saving them to a playlist if they’re on YouTube. You could also go old school and print them out and make your own recipe index. 

Keep it simple

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to try new recipes right away or to think of something different for every week. It’s okay to re-use favourites or plan a mix of easy and more challenging meals, or even stick to super simple meals.

Meal planning Q&A

As a beginner it’s totally normal to have lots of questions. Here are some of the most asked questions about meal planning and how it all works. 

Can you do meal planning with kids?

Yes, absolutely! While meal planning for one or a couple might feel easier, meal planning with kids can actually be a lot of fun. It’s a great excuse to introduce new meals to fussy eaters, and an opportunity to build lots of healthy habits and attitudes around food, sustainability, frugal living and budgeting. 

Are there any apps for meal planning?

While lots of us love to meal plan by writing things down, there are still plenty of options for if you prefer digital. I don’t use any meal planning apps myself, but Skint Dad has a great list of meal planning apps for you to try.

Where can I find meal planning printables?

There are so many great resources available online, including meal planning printables. I’ve included a free download here in this post, but there’s something out there to suit every style. One of the best places to look for meal planning printables is a marketplace like Etsy. 

Where can I find the best recipes for meal planning?

If you’re new to looking up recipes online, browse through Pinterest or look at some of the top food blogs to see whose style and recipe ideas you like best. Once you’ve found a few bloggers or cooks that you enjoy you can then work your way through their recipes. 

Enjoy meal planning the easy way

I hope you’ve found this guide useful as a beginner to meal planning. You now have everything you need to create a new routine around meal planning and staying on top of grocery shopping, planning and meal prep in your home.

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