Meal Planning 101
meal planning methods I've tried and use
When it comes to meal planning, I’ve mostly transitioned to digital tools to keep up with it all. I have several systems in place depending on my mood and our schedule for the week. I currently set aside time on Fridays to meal plan and it doesn’t take me more than 30 minutes to save recipes, schedule, and make a shopping list. I’m sharing all my tips and tricks with you today as well as some wonderful Substack writers worth following for weekly meal plans!
Pinterest
I have a secret board called “This Week’s Menu” that I pin recipes to that I want to cook during the week. It makes it easy for me to reference the link to the recipe and add items to my cart if I’m placing an order for grocery pickup or adding items to my grocery reminder list/note. I started using this method years ago and still go back to it regularly, especially around holidays and special events.
Grocery Store Meal Planning + Recipes
Did you know grocery stores have plenty of recipes and meal planning resources available? I love Kroger’s selection because it’s so easy to add the items for the recipes to my shopping cart. It makes it easy to shop what’s on sale and clip coupons at the same time. I will say it helps to have access to a laptop or desktop computer when you’re using these sites. They’re a little easier to navigate than on the phone. The Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s are two other stores I love to source recipes from online.
Cookbooks
I thoroughly enjoyed this recent post from
of The Analog Family on why she loves her cookbook collection. I’ve started collecting cookbooks in my late teens as a way to prepare for my adult life ahead. I try to sit down with them at least once a month and flip through the pages, flagging recipes I’d like to try and returning to recipes that I love.iPhone Reminders App Groceries List
If you’re not already using smart lists in the reminders app on your iPhone, prepare to have your life changed for the better. I love that the new grocery list type automatically sorts items by category. I often add notes to each item like quantity or which store has a BOGO deal during the week. My husband and I share this reminder list so if one of us is at the store, there’s no guessing what we need.
Google Calendar
I keep a calendar called “Meal Plan” in my Google Calendar where I add an event with a title/description of each meal I plan to cook during the week to the corresponding day. If I find a recipe online, sometimes I’ll link to it in the description box for the event if I’m not using the Pinterest method I mentioned earlier. I almost always cook with my phone nearby so it’s an easy way to reference the recipe while I cook. Using Google Calendar helps me stay flexible if our plans change during the week. I can easily drag and drop the events to a different day if we are running behind and need to cook something less time-consuming. I also use this to track meal subscription box delivery dates.
Staying Flexible and Eating Leftovers
I am not the biggest fan of leftovers (something about reheating congealed food gives me the ick) but I try to eat leftovers for lunch at least the day after if we have them. Food waste is something my family is continuously trying to cut down on and committing to eating leftovers certainly helps. I also try to frame my thinking about meals around a set of ingredients I can use in multiple meals. This is especially helpful when it comes to produce and herbs. For example, if I buy green onions I’m thinking about how I can use them in a pasta dish, an Asian-inspired bowl, and on top of tacos during the week. At least once a month I try to cook out the pantry and freezer, taking stock of what we have and creating meals from those staples (grains and canned food in the pantry, meat and vegetables in the freezer). That helps us use what we have and also gives our budget a break.
Theme Nights
During the week we have tacos, pasta, a quick bowl meal, a sheet pan dinner, and a simple meat + vegetable meal. I’m not rigid about having “Taco Tuesday” or “Pizza Friday” anymore but it does help to limit the types of meals we have so that meal planning is less mentally taxing.
Meal Subscription Boxes
We’ve tried just about every meal subscription box out there and have recently settled on Home Chef after trying out their Bluey-themed boxes back in April. I find the portion sizes to be a good match for our family. The flavor profile is a little more simple than my husband and I would typically gravitate towards but our kids seem to really like the recipes. I’m calling it a win that they actually eat what I cook for them without having to fix them a separate meal. I’m not sure if we will continue these regularly from a cost perspective, but it does help cut down on shopping, meal prep time, and food waste on the weeks we have them delivered.
Other Meal Planning Apps I Love
eMeals
Every week eMeals has hundreds of new recipes to choose from. You can select from a variety of dietary preferences and add all the items for the recipes to a shopping list or directly to your Walmart or Kroger pickup cart. I like to use it when I’m in a rut and don’t have as much capacity to brainstorm what’s for dinner.
Sorted Sidekick
Anyone else obsessed with watching food videos on YouTube? My husband discovered the Sorted guys years ago and I love the flavor combinations they come up with. Their Sidekick app does a great job of providing meal packs that minimize food waste. You use every ingredient for multiple meals during the week. It’s also really easy to cook along with the app using the built-in timers.
TikTok
I know it’s taboo to talk about the clock app on other platforms but I honestly get so many recipe ideas from TikTok creators! I created a saved collection called “Food” to keep track of them all.
Substack Moms Who Cook
There are so many professional food writers and recipe creators on Substack but I won’t bore you with those recommendations. There’s a whole Food & Drink Explore section for that. Instead, I want to focus on the regular moms who cook and also happen to be writers on Substack. There’s a big difference between someone who is cooking because it’s primarily their job and someone who cooks because they prioritize nourishing their family as an act of service.
shares glimpses at her weekly meal plan and I love that she plans for 5 dinners. That’s exactly the sort of flexibility I appreciate as a mom to two little kids. shares a weekly meal plan for paid subscribers on Substack that you can also purchase through her Etsy shop. Her meal plans are laid back and great for the whole family. offers a Sunday Menu to paid subscribers. Her meal plans are vegan and she’s great at eating the rainbow! shares how cooking for her family is her love language and I’ve been enjoying her meal plan ideas and pantry favorites.
Are you the primary Chef at your house? What tips would you share with other readers to simplify the mental load of meal planning?
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So many great ideas- thank you! I do some of the same things as you… ;) I love your simple theme ideas and how they aren’t tied to a certain night. I think something loose like that could help me!
Thank you for this! I don’t know why coming up with dinner ideas is so hard for me, but it is! We do themed nights too, and just today a friend showed me the app Mealime, which has recipe ideas and will compile a grocery list sorted into sections. I haven’t tried it yet but plan to this week!