Meal planning. It’s kind of a daunting task. It seems like a complicated activity that only people who actually have it together are able to do. Nope! You can do it. I can do it. It’s one of those things that can be as complicated as you make it, but you don’t have to make it complicated.

Try a Meal Planning Notepad

I have a weekly planning notepad from Rifle Paper Co. that has a tear-off shopping list. It hits all the things I need. It has a space for the dinners we’ll be making that week, and then has a place I can write my list and take it with me to the store. This has single-handedly made my meal planning easier. I put it in a highly-visible place in my kitchen, so I can see it every day and get out things from the freezer to thaw as I need.

Clean Out the Fridge and Check the Cupboards

One of the firts things to do when you decide to meal plan is to do the big fridge and pantry cleanout. Meal planning has helped us spend less beause we know what’s in the fridge and we know that we need to use it. You know, you have that one ingrediant or spice that you bought for that one recipe and need to use up…now you can! I like to use a website called Fridge to Table that searches the internet for recipes based on what you have at home. You put in the ingrediants and it spits out things that use them. This makes the planning easier because you’re shopping less and using things up, leading to less waste overall.

Stick to the List

When you do finally get to the grocery store, have a gameplan. Don’t go down the aisles that have things you don’t need. Every grocery is going to be a little different, but I find that they are similar enough to follow the same plan. Start in produce, walk around the exterior aisles, then take on the interior aisles one by one.

Start Prepping Your Food Right Away

To help save time, and again, food waste, separate out bulk foods into portions. Separate the big flats of chicken breasts before freezing them. Break up the giant tub of lettuce, or it’ll wilt anyway. It will totally streamline your life, and let you know when you’ve run out of things again. It also helps to get things out as you need for your dinners.

Check in on the Plan

Once you make the plan, you can’t just forget about it. It’s a matter of checking on it every day and making sure that you stick to the plan. The only real deviation is a surprise dinner out with a

Happy shopping!