Meal Planning the Phi Simple Way

Meal planning may not be the most exciting thing to think about, it can be rather tedious, but for me it’s essential to keep things running fairly smooth during these busy school days.  I used to meal plan weekly. Every Sunday I would make a meal plan for the week and then prepare a grocery list based on that plan. It worked fine, but I would dread it every Sunday. More thinking, more decisions, more discussions.  Then my friend introduced me to monthly meal planning! She had been doing it for quite some time and told me it was great!

It seemed strange to me at first, almost unnatural.  How can you plan a month’s worth of meals for a family?  What if you don’t feel like eating that dish when the time came around?  What if plans change and the meal prep doesn’t work with the schedule? How do I grocery shop?  It seemed like it would require too much work to plan ahead like this. But after trying it and now executing it for 2 years or so, it’s been a lifesaver!

I have a magnetic wipeable monthly calendar on my fridge.  At the end of every month I write out the calendar and any major events that might impact dinner plans.  I then start filling in the meals. I personally don’t always fill in the weekends because we like to eat out, have leftovers, or visit friends and family.  I do allot for one meal on Saturday or Sunday that will yield leftovers for dinner another day of the week (a roast or soup for example). I try to have one chicken dish with a veg and starch, a soup or pasta dish, a beef/pork dish with bread or starch, and a seafood dish.  There are always leftovers for lunches or another meal. I make a big batch of roasted vegetables (whatever is on sale and in season) on the weekend and that’s one of the sides for the first few nights during the week and mid week I will steam or saute a quick veggie.

Having the monthly calendar on the fridge allows you to see what you are eating all month and you can adjust as you go.  I try not to have the same dish every week, in fact I try not to repeat any dishes for 3-4 weeks (just my own personal preference, I like variety).  Sometimes I will do themes for a whole month, for example: Asian food Monday, Taco/Quesadilla Tuesdays, Italian Wednesdays, Soup and Salad Thursdays, and Pizza/Sandwich Fridays.  This is what I did for several months when I was first starting out with Monthly Meal Planning and it made things easier.

It might seem a little dull to plan out family meals like this, but with busy schedules and kids, sometimes not exciting is okay.  I like knowing what to expect and grocery shopping is easier too. I can buy things on sale and store them if I know I will need it during the month for a certain meal (meats or dried food items for example).  With monthly meal planning I can choose meals that work with our schedule too. If we have an after school activity one night I will plan for a meal that doesn’t require a lot of assembly, something I can perhaps Instant Pot or throw in the oven during baths, or something I have already in the freezer that just needs a quick defrost and heat up.  If we are having roast chicken on Sunday night I can make chicken tacos with it on Tuesday or freeze the leftovers for the end of the month.

On the topic of freezing, I love to freeze things!  Much to my husband’s dismay. I keep a running list of meals/components to meals that are stored in my freezer on the magnetic calendar.  If I have marinated steaks in the freezer from last month I will use them next month for a meal for example. It’s my little safety net.

Do I stick with my meal plan all the time?  I would say 90% of the time. Sometimes if something pops up at the start of the week I may switch around meals if that makes it easier or if someone is craving something I may change it up.  But honestly, it’s rare. My whole family has gotten to the point where we are all used to this system and look forward to what meals are on the calendar!

I’d love to hear how your family meal plans and what ideas you would like to share!