DO: 

• Find a format that is easy for you to read and one that has enough space for you to fill in the meals legibly. I use Microsoft Word or Excel as typing it out is not only easier, but you can also fit more clear writing in less space. 
• Use the template above to get started. Then see what you like and don’t like about it and adjust as needed. Don’t forget to share your suggestions for changes in the comments below.

DON’T: 

• Do not throw out previously printed/filled-in menus. After 6-8 weeks you will have easy pre-made menus that you can reuse without giving it much thought.

Fill in your menu strategically

DO: 

• Consider which ingredients last longer and which spoil faster and plan meals throughout the week accordingly. 
• Think about produce that will need some time to ripen, like bananas or avocados, and plan those meals later in the week. 
• Leverage leftovers whenever possible. If you make mashed potatoes one night, plan to make extra so the next night you can make potato dumplings. Make extra chicken one night to use leftovers in wraps or on salads the next day. 
• Mockup your menu in pencil (typing it out makes this easier) so that you can move meals around if you find you have too much repetition. 
• Consider kids’ daycare meals, packed lunches, late workdays, and early start days to make sure you have planned for quick meals when you need them. 
• For meals later in the week, plan to use pantry items to make sure you don’t get stuck without required ingredients that may have gone bad or been used up during the week. Think about canned tuna, chickpeas, passata, frozen or canned veggies, etc. 
• Combine simpler meals with more complex ones each day, or just make them all simple, otherwise, you might feel like you’re spending your whole day in the kitchen. In fact, leave the more labour-intensive recipes for the weekend when you might have a little more control over your time (unless you have kids because of course there is no such thing as “your time”). 
• Chop extra ingredients today that you will need a few days from now to save on prep time in the future. If you need onions and carrots today and on Thursday, chop extra today and store them in the fridge. 

DON’T: 

• Do not plan too many meals with the same ingredients unless you are sure you’ve considered total quantities in your shopping list. You may find yourself missing ingredients at the end of the week.
• Do not assume you can pull off a five-course meal on a Wednesday evening. Keep it simple and prep whenever you can. 
• Don’t overthink it. The first few weeks won’t go exactly as planned which will just help you figure out what you’re flexible with and what must be rigid. The weeks that actually work best for me are the ones where I stick to the schedule as planned. It’s when I deviate that I end up with waste and frustration. That might not be the case for you!
• Don’t feel like you have to complete the whole calendar (i.e. fill in every single meal, every single day). Leaving some blanks gives you the option to use up leftovers, use remainders of produce from other meals, get take-out, or eat cereal for dinner.

Sometimes I meal prep, sometimes I don’t. Either way, I find that if I have a meal plan for the week and I use it to build my shopping list, I rarely dread cooking. There are still things I need to work on, like time management and remembering to take the meat out of the freezer to defrost. The beauty of the meal plan is that I can easily pivot and move meals around when I need to in order to make up for my shortcomings. 

Do you plan your meals for the week? Do you have any go-to tips for making your meal planning easier? Please share in the comments below. I am always looking for ways to make my process better.