Meal Planning Made Simple (Freebies Included)

When it comes to meal planning, I have two resources I want to share with you that I always use to make the job easy and enjoyable. Meal planning is important to me because as a working woman, married to a full-time working husband, dinner plans COULD be put on the back burner after our long busy days. BUT, we both want to keep health a top priority, and although it may be convenient (and on some crazy days totally necessary and OK 🙂 ), ordering a pizza last minute or throwing some Top Ramen on the stove isn’t the most healthy option.

As a young girl, I always dreamed of being a wife and mommy. While I’m not quite to the mommy stage of life, I am a wife and I am loving it! Back in the day, I day dreamed what life as a wife would be like. I obviously didn’t understand fully what that meant and the responsibilities that came with, but I knew I liked the idea of wearing a cute little apron and cookin’ up something delicious and aromatic as my handsome husband walked in the door after a long day at work.

I also had the privilege of growing up with a hardworking, loving, wonderful mom who did (and still does) SO much for her family. We always had a hot, homemade meal for dinner each and every night. A big part of where my dream of being a wonderful wife and mommy came from was watching my own mom model that herself from when I was just a tot and began to notice those things.

Well, my amazing mom had a couple of resources she used herself to keep dinners planned and the ingredients she needed for them stocked in the refrigerator and cupboard. She received these resources when she became a wife and still continues to use them to this day. Once I got engaged and began preparing to be a wife myself, I asked her for copies and now use them myself. They are simple and easy to use; a dinner menu for each night of the week as well as a “to-market” list to write down each and every thing you may need from the grocery store for meals that week, as well as snacks, cleaning supplies, etc.

I love using cute printables when planning basically anything (as many other women can relate) because cute things make life more fun, am I right?! These printables make meal planning and grocery shopping not only easier but more enjoyable for me.

To use them, I keep both lists side by side in front of me with my laptop and/or cookbooks out as well. When I find a recipe I want to make for dinner that week, I choose which night to write it down for on the menu list, and on the grocery list I write down any of the ingredients needed for the recipe that I don’t already have stocked in the fridge or pantry. I do this for 6 nights of the week, and usually leave Sunday evening for leftovers to keep the last day of the week simple and restful before starting up another busy week.

To download and print these templates, click on the links below. Both links will provide one page with two templates per page. After printing, simply cut across the middle. I hope you find these resources as helpful as I do! Happy meal planning and shopping 🙂

Menu Template

Shopping list template