Being an adult is hard work. Trying to juggle life and responsibilities is a lotttttt. I hear so many people complain about having to deal with what’s for dinner and the planning, shopping, and stress of it all. I don’t know about you but when I fail to plan meals dinner ends up being something super lame and boring. No one likes boring food. I love to cook so I love meal planning, and this is how I make sure I am always organized and have great meal options:

1. Plan ahead: I meal plan for two weeks at a time. It’s what works for me and my household. I don’t want to have to think about it or deal with shopping each week, so I give myself two full weeks. I have tried meal planning for an entire month, and it was just too much. Do what works for you. My favorite place to find meal ideas is Pinterest. I have over 35,000 food recipes saved for the picking. Anything from drinks, to snacks, dinner ideas, side dish ideas, even dessert ideas. You can scroll through the pictures and pick whatever is calling your name. To be green you can save the recipe links in an email, so you always have your list at the touch of a button. I pick three recipes per week totaling six total recipes. I know that I am not going to cook on gym nights and/or a night or two on the weekends. Sometimes I feel adventurous and pick a dessert or drink I want to make for the two weeks.

• Choose your menu layout: Do you want to plan specific meals for specific days? I usually just keep my menu as a list, and I can choose meals based on how I’m feeling for the day. However, when I choose crockpot recipes, I know I can only do those Friday-Sunday. Choose whatever works for you. Do you need more structure? Or more flexibility?

• Grocery shopping: Listen, do not feel shame if you refuse to go to the grocery store. There are a ton of options for you. I personally love our local Frys grocery store. They offer a boost membership where you get free delivery, exclusive coupons, double the gas points, and super continent delivery times. I’d guess that almost all grocery store chains offer these options. Some of my friends and family also love Target or Walmart. Don’t forget Amazon also does grocery delivery. If you don’t want to deal with delivery you can also do store pickup

• TADA! Now you have a meal plan for each day. You have food ideas to prepare, and you have all the ingredients. If you choose not to make something off your menu now you have the items to push it back until your next meal plan.

• Just a tip, I only cook and plan for a family of two. I suggest making the full recipe even if it’s family size. Then you have lunches, snacks, and perhaps dinner for every day as well.

Happy Planning 😊