I have also created a free weekly menu planning template so you can print and use it right away. This meal prep plan printable also has a grocery list template on it so that you can meal plan and create your grocery list at the same time.
A meal prep plan, meal planning, or menu planning is where you plan the meals you are going to have throughout the week or month ahead of time. If you do not meal plan it means you are making dinner each day without knowing what you are going to cook ahead of time.
Writing down the reasons you want to start meal planning will help guide you when it comes time to plan the meals you want to eat for the week. If you want to save time you will want to look for quick meal ideas. If you want to save money you want to start your menu planning.
Just because you are meal planning it doesn’t mean that you have to make extravagant meals. Keep it simple, use meals you already know and love. Pick meals you know how to make and your kids will like.
Use What You Have in Your Fridge and Pantry
It’s always a good idea to have a look at what you already have in the fridge and your pantry before you decide what meals you will eat this week. If you have veggies in the fridge you need to use up, plan a meal around those veggies for the beginning of the week.
Some meals you can get a couple of meals from. For example, you could make a big lasagna or a big pot of chili or soup. These meals could be used for two dinners in a row or you could freeze the leftovers into freezer bags and use them for a meal another week.