EASY MONTHLY MEAL PLAN!

I am back on the meal planning bandwagon and here is my plan to make it work all month! A master list of recipes and categories for each day of the week are going to make for a much simpler approach. Again, this is the plan for our family, of course if you cook on the weekends you will need to fill in those days as well :)

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[DoItOnaDime]

This is so awesome!!! I think the Holidays throw everyone off...me included! You are "nesting" friend :) xo!!

[ikeandlinz]

If you're really bad at meal planning, a good way to get started is to write down what you ended up eating every night on a calendar. That way, you can look back at the last month and see what your family actually ate and make a plan from there.

[jessicaz.]

I have recently started meal planning again as well & it does make such a huge difference! We're not wasting food as I'm taking stock of what we already have and planning around that & what"s on sale.I'm shopping with a list & coming home with all of the components to make the planned meals. Spending much less. Also is nice to plan easy meals for nights when you know you will be in a hurry or busy & can prep veggies, defrost meats, soak beans etc in advance.

[OlgasFlavorFactory]

Great video, Hilary! Meal planning makes such a big difference for me and it seems like it makes the rest of my life a lot more organized:).
Taking only 15 minutes per week to sit down and plan what we're going to eat for the rest of the week saves me so much time, money and frustration for the rest of the week. Since I have a food blog I don't usually plan for more than a week or two at a time, but I have a similar system where I have soup, fish and chicken at least once a week each, and the rest of the week I try new recipes, eat leftovers, etc.
I really enjoy your videos and love how organized you are.

[pkeele]

I've never been able to stick to something for more than a few weeks. A monthly plan sounds like it could be the solution. I've been working on categorizing our meals and having that list as a helpful resource. Good luck with your plan!

[judyholden]

Thank you for sharing. With having fibromyalgia, there are days where I barely get of bed, so having mean plan would make my life so much easier. We live in spokane, WA so no farmer markets around here this time of the year. I have noticed though that the organic produce in the local stores has come down in price a lot. Example would be baby carrots are not only like .50 cents more a bag now. Makes eating organic much easier and cheaper. We grow a large garden, so the summer time we don't have to worry. :-) I freeze carrots and brocoli to use in the cold months and our potatoes and onions stay in our big shop so the stay great all winter. I hope maybe your sweet daughter can grow some little carrots this year!! They are so easy to just grow in a flower pot. So fun too!!

[camillevinette]

first, thanks a lot for all your videos. I am always keen on watching them and it gives me good tips too!! I am french and it s always a pleasure to see all your new ideas. Recently I have started meal planning and in fact I have made my own plastic meal planner which is really useful especially when I come back from school. I find it gives you more time to do other things too. So good to be organized.

[cathypicframegallerytodd]

You provided the best “how to “ video on the net. Your thought process and brain dump pages was very helpful. Thank you!

[stepintoanewday]

Hey Hilary! I love how you made the category per day to help you plan your meals. This is a side note but helpmamaremote told me a tip about chopping your veggies in the morning for dinner. This has been a lifesaver! When baby #2 came, I really got jumbled up... So now I write down on a post it note what I need to chop and or take out in the morning( frozen meat ect.. ) the night before, this has helped so much. Come 4:00 p.m I am so tired and I don't feel like chopping veggies:-) Just thought I would let you know because it has changed my dinner cooking life! Take care---- Brandis

[maggieely]

Love it! I used to have a similar kind of more regimented system where each day of the week I had a designated protein so that I didn't get stuck in a chicken rut! In recent years as I've become a stay at home mom and our budget is tighter I still definitely meal plan but I don't have such a set system so that it's easier for me to shop the sales and not feel confined. I am so with you on less stress having a plan!

[ChristinaSubfertileFrugalista]

I love your approach to having each day be the same every week. We fall off the meal planning wagon all the time but we usually only do a week-to-week plan so I'm thinking maybe a monthly plan would be better with shopping every 2 weeks instead of monthly. Thanks for the tips!

[helenmcwilliam]

I meal plan every week & do all the cooking on a Sunday & I food shop every week. I work full time so it's essential that I meal plan & we all work different hours!! Great video thanks for sharing

[ResourcefulMama]

It saves so much time! :) I do meal planning and just did a huge haul yesterday to freezer cook for the month. Since Lent starts Wednesday, it will help keep me on track for meatless Fridays :)

[glist_gloom]

I was a devoted meal planner until the end of December, when we went from vegetarian to vegan for my son's autism. I was having a hard time feeling inspired until recently. I think I'll start meal planning again for next week. thanks for the push!

[afroditigreekmom]

This is wonderful! I know you kept mentioning a budget. Do you ever plan on sharing a mock budget of how you and your husband organize your finances? It always inspires me and helps me figure out mine better too.

[sarelle]

This vid couldn't have come at a better time. I used to meal plan and fell off as well and have been wanting desperately to get back on these last couple of weeks. I'm motivated now. I'm a mom of 3 one of which is a 2yr old who dislikes grocery shopping if u know what I mean😬meal planning just makes my life easier. Plus it makes my wallet happier. I live in Hawaii and groceries are outrageous. I had to pause the vid when you showed ur lists because I couldn't believe the amount you pay for items. It's like 4x that here. CRAZY! My food budget is huge and it really shouldn't be. It's nothing fancy just basic meals. Aw well I just tell myself it's the price to pay to live in this paradise I've called home

[nanasplacepaula]

I totally agree that meal planning is the way to save money and most important your sanity! great video I am trying to buy all major items once a month, and see if that saves rather then every 2 weeks

[franciscalderon]

I'm so impressed with your budget . I have a family of 6 and we spend about $200- a week . Thanks 4 sharing these nice tips .

[Neverinthekitchen]

I love how you have each day plan! We also have Taco Tuesday here and I have found some awesome Taco type soups for that day! I love how you wrote your sides down on another page. That is where I get stuck ever month when making my meal plan.

[lingers]

I Like how you have a 'staples' list and cost. I fell off the wagon too. I have 3 kiddos almost under 5 and will return back to work soon. So being organIzed with meals will be helpful!