In the last few weeks I have been doing an amazing thing: meal planning!

I enjoy being creative in the kitchen but meal planning greatly reduces the stress surrounding meal times.

Each weekend I sit down and decide what to eat that week. I pick from the meals we make often and throw in a few that I want to make, which are usually things I’ve picked up from food blogs. I write these things down and then plan meals and my breakfasts too. Based on the meals planned I create a grocery list based on what we have and what we need.

Benefits of Meal Planning

Meal planning is great because it makes things so much easier and more efficient when you are trying to eat healthy, well-balanced meals. You will spend less time and money at the grocery store because you are going in with a plan and know what you need to create those healthy meals for the week.

Meal planning also eliminates confusion and decision making at dinner time. Since you already have a plan in place you won’t resort to picking up fast food or making something unhealthy.

Meal planning also lets you explore creativity and try new recipes. If there is something you’ve been wanting to make from your favorite food blog then you can pick a day to try it out during your week instead of letting it get pushed to the side time and time again.

Weekly Meal Planner

Weekly Meal Planner from TheLionAndTheLark

This first one I love is a very simple weekly meal planner. It’s a little less structured. On one side you have the days of the week and can write your meal plans under there along with notes about the meals (or I suppose anything else). On the other side you have the very helpful grocery list. You can list what you have (which can help you decide on meals in the first place) and then you can list the items you need for the week’s meals.

Having both your meals and your grocery list in one place that you can use at home and take to the store is really convenient.

Weekly Planner with Meal Planning

Meal Planner Set from I Heart Organizing

This one is what I’ve been using for all my planning for the week. It’s great to keep on the fridge at all times so I know what meals are coming up and what I need to do to prepare. I love this meal planning printable set because it’s so fun and colorful. It’s nice to use different color pens for meals and overall have a very colorful and fun meal plan on the fridge.

You can definitely find tons of them online for free or via Etsy! Or email me to make you something custom! Or make your own! Even using a blank sheet of paper works – you don’t actually need anything special. I just like pretty things to look at since I’m a very visual person. ;)

If you’ve never tried meal planning before I definitely recommend it. It works so well!