The Ultimate Guide to Meal Planning for Beginners: Introduction & Dinners
Maybe you’re brand new to the kitchen, or maybe you just don’t know where to start with planning out your meals. You may be hoping to make healthier choices or just stick to a budget. Whatever the case may be, this Meal Planning for Beginners guide is perfect for you.
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Why worry about meal planning dinners? Knowing what you’re having for dinner every night of the week gives you control over your budget, the ingredients you have in the pantry, and ultimately your mental and physical health.
While some of these benefits seem obvious, it’s not exactly the easiest thing to commit to at first. It takes practice, patience, and self-control. The pay-off is, honestly, feeling more in control and less stressed over what’s for dinner.
Why I’m Passionate About Meal Planning for Beginners
So, I’ve recently lost my job. To be honest, it’s not like we were playing fast and loose with the budget before that, but now we’re really pulling tight on the purse strings. That has inspired me to share my thoughts on meal planning for beginners.
In honor of all those with me on the food budget journey, I thought I’d share how I plan our dinners, how we prep our lunches and breakfasts, and what I keep on hand so we can have treats on a budget.
I’ve been pre-planning our dinner menus two weeks in advance, religiously, since July (so, going on four months). Maybe there were times I wanted to give up, but sticking to it has really helped us out. My husband just paid off his student loans this month!
Update May 2020: We’ve been planning our dinners out for 10 months straight now. Because of the Stay at Home order with COVID-19, we could have been smacked with stress. However, we were already in the practice of shopping only once every two weeks and cooking at home.
I can’t say enough how much this planning method saved my sanity going into quarantine. We didn’t lose our routine, we stayed on budget, and even though I’ve lost my job yet again, we’re on track to have one car paid off next month, and the other car within the year.
How Does the Meal Plan Work?
I’ll get more into the nitty-gritty details of how dinner meal planning works throughout this article, but here is the basic idea. The first and third Sundays of the month are the beginning of a new menu cycle. I plan out the meals for the next two weeks and build a grocery list.
Subscribers get a free menu planner that will help you get started one week at a time.
We stick to the plan. There are no extra trips to the shop midway through the week. If we run out of something, it goes on the list and we make do without. The trick is being mindful of the ingredients we need for meals and not using them.
This mostly turns into a problem when someone (points at myself) snacks on the bell peppers and suddenly we’re short on vegetables. I actually started buying bags of frozen peppers to hide in the freezer because of this.
That kind of brings up another fun trick: Know where you might fail and have a backup plan ready. But with no further ado, here is my full take on meal planning for beginners.
Fact: It’s a Commitment
So, for me, I go into the two-week-period knowing that we’re cooking dinner at home. This is where a lot of people lose interest. Where’s the flexibility and the spontaneity?
I have to be honest here, friends. You can have flexibility (we’ll talk more about that below), but spontaneity tends to waste money when there are perfectly good ingredients sitting in your fridge.
Commit to the plan. Get your partner to commit as well. Make it a challenge for the kids, even. With the whole family on board, it’s a heck of a lot more fun to stick to a menu.
It may help you to set a time goal for your commitment with a prize. Try it out for a month first. Tell the family that if you can stick to it for a month, you can use the money you saved for something fun, like a trip to the movies (keep it small… you’re not saving that much money).
Eventually, you’ll want to apply your savings to bills and debt, but don’t forget fun things count toward a good life.
Fact: You have to make it fun
I’m totes plugging my freebie a bunch in this post, but seriously, I worked hard on this really cute little weekly menu planner that will help you make this whole thing so much more fun. And if you want a still-cute but more customizable option, contact me about my fees for a custom planner!
If you’re still with me, let me tell you there’s hope! Meal planning can be so fun if you make it fun. For example, I like setting “Theme Nights.” It combines dedicated nights with the freedom to try new things, too.
The themes have even evolved over the weeks to accommodate more freedom. Like, Italian Wednesday turned into Cultural Wednesday (so I could add in Greek, Indian, or Korean). Pick themes that get you excited to cook, and don’t be afraid to change it up from week to week.
I also find that Meatless Monday ends up being Mexican. That means that I sometimes forego Taco Tuesday for a diner classic like Salisbury Steak or Meatloaf. The point is that just because my themes are there to make it fun, that doesn’t mean they are set in stone. Which brings us to the next point…
Fact: It’s as flexible as you plan for it to be
Ha! A flexible plan? What I mean is this: I can plan for specific nights, but I also know that if Tuesday is a nightmare and I didn’t have time to thaw out chicken, there’s a bagged dinner set for Thursday.
I’m perfectly free to swap nights around. So are you. You decide what will work for you. Do you need to build in a contingency? Do it. The goal is, above all, to make a plan that you and your family are capable of sticking to.
ON TO THE FUN STUFF!
Thank goodness you’re still with me. We’re getting to the fun part now. First, I want to show you what a sample of my two-week menu looks like and how I set it up. Then, we’ll talk about options for you.
Of course, I don’t expect you to do exactly what I do. I do know, however, that sometimes it’s a blessing to find someone else’s menu online to save time. There are links in the menu to some of my recipes in blog form. I hope you’ll check those out, but I understand if you skip to the recipe card.
Just remember to Pin your favorite recipes on Pinterest! And follow me @ellejayathome!
Meal Planning for Beginners Template
Sunday: Try Something New
Monday: Meat-free
Tuesday: Tacos (Mexican)
Wednesday: Cultural
Thursday: Frozen
Friday: Fish
Saturday: Pizza
Two Week Example
Sunday: Cheeseburger Salad with Air Fries
Monday: Tofu Burrito Bowls
Tuesday: Turkey Meatloaf
Wednesday: Pasta and Meat Sauce
Thursday: Frozen Dinner
Friday: Tilapia, Green Beans, Rice
Saturday: Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza
Sunday: Fried Rice, Dumplings, Scallion Pancake
Monday: (Walking Tacos) Quorn Chili, Fritos, Cheddar
Tuesday: Beefy Burrito Bowls
Wednesday: Chicken Shawarma Wraps
Thursday: Frozen Dinner
Friday: Indian-spice Tilapia, Chickpeas, Cauliflower
Saturday: Breakfast Pizza
Filling it Out and Making it Work
Fridays are Fish Fridays. This is nothing to do with religious reasons, but that brings up a good point: factor in your Seder or Lent practices when you’re planning.
Maybe that’s obvious, but how many times have you forgotten what day of the week it is only to realize you don’t have the right food?
So, for the rest of the week, I focus on the protein and veggies first and figure out how to make them fit into the theme. Does it need sauce? What kind of carb would go best with everything? Above all, have fun with it!
What is Going to Work for You?
So now, it’s your turn. How do you want to plan your menu? My way is certainly more structured than some people prefer. That’s okay if you aren’t into it. Don’t be discouraged. Here are some other options for planning:
Only Plan for Certain Days
Do you only need help a couple of days a week? Maybe it’s a time scramble, so think about freezer prepping meals. You don’t need to write down your options; you just need some pre-made meals that you can grab and cook and go.
There are Birdseye Voila meals, or you could try Sun Basket’s premade options. They’ll send you fully prepped meals that you just have to heat. You could also make a ton of meatballs and use them with pasta or minute rice and veggies for a fast dinner.
If it’s a commitment to not going out, really try to make fun at-home options available to yourself. Try to replicate your favorite dining-out options at home.
Do you rely on Chipotle? Try Burrito Bowls. Are you pizza fiends? It’s so easy to make your own once you have a perfect crust. Maybe you’re super into diner food? Get an amazing meatloaf at home! You can do this!
Make a Menu Without Assigning Days
If you want a menu but not the commitment of specific days, I’d recommend making a list of meals you have ingredients to make. This gives you a sense of spontaneity because you get to pick your meal the day of, but it also provides you with enough structure to keep from eating out.
To be honest, we have tried this in the past, and it was really easy to lose track of what ingredients we needed for the remaining meals. You may find yourself in a similar position. Just keep a list of recipes handy.
You could also prep and separate your ingredients so they won’t be touched. This tends to make it feel more like a meal delivery service. It really adds to your fun the night of.
Meal Prep Dinners for the Freezer
This is a great option. In fact, it’s one I aspire to. Things like meatloaf, lasagna, casseroles… these can be put together in advance and stored in the freezer. The day of, all you have to do is move it from the freezer to the fridge before work to thaw, and pop it in the oven after work for dinner.
And while this option is totally helpful, you can also include meal delivery services or frozen meals from the store in your plan. Make it easy for yourself as long as it fits in your budget.
Change Your Planning Period
I plan for two week periods because my husband and I get paid on the same Friday, every other week. That means there’s one week in the middle where bills have been paid and our accounts are a little low.
If you get paid once a month, maybe you want to plan further in advance (this comes with freshness challenges, so the freezer is your friend). If you get paid more frequently, or you just like to go shopping once a week, instead, maybe plan a week at a time.
Regardless, it’s important to think about timing. Food goes bad. If you’re planning meals with fewer shopping trips, you either need more freezer options or more pantry staples. Fresh food is not going to last longer just because you will it to.
It’s not all hard truths, though.
Remind Me Why I Need to Meal Plan?
I think it’s really important to note that, whatever your reason may be, meal planning really is a helpful tool. I think we’ve hit on how this can save your budget and give you control. But how does it help your physical and mental health?
Physically, meal planning is a great way to keep you on the wagon with whatever lifestyle choice you’re making (diet is a four-letter word anymore, but you know what I mean). Nothing will force you to stick to a diet more than a limited supply of ingredients that are committed to a menu.
I mean, if I buy a pound of cheese, but I need it for two pizzas on two Saturdays, that means, I can’t sit down with crackers and half a brick and a glass of wine on Monday. Instead, maybe my snack is an apple with almond butter. We’ll talk more about snacks in a different post, but you see where I’m going.
If your ingredients are spoken for, you can’t just snack on them. This basically forces you to think through what you’re eating all day every day. And, that will help you to get your health under control.
Mentally, just think about the stress you won’t have. I don’t know about you, but the dinner argument gives me anxiety. Real anxiety. I sweat on the way home from work thinking about it.
“What’s for dinner?”
“I don’t know. What do you want?”
“Well, I don’t know. What do we have?”
“I don’t know! I just got home, too, you know? Please just… what are you in the mood for?”
“I don’t know. What do we have?”
God… so help me… if I never have this conversation again, it will be too soon.
Now, I have a menu. It’s on a blackboard in my kitchen. No one asks me what’s for dinner, and if they do, all I have to do is point to the sign and say, “Whatever the board says, mate.”
I say “mate” sometimes because we watch WAY too much British television.
You’ve got Meal Planning in the bag!
To sum up, meal planning is flexible and customizable to your lifestyle. The benefits of planning ahead allow you to offload the stress of answering “What’s for dinner?”, stick to a tighter budget, eat healthier, and potentially save yourself some time. Up next, we’ll talk about lunches and breakfasts.
Comment below with your thoughts on Meal Planning for Beginners, what obstacles you face, and what you’d like to see in the future. Subscribe to get a free printable menu planner!
