This Simple Meal Planning Tip Will Make Your Life Easier

Making A Weekly Meal Plan Is Easier With A Template

Whether you’re the only one in charge of keeping everyone in the house fed or you share that responsibility with someone else, it’s a lot of work! From budgeting to grocery shopping to cooking, every step takes time, effort, and planning, and the work never ends!

But the good news is that it is indeed possible to keep your family well-fed without losing your mind in the process. ;-) And I hope to prove it in today’s post, where I’ll be sharing a simple system you use to save yourself time and take the guesswork out of planning meals!

How A Dinner Planning Template Saves You Time And Effort

This system involves creating your own weekly meal plan templates, which is sort of like having a plan for coming up with a meal plan. Instead of deciding arbitrarily what to cook each night, your meal plan template will have a theme or category for each day that will help narrow your options and give you more to work with.

But sticking to the same plan each week can start to feel repetitive, so I recommend having two templates you can rotate through to keep things interesting. I’ve included two of my own meal plan templates below so you can see how it’s done.

Note: I find this system really helpful, but if it’s not a good fit for you for whatever reason, check out my Go-To Dinners List printable instead. It’s not so much a planning system as it is a reminder about meals that you and your family enjoy!

Feel free to steal/borrow the examples I’ve provided below, or use them as inspiration for your own templates. To make it even easier for you, I also put together a free PDF printable of Weekly Meal Ideas that you can download near the bottom of this post!

Weekly Meal Plan Template – Example #1

Meatless Monday

Skipping meat once a week is great for your wallet and the planet! Try a vegetarian option like my quick and easy meatless lasagna!

Dump Dinner Tuesday

Nothing says effortless like a “dump dinner!” These are meals you assemble and freeze in advance so you can just dump them into a slow cooker or your Instant Pot when you’re ready to cook them.

Check out these three “dump chicken” recipes, then check out this post for 5 more make-ahead-and-freeze meals.

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

Did you know that there are over 20 ways to use a rotisserie chicken? From chicken salad to taco soup, it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Family Dinner Thursday

Thursday dinners are one of my favorite family traditions! I usually stick with crowd-pleasers like Instant Pot pot roast or meatloaf served with mashed potatoes.

Grilling Friday

Another thing the Nystul family loves is grilling! Even during the winter I’ll make things like spare ribs in the Instant Pot or tri-tip in the oven. But during the warmer months, I’m all about that “straight off the grill” flavor!

“Surprise Me” Saturday

Saturdays are for surprises! This could include getting take-out from your favorite restaurant, trying a new local spot, or clearing out the fridge and creating something new out of whatever leftovers you had on hand!

Soup/Salad Sunday

Sundays are for rest, so I like to keep things simple with soup or salad (or soup and salad!) Use up leftover veggies by stirring them into some spring mix or toss together this tasty spinach salad. For something a little more hearty, make a big batch of my Instant Pot chili.

Weekly Meal Plan Template – Example #2

Mexican Monday

From ultra-authentic to Tex-Mex and beyond, we love all kinds of Mexican food in this family. There are endless ways to combine Mexican staples like tortillas, beans, rice, etc., so Mexican Monday can always look (and taste) a little different! Try these honey-lime chicken enchiladas one week, then baked tacos the next, and so on.

Breakfast For Dinner Tuesday

Breakfast for dinner (or “B for D” as some like to call it) is super easy to execute and it’s a fun way to mix things up. Keep it simple with scrambled eggs and bacon, or get your protein fix with this breakfast casserole. And since we’re already breaking rules, why not have pancakes or cinnamon rolls for dessert? ;-)

Pizza Wednesday

Dinner on Wednesdays is all about pizza. Whether we order delivery from our favorite pizza joint or we break out my stovetop pizza oven, it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family. (Those with Celiac and or looking to cut back on carbs can always load their tomato sauce and toppings onto a tasty cauliflower pizza crust.)

Casserole Thursday

Casseroles are super easy to assemble ahead of time so you can just pop them in a pre-heated oven for a quick dinner. Our favorite chicken casserole is always an option, though I’m not opposed to spicing things up a bit with a chicken enchilada casserole.

Pasta Friday

Pasta lovers rejoice! Try spooning crockpot ranch chicken over noodles, or jazz up a jar of pasta sauce. Looking to add more veggies into the mix? Try this delicious chilled pasta salad.

Sandwich Saturday

Sandwich Saturday represents an endless sea of possibilities. Pile up the cold cuts, cheese, veggies, and spreads, or break out your griddle to whip up some gourmet grilled cheeses.

Leftovers Sunday

Clean out the fridge and eliminate food waste by eating whatever you didn’t finish during the week! You may even be able to get creative by combining different ingredients—taco pizza, anyone? :-)

More Ideas For Your Meal Plan Templates

You can build the perfect templates for you and your family using your favorite kinds of food, your preferred cooking methods, certain types of dishes, or anything else that comes to mind! Here are some more ideas you might consider using somewhere in your templates:

• Ethnic Foods
  • Chinese
  • Indian
  • Mediterranean
  • Italian
  • Mexican
• Dish Types
  • Casseroles
  • Sandwiches
  • Soup/Stew
  • Stir Fry
• Meats
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Seafood
• Dietary Restrictions
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Gluten Free
  • Raw
• Cooking Method
  • Grill
  • Smoker
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
• Bonus & Miscellaneous
  • Leftovers
  • Dine Out
  • Order In
  • Try A New Recipe

Download The Weekly Meal Ideas Printable

Download the free printable PDF below, print it out, and use it to create 2 reusable dinner planning templates. When you’re done, hang it on your fridge or inside a cabinet door so you can refer to it as needed!

Do you have a favorite method or approach for planning meals?