Meal planning doesn’t have to be difficult! This simple meal planning system is created to solve these common problems with groceries and cooking:
1. Easy: Meal plan AND compile your grocery list in 5 minutes per week.
2. Maintain a smaller inventory: Having cupboards stuffed with food is STRESSFUL. Learn how to get just what you need and keep less on hand.
3. Waste LESS: With these simple ideas, you can virtually eliminate wasted food.
4. Stick with it: This system is designed for busy people. If that’s you, keep reading!!
THE BASICS OF THIS MEAL PLANNING SYSTEM
This system is EASY, but you’ll need to spend a few extra minutes on the front end setting everything up. Here is what you’ll need:
1. Grocery Inventory: I’m including links to the spreadsheet that I use, but of course you can make your own!
Free Downloads:
>> Blank PDF Meal Planning Worksheet (unfortunately, this is not a version that can be edited)
And for those interested in my filled-in sheet, you can see that here:
>> Dawn’s Grocery Inventory & Meal Plan
“IP” means Instant Pot
“Ck” means chicken
This worksheet is a couple of years old now, see links to our most common recipes below.
2. Fill in the Worksheet: Roughly fill in your grocery inventory and a set of meals that you know you can stick to (it doesn’t have to be perfect, you can revise it as you go!!).
3. Marker Board: I created sections for “Use Up”, “Leftovers” and our meals for the week (mine was from the Dollar Tree!).
VIDEO MEAL PLANNING INSTRUCTIONS HERE:
Or watch this video on YouTube here.
OUR MEALS:
And if you’re curious what I have for meals, you can see it here:
“IP” means that it is a meal that I make in our Instant Pot. I’ve really come to appreciate my Instant Pot, especially in the summer when I don’t want to heat up the whole kitchen! But year round, I love that it creates minimal dishes.
Check out our favorite Instant Pot meals here
Check out our favorite chicken meals here
But overall, the key is keeping your meal rotation simple. Once you have the habit of cooking at home in place, then it’s fun to try new recipes occasionally.
Here’s to successful meal planning!
Related products:
More tips to help you simplify your kitchen:
>> 5 EASY WHOLE FOOD INSTANT POT RECIPES
>> DECLUTTERING QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF (FREE PRINTABLE!!)
>> GUIDED KITCHEN DECLUTTER: USE THESE PRINCIPLES TO SIMPLIFY YOUR KITCHEN QUICKLY & EASILY
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I was wondering if you still use this system. If not can you do an update?
I think Dawn continues to use something similar. I’m part of the membership group and just this week she shared a similar (slightly updated) pantry inventory sheet with meals listed at the bottom. I’m working on building out the simplified meal planning system Dawn recommends and was watching the YouTube video that links to this page for more inspiration.
I came upon your videos on you tube and you are such a blessing! I was always such a failure at meal planning. Not anymore! We eat out less and figuring out what to make for dinner isn’t stressful anymore. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your ideas and your service! I am using your Meal Planning Worksheet and trying to save money and prevent waste. As a mom of teens, I hear, “What do we have to eat?” all day long. Sometimes when my husband is going to cook something I hear, “Do we have _____?” or “Where is ______?” Based on you amazing Worksheet, I made a Family Cheat Sheet to hang on the fridge with ideas for them for breakfast, lunch, snack & easy dinners. I also listed where they can find it. I would love to share it with you to get your feedback and maybe it could be helpful to your other followers. Thank you again!
Hi! I have 5 kiddos and 2 of them are teens. I’d love to see your modified version!
Yes please share those simple recipes!
Thanks for a meal plan that I think I can actually stick with. It is so simple and uses common sense. The white board is GENIUS! I bought 2 of them. I’m going to come up with a way to use it to track inventory in my upright freezer.
Thanks again!
thank you so much for this, Dawn! I’m hoping that it will be easier to use up what we have and stop the food waste!
Super idea! Great way to “put my brain on paper” so that I don’t have to try and remember the same thing week after week. Thanks for sharing!
Such an encouragement and motivator to stumble across this while getting ready for Baby #2 to arrive. We have all been super burnt out on meal planning, cooking, etc. so this has freshened up the way I’m going to think about food! What a blessing! My husband will also love the organization of this list for the times that he goes shopping for me if I’m not feeling well. :)
Hello Dawn. I just happened across your video on YouTube and I am so sick at all the food waste that I thought I would give your meal planning idea a try. Seems easy enough. Thank you
I absolutely hate grocery stores. I get so overwhelmed at all the choices. Your video gives me hope that I can manage shopping and cooking without all the stress it creates for me. Thanks so much.
Just came across your Youtube videos and glancing through some of the website. I’m grateful for the time and effort you’re putting into this! I work 2 days a week, but aim to be full stay at home mom in the future if we can make the numbers work. We have two adorable littles – age 1 and 2.5, and I’m looking forward to all your info on toys, etc. I try to weed out but it doesn’t feel like I make even a dent lol. Meal planning gets stressful and then thrown out the window, which results in spending way too much for groceries every month. We need help and I’m excited to see what tid bits you have :)
Good question! If we NEED it and I’m not going to Walmart I’ll just hand write it into a section for Aldi :)
Hello! I think we could be friends! My husband and I have been reducing our load for the last several years and yet my pantry and brain have continued to be stressed over food. I finally looked at him exasperated and said, “There HAS to be a way to apply minimalism to our food the same way we have to our lives without eating the same thing every day. We don’t wear the same outfit.” His response, “google it”. So I did. After a few disappointments I stumbled across your video and was so excited! You are me. And you shop like we do. And you have a workable system. I was literally bouncing up and down on the couch while you explained your system.
I just wanted to say “thank you” for taking the time. We are just now coming our of our survival years with our oldest being 5 and our youngest turning 3 this summer. I want to establish this pace so that they can see the joy in cooking and eating and not the stressed look on mom’s face when they remind me that they are hungry. again.
I love your YouTube videos! Thanks so much for sharing so many tips. I’ve benefitted from them so much. I noticed that some of your recipes in the “longer” column for meals could be made in a pressure cooker, like stew. Just a suggestion if you wanted to move them into the weeknight category. :)
Thanks again!
Hi Dawn,
I found you through YouTube and traced you back here.
I’m excited by your plan and ideas for how to make things simpler.
My DH will not eat what I eat ( lean protein and low fat, low carbs) and I really don’t care to eat his less healthy
choices.,
So I am currently preparing meals in quantity to be eaten as leftovers or frozen for later. Luckily he is ok with it.
My other challenge is that I spend several days/week with my elderly Mom in her home about 100 miles away.
Her dietary issues and preferences are different than either of ours. I think the board on the fridge will help all of us. If you have suggestions, I’m all ears! Thanks.
I think the system could help me keep track of the
HI Dawn! Love this video! I have not been able to find a system I can stick to that is quick and easy, but I feel like this might be the ticket! A few question though…. he food items listed, are those foods you keep on hand at all times for just breakfast, snacks, lunches, deserts? Or does that include things for dinners as well? I’m finding as I make mine that things I only use for dinner meals are popping into the list, but looking at yours, I am having a hard time being able to tell. Do you keep your quick meals on hand at all times too? If you do, would those items be listed in the food categories? Or do you plan on certain days being quick meals? Sorry for the questions! Love this plan!
I’m just curious what are your regular go-to breakfasts?
Good question! I talk about them in this video: https://youtu.be/NVkzbXhDzVY but mostly it is egg-muffins (pioneer woman recipe–I added the link in the video description), breakfast tacos and scrambled eggs that we cook in the microwave, or breakfast sandwiches (we like the sandwich rounds from Aldi and then we cook an egg in a bowl in the microwave, it comes out the perfect size for the sandwich rounds and then we add any combination of cheese, ham lunch meat, sausage patties, bacon– that I had cooked over the weekend, and mayo). After they have had something with protein then they can have cereal if they are still hungry :)
Exactly what I was thinking!!
Hi Dawn! Thanks for this, I just discovered your YouTube and I subscribed and loved! WHat does ck mean in your list of meals?
Good question! That stands for chicken :)