Planning ahead can save you time, money and ensure a nutritious dinner is on the table each night! How to Meal Plan for a Month strategy is easy, quick, so try it out yourself!
Have you ever heard of the saying “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”? I have experienced this first hand over the last year of trying to balance a family, job and a household. Time is of the essence for everyone so meal planning can be a saving grace for you! The ability to plan your meals for an entire month can result in nutritious dinners on the table and save you from heading to the drive thru when times get busy.
If you are interested in my weekly meal planner, find it here! It includes a grocery list as well! We print this off each week, put it up in our pantry, and fill in our meals. That way, there is no questions like “Hunny, what are having for dinner?!”
To help you meal plan for a month, I have outlined the simple method that I have started to use! Here are the basics:
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Start by printing off a monthly calendar. Click here to open and download one. Fill in the month and dates and you are set.
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Fill in dates that you events going on; such as practices, family dates, games, etc. This will help when you look at a glance which nights you need to make dinner!
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Create a list of your families favorite meals, your go-to’s! Find our favorite meals here….it includes links to the recipes! These meals are the meals you know are a sure win, you can whip together when time is of the essence and don’t require much thought!
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Or, create a board on Pinterest with your favorite meals as well or ideas that you wish to try. I have a healthy meal prep recipes board, healthy chicken recipes board, and healthy weeknight dinners. I use these boards as inspiration so make your own board to make meal planning fun, fresh and easier! And make sure to follow me on Pinterest for new recipe ideas!
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If you wish, you can make theme nights to make filling out the calendar that much easier and to create excitement in your home! Examples, Slow Cooker Monday, Taco Tuesday, Pasta Thursday, Pizza Friday and make sure to add a breakfast for dinner night. Those are always a favorite around our house!
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Start filling in your meals for the month and before you know it, you have a month worth of dinners done!
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Bonus: Add breakfast, lunch, snacks and dessert sections to your Families Favorite Meals list and you will save yourself that much more time when meal time comes! I have listed my favorites below!
Just a reminder, this plan isn’t set in stone. Plans can change. Meals can change so write in pencil if you feel like you may change your mind, like I do! After all, this monthly meal plan is supposed to make your life less stressful, not create more stress.
Do you have any meal planning tips or secrets that you would like to share? I am all ears!
*This post/favorite family meals will be updated regularly as I find more tips and recipes.
187there is more where that came from!
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