About three weeks into our marriage, Tony and I had a serious conversation about how our life together would go. It was about food. And it happened when a lot of these types of discussions occur; not when we were refreshed and happy, but when we were both tired and hungry. 

We’d just gotten home from work. I did not have the will to cook. He was willing to cook but didn’t know what we should make. And, for what was probably the second time that week, I suggested takeout. That is when Tony decided to draw a line in the sand: 

He did not want to do takeout more than once a week. 

I looked at him in horror. Not that I wanted takeout to be our way of life. I was raised in a home where my mom made dinner almost every night. It was just, after a long day of work, my brain was done. I was done. I didn’t want to come up with a meal idea on the fly. And, unless we came up with a solution, this was going to be a source of tension in our marriage.

After a long day of work, my brain was done. I was done. I didn’t want to come up with a meal idea on the fly. And, unless we came up with a solution, this was going to be a source of tension in our marriage.

I don’t remember how we resolved our conversation that night. Or even, what we had for dinner. All I know is, we found our way to meal planning, and never looked back.

Now, we’ve been planning meals together for almost eleven years. It’s not always easy. Some weeks even Tony wishes he could be ok with a takeout lifestyle. Only the benefits of meal planning have far outweighed the effort it takes to put together our meals each week. We’re able to eat healthier, we save money, there’s less waste because we only buy the ingredients we need, and we’re not wondering what we’re going to eat each night. 

Over the past month or so, I’ve been talking about the importance of routines. Often, in the big picture sense. But today, I want to get really specific and share some of the tools and rules we follow for meal planning in hopes of helping you with this important practice. Please note, this is what we do to feed two people, and if you’re feeding a larger family, some of these may need to be tweaked to fit your needs. 

Eating healthy is crucial to our physical and mental well being. Only it takes work and planning. Here are the things that help us plan our meals each week:

We schedule a meal planning day and a shopping day.

Every Thursday, we plan our meals for the next seven days. Then, based on our weekend schedule, we plan when we will take our one shopping trip to get what we want. Sometimes this means making a few stops on our way—to the grocery store and the local farm stand. Sticking to a certain day of the week to plan and to shop, prevents us from having to run to the store multiple times a week which can be exhausting and time consuming.

We use a simple weekly planner.

I love writing with pen and paper, so rather than using a meal planning app, I use a monthly planner (like this one). On the month pages we lay out our meals each week, then I write my grocery list on the planner plages. Finally, I take a photo of my list with my phone so I don’t have to take the book with me to each store. 

We use Pinterest, like this.

Though we do use a few cook books, most of our recipes are pinned on Pinterest. Thanks to Tony, we’ve created one meal planning board with separate sections for each protein. This helps us schedule meals with a variety of proteins each week. 

Leftovers save us.

Cooking every night is exhausting. Instead, we make meals that give us at least six servings. Then we use the leftovers for the next two days’ lunch or dinner. This means, we make a brand new meal only three to four times a week, and that covers all of our lunches and dinners for an entire week. Not only that, but leftovers make us eat healthier portions because we know how many servings each meal must cover.

We combat recipe ruts by eating locally and seasonally.

Eating locally and seasonally is good for the environment and our bodies. But, it also helps change up what we’re eating every couple of months. Right now, we’re eating local asparagus. In a few more weeks, we’ll be making “zoodles” with fresh zucchini. This summer we’ll be eating corn, and in the fall, all the roasted squash. If you’ve never followed the seasons with your meal planning, now is a great time to start. Books like this one, helped us on our journey, but there are many resources online as well to help get you started.

Do you meal plan?

If so, what tricks and tips have you found helpful?

If not, what is holding you back?

If you want more help in finding your rhythm when it comes to routines–or just a friend for this crazy journey called life–sign up for my email list today and receive two extra posts and other fun resources in your inbox every month! Sign up here and also receive my free resource on creating space in our lives for what is most important.

Photo by ready made from Pexels