I plan around set dinner themes that don’t change. So to say that I was overwhelmed when it came to meal planning from the beginning would be understatement! I was a fish out of water!įast forward to nine years later, I now have a system to make meal planning super easy and, almost, seamless.

I went from my mother’s house, where she prepared meals every night, to the college dorm cafeteria, back to my mother’s house after I graduated, to finally moving into my husband’s house after we married. When I married my husband I never really had a season where I had to cook for myself. The list could go on with all of the reasons that make meal planning feel like so much work. BUTthe actual process of meal planning can be overwhelming, even laborious, especially when you have a growing family, food allergies or sensitivities, picky or very opinionated eaters, or a limited budget. On one hand when you take the time to sit down and think through your meals for the coming week or month, you’re creating a plan of action which will save you time in the long run. Meal planning… two words that can bring both a sense of dread and relief, depending the way you look at it.

Printable meal plan sheets