What’s your perception of a successful meal planner? Someone who plans out every single breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack with effortless precision? Maybe they’re also a wiz in the kitchen and meals seem to come together with the snap of a finger.
I don’t think that’s the case. Being successful at meal planning has nothing to do with what’s on the meal plan, how many days are planned for, or the amount of detail. A successful meal planner is a consistent meal planner.
That doesn’t mean successful planners plan every day – far from it! The cadence at which you meal plan is entirely up to you and your schedule, but being prepared for at least a few days ahead is an incredible time and energy saver.
I’ve interacted with all types of planners over many years, from consistent to nonexistent, and I’ve learned a few things about how people find success with meal planning. I’d like to share what I’ve observed with you, so you can become a successful, consistent, planner and realize the joy of being prepared for mealtimes.
1. Successful planners have a system.
The most consistent planners have their own system for creating meal plans. There’s not one perfect system that works for everyone, in fact, most frameworks people create are very specific to the needs of their family. In episode 26 of The Plan to Eat Podcast, Amy Udell talked about finding your meal planning anchor as a basis for structuring your meal plan. For a long time, Amy’s anchor was budget and month-long planning because of their paycheck schedule. Your anchor could be anything from budget, to a CSA box, to freezer meals, and it may vary with different stages of your life.
The system you choose to guide your meal planning isn’t important. The important factor for creating consistency is that you have a system that works for you and your lifestyle. If you’re new to planning, it may take some trial and error to figure out what makes meal planning feel simple. If you need inspiration, look at how you plan and schedule other areas of your life and replicate that system for your meals.
2. Successful planners are flexible.
There’s a false assumption that successful planners create a perfect plan and get it right every time. If that’s your belief about planning then it can feel intimidating to even start because you know you’re gonna get it wrong more than once.
In reality, successful meal planners know that most meal plans will need to be adjusted because life gets in the way of what we had planned.
Stephanie Royer spoke on the podcast about staying flexible by making sure your meal plan includes shelf-stable recipes where most, if not all, of the ingredients can be stored in the pantry or frozen. If something else comes up you can skip or freeze that recipe and you’re not wasting the food you purchased. Giving yourself the wiggle room to skip a meal on your plan or reschedule it for another day makes the meal plan work for you, rather than you working to fulfill the plan.
3. Successful planners are happy with a simple plan.
Consistent meal planners are more concerned with getting the meal plan made than making it super detailed. Details can come later if need be, but creating something simple can reduce your stress immediately.
You can define simple in multiple ways: simple recipes, simple structure, simple ingredients. I personally, meal plan very simply by only adding dinner recipes to my plan and then eating leftovers for lunch and staples for breakfast. Podcast guest, Diana Rice, meal plans simply by having a small number of recipes to choose from, so she’s not bogged down with the decision of what recipes to make. Or a simple meal plan can be quick 15-minute meals that get food on table and prevent you from getting takeout. The goal is to be prepared, save money, waste less food, and not stress about what’s for dinner and however you accomplish that is a win!
4. Successful planners have a planning buddy.
As with most things in life, successful meal planners don’t do it all alone. Finding a meal planning buddy gives you someone to go to for meal ideas, ways to get creative with the same ole recipe, and encouragement or commiseration when it sucks. You can learn about their system for planning and tweak your own based on what they do or feel satisfied that you’re doing what’s best for your family. Food is a huge source of connection and the planning process is a way you can learn, mentor, and foster stronger relationships with those close to you.
Bonus: Successful meal planners shop at home.
A tactical idea from many successful meal planners is to take the time to “shop at home” before going to the grocery store. Reviewing your grocery list and removing items you already have at home reduces unnecessary spending and food waste. Saving money at the grocery store and throwing out less food creates a positive feedback loop when you meal plan. If you see tangible benefits from the process, you’re more likely to continue the behavior and thus become a consistent meal planner.
Meal planning can often be more about your mindset than anything else. Approach the process with positive intentions and realize it probably won’t turn out perfect. Aim for the goal of reducing the amount of time and energy you spend thinking about your upcoming meals. Creating your meal plan is a win no matter if it’s simple or complex because you’re doing your future self a favor. When 5 o’clock rolls around, you can breathe a sigh of relief that you don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner and you have the right ingredients because it’s already planned.
