How to meal plan – the basics

Learning how to meal plan can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. At the most basic level, meal planning is about looking at the week ahead, figuring out how much time you will have to cook each day, and making a plan to help make your week run a little smoother.

Step one – plan the week

horizontal weekly planner on marble coffee table

The very first thing I do when meal planning is print out my weekly planner, open my calendar on my phone, and add all those key details. For me, this means writing when I drive carpool, what afternoon/evening activities are happening, and if there are any special days (birthdays, anniversaries, school events) that aren’t part of our usual week, or need extra planning.

Once you have a general idea of what’s going on that week, start thinking about what days are going to be busier than others and plan leftovers or super easy meals for those nights. Yes, you can start by just planning dinners. You can choose to plan every meal, but if you are just getting started with meal planning, just planning dinners is a great way to get in the habit.

Step two – plan the meals

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Favorite Books: February 2023

Whew, what a month! I know February is the shortest month of the year, but this one just flew by! Between increased kid activities, PTA/PTO/Booster responsibilities, and just regular-old life stuff, there wasn’t a ton of time to read this month. I did finish six books and started and abandoned one, so there was some reading, just not the marathon that was January 2023. I’m delighted to share my five favorite books of February 2023 with you!

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Meal Plan Monday: Week of Feb. 27, 2023

Here we are, back at Meal Plan Monday again! This week will probably be our last freezer-based meal plan for a bit – we’ve gotten things down to a manageable state again. We’ve got a meal plan full of easy, delicious, and budget-friendly meals.

By shopping the sales and our inventory, five meals for our family of four, plus one night of leftovers, comes in at about $60 this week. Again, fancy meals they are not. They are affordable, filling meals that are quick and easy for our busy family.

Let’s get into it.

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Meal Plan Monday: Week of Feb. 20, 2023

It’s Meal Plan Monday and we are continuing to shop our freezer and pantry this week. After reviewing our freezer inventory and polling the family, I’ve put together a meal plan full of easy, delicious, and budget-friendly meals.

By shopping the sales and our inventory, five meals for our family of four, plus one night of leftovers, comes in at about $55. Let’s be clear – these are not fancy meals. These are affordable, filling meals that our family loves and are quick and easy to put together on a weeknight.

Let’s jump into it.

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Favorite Books: January 2023

I don’t know about you, but there’s just something about snuggling up with a good book and being transported to the world the author has created that just makes my day. Reading has always been one of my favorite activities and I thought it would be fun to keep track of my favorite books each month and share them with you!

As I finish each book, I’ll share a mini review on Instagram Stories and I’ll share the full list here at the end of the month. Without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in January 2023.

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