Free Meal Plan Template for Planning Weekly Meals
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Y’all ever find yourself at a loss when supper time rolls around? Making those extra runs to the store because you just can’t figure out what to whip up for dinner? Well, I’ve got just the thing for you! Grab my free meal plan template. It’ll help you get organized with a plan and prevent those last-minute grocery dashes.
What is a Meal Plan?
A meal plan is your golden ticket to a smooth-sailing week. It’s a template that you fill in with your favorite dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks. Or you can just use it to plan your dinner meals! Meal planning takes the guesswork out of meal times. No more standing in front of an open fridge, wondering what to cook! A meal planner is like your personal guide through the grocery store, helping you stick to your list and avoid unnecessary items.
Meal Plan Template
Get ready to simplify your life and meal prep with my free Meal Planning Template Printable Pack! These printables are designed to help you streamline your kitchen routine, reduce waste, and make the most of what you already have on hand.
Printable Meal Plan Template Includes:
- Weekly meal plan template: You can plan meals for every day of the week, jot down the groceries you need, and even add little notes.
- Recipe card template: This handy template helps you organize your favorite recipes in a way that aligns with your weekly meal plan.
- Freezer inventory template: Ever found a bag of frozen peas at the back of the freezer that’s been there since who knows when? With our Freezer Inventory Template, you can keep tabs on what’s in your freezer and when it needs to be eaten by.
- Fridge inventory template: Our Fridge Inventory Template will help you use up all your groceries before they go bad.
- Pantry inventory template: No more buying canned beans only to discover you already have five cans hiding in the back! This template helps you know what’s in your pantry and even has a column for expiration dates.
Save your weekly meal plan templates so you can rotate them out and never run out of ideas again! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to download my free meal plan template that you can use again and again.
Benefits of Weekly Meal Planning
- Say Goodbye to Stress: No more worrying about what to whip up after a long day or running to the store because you forgot an ingredient. Everything’s planned out in advance!
- Save Some Pennies: Every little bit counts when you’re trying to stretch your grocery budget. With meal planning, you buy only what you need and avoid wasting food.
- Healthy Choices are Easier: When you’re tired and hungry, it’s easy to reach for fast food or processed snacks. But with meal planning, you’ve got wholesome, homemade meals ready to go.
- Time-Saving: Think of all the time spent wondering ‘what’s for dinner?’ Well, not anymore! when you meal plan you save time because it’s all organized for you.
- Brings the Family Together: Meal planning allows everyone to get involved – choosing recipes, shopping, cooking. It’s quality time and a life skill for the kids too!
Easy Way to Plan Delicious Meals
Some people prefer to do menu planning for an entire week at a time, rather than an entire month, but both ways work well.
A great way to use the weekly meal planner template is to pick a specific day where you sit down to plan next week’s meal ideas (if you are doing weekly planning).
If you have a busy life (who doesn’t?!) you can use our printable meal planner template to plan a whole month’s worth of meals!
This valuable tool can be used to plan all three meals of the day or just as a weekly dinner planner. Oftentimes I just plan out dinners as it’s so much easier to come up with breakfast and lunch ideas (or eat leftovers!).
It’s a good idea to keep your weekly planners so you can rotate them out!
Daily Themed Meal Plan Ideas
When filling out your weekly menu planner, don’t be afraid to try new recipes or add some fun with themes. We all know what ‘Taco Tuesday’ refers to, here are some more ideas:
Monday Meal Plan Ideas
- Mexican Monday: Kick the week off with some tacos or my best enchilada recipe. You can even whip up some homemade black bean and corn salsa or bacon guacamole.
- Meatless Mondays: Think hearty salads, veggie-loaded stir-fries, or comforting soups – simple meals that are easy to prep and delicious to eat.
- Make-Ahead Monday: Freezer meals are a lifesaver for those busy weekdays when cooking an elaborate meal seems impossible. Spend your Monday preparing easy freezer meals like lasagna, casseroles, or even my crockpot hot dog chili that you can freeze and reheat throughout the week.
Tuesday Meal Plan Ideas
- Tuscan Tuesday: Think spaghetti, lasagna, or baked ziti. Try my easy crockpot homemade spaghetti sauce that can be used in any of those dishes.
- Tex-Mex Tuesdays: With Tex-Mex Tuesdays, you can serve up some southern comfort with a twist. How about trying my chili mac and cheese; my kids love it!
- Tater Tuesdays: Who doesn’t love potatoes? Setup a loaded baked potato bar with all sorts of delicious toppings. Serve the loaded potatoes with a side salad.
Wednesday Meal Plan Ideas
- Wok Wednesday: Stir-fries are a great option here – they’re quick, easy, and you can use up any veggies you have lying around to minimize food waste.
- Wholesome Wednesday: Midweek is the perfect time for comfort food. Think hearty stews in the slow cooker or perhaps an easy homemade meatloaf.
- Wrap-it-up Wednesday: This theme is all about dishes you can eat with your hands. Think wraps, burritos, tacos.
Thursday Meal Plan Ideas
- Thankful Thursday: This is the day we appreciate classic comfort food from right here at home. How about some homemade chicken and dumplings or some savory pork chops?
- Thrifty Thursday: Let’s save some money (and reduce food waste) by using leftovers creatively! Turn Monday’s taco meat into a tasty quesadilla or use leftover veggies from Tuesday in a stir-fry.
- Throwback Thursdays: This is all about bringing back those old family favorites. Maybe it’s your grandmother’s beef stew recipe or an old fashioned chicken and rice casserole. These are the meals that make us feel at home, no matter where we are.
Friday Meal Plan Ideas
- Fishy Friday: Grilled salmon, shrimp scampi, or even a simple tuna mac and cheese casserole.
- Fun Fridays: Let’s end the week on a high note with Fun Fridays! This could mean making French fry pizza together or having a DIY burger bar where everyone gets to assemble their own burgers.
- Fried Chicken Fridays: Y’all, who doesn’t love a good piece of fried chicken? On Fridays, let’s gather the family around the table for a southern classic. Pair it with some corn on the cob and mashed potatoes, and you’ve got yourself a meal that’ll have everyone lickin’ their fingers.
- Flatbread Pizza Fridays: Homemade flatbread pizzas, like my Veggie Patch Pizza are quick, simple meals that the whole family can enjoy making together. Use your favorite toppings or try something new each week – it’s all part of the fun!
Saturday Meal Plan Ideas
- Sizzling Saturday: Fire up the grill for burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob – perfect for those warm summer nights!
- Southern Saturday: Y’all knew this was coming! Saturdays are for southern favorites – think fried chicken, collard greens, and cheesy cornbread.
- Seafood Saturdays: If you’re a fan of seafood, this one’s for you! Seafood Saturdays can introduce some new recipes into your rotation – think shrimp and creamy grits or blackened catfish.
Sunday Meal Plan Ideas
- Slow Cooker Sunday: Crock pot recipes are my favorite because it means less time in the kitchen! Just toss everything in the slow cooker in the morning and by meal time, you’ve got a delicious meal ready to go.
- Southern Comfort Sundays: Imagine pulling out a piping hot chicken cobbler from your oven or serving up creamy, buttery mashed potatoes.
- Farm-to-Table Sundays: Incorporate your own recipes using the fruits and vegetables you’ve grown yourself. Whether it’s a refreshing cucumber salad in the summer or a warm butternut squash soup in the fall, this meal plan is all about celebrating nature’s bounty.
- Family Favorites Sundays: From grandma’s famous meatloaf to mom’s special no-bake apple pie, relive those precious family moments through these beloved dishes.
Meal Plan Template PDF Download
Sign up to get access to my printable weekly meal planner. You’ll also get access to grocery list templates to help you track your budget and make grocery shopping a breeze. You can even use the printable templates to make your shopping list right alongside your meal plans!
After you submit your email address, check your inbox for an instant download.
