I grew up in the kitchen watching my mother make homemade meals almost daily for our family. I was amazed at how she could create such delicious dishes effortlessly. That sparked my passion for cooking. Although I love to cook and try new recipes, I often don’t have the time as a single mother. After checking off a lengthy to-do list of work, sports schedules, orthodontist appointments, and many other tasks, I don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen. It can be overwhelming at times.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I made everything from scratch from homemade bread to casseroles. I was on a roll, literally, and my passion for cooking returned. And the new option to shop for groceries online freed up time in my busy schedule. It also forced me to be more organized and strategic with my menu planning. And remember, meal planning is different than meal prepping, which can cause anxiety for some! When you meal plan, you don’t have to cook or prep your meals in advance. You simply write down all your menus for the week. Planning meals takes some extra time initially, but once it’s a routine, you can knock out a plan in a matter of minutes.

You can download and print our meal planner!

Tip #1 Plan a Themed Dinner

Friday nights are pizza nights in our house. It gives me a break from cooking, and it gives my teenage sons a chance to choose the meal. They each have a favorite pizza place, so we take turns ordering delivery. Planing a themed dinner creates not only a routine but also a tradition. Before they could drive and make plans outside the house, we would watch movies when the pizza arrived. You can also host a Meatball Monday, Taco Tuesday, or a Seafood Sunday. If your family likes to eat breakfast for dinner, plan a Waffle Wednesday. I sometimes ask my fellas what they would like to eat for the week because if they play a part in the decision-making process, they are more likely to eat the meals they picked.

Tip #2 Check the Freezer

Check your freezer before you go shopping! You may have ingredients that you forgot all about. Be sure to cross off the items you already have in the house. Try to make menus using items that are approaching their expiration dates, so nothing goes to waste. When I grocery shop without checking my list first, I always bring home items that I have at home. You can also cross-check what’s on sale, and plan your menu use those ingredients.

Tip #3 Serve Leftovers

I typically cook a big Sunday dinner, so there are leftovers on Monday. On Tuesdays, I make something pretty hearty, like a casserole or pasta. That way, we’ll eat leftovers again on Wednesday. The Internet is a great place to find creative ways to remix your recipes. You can sign up for e-newsletters, like Meal Plan of Action, which provides you with 12 weeks of three-meal plans, including grocery lists and leftover ideas.

Tip #4 Download an App

There are lots of apps to give you endless ideas. BigOven is a meal-planning app that contains more than a million recipes. It also has a search tool that will allow you to plug in up to three ingredients to find a recipe using what’s already in your pantry. If you want to manage meal planning and your family at the same time, Cozi is the app for you! In addition to recipes and grocery lists, which any family member can create, it also includes a daily calendar for appointments and to-do lists. If you’re short on time, Mealtime is a must-use app. Mealtime allows you to pick meals based on cooking time and level of difficulty. You can input your family’s needs, including diets like Keto and Paleo, allergies and restrictions, and generate a shopping list. You can even cross out foods your kids don’t like.

Tip #5 Order Groceries Online

Once I write out my shopping list, I break it down into stores. I then log onto each store and enter my list for curbside pick-ups. I schedule everything to be picked up on the same day. If you have a big family, buy in bulk at Sam’s Club or Costco.

Here is an example of my meal planning for a week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Waffles/French Toast, eggs, bacon/chicken sausage, fresh fruit
Lunch: No lunch on Sundays because we eat a late, big breakfast
Dinner: Fish or shrimp, rice or pasta, vegetable, rolls
Dessert: Brownies

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, cereal bars, eggos, pre-made fruit shakes
Lunch: Kids eat at school
Dinner: Spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread
Dessert: Ice cream or cookies

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, cereal bars, eggos, pre-made fruit shakes
Lunch: Kids eat at school
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti or meatball hoagies
Dessert: Ice cream or cookies

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, cereal bars, eggos, pre-made fruit shakes
Lunch: Kids eat at school
Dinner: Tacos, corn, Spanish rice, fresh fruit
Dessert: Ice cream or cookies

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, cereal bars, eggos, pre-made fruit shakes
Lunch: Kids eat at school
Dinner: Leftover tacos (I often make loaded taco fries or walking tacos the next day)
leftover corn or rice, fresh fruit
Dessert: Ice cream or cookies

Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, cereal bars, eggos, pre-made fruit shakes
Lunch: Kids eat at school
Dinner: Pizza (if you don’t want to order pizza, try a frozen pizza)
Dessert: Milkshakes

Saturday
Breakfast: Waffles/French Toast, eggs, bacon/chicken sausage, fresh fruit
Lunch: No lunch on Saturdays because we eat a late/big breakfast
Dinner: Leftover pizza or sandwiches
Dessert: Ice cream or cookies

If you prefer more variety, you can customize your meal plan to fit your family’s dietary needs. I now depend on meal planning to keep my life organized and simplified. When I slack off and don’t meal plan, I order food from DoorDash several times a week, which is not good for my budget or waistline. Once you are a pro, you can plan a few weeks ahead and purchase items in bulk or items on sale and stock up your freezer. Meal planning gives me time that I can spend with my family. It also reignited my passion for cooking on the weekends, because I wasn’t bogged down with cooking every single day during the week.