How To Make Meal Planning Easier

When it comes to meal planning, I’ve been historically awful at it. Maybe this is because I’m a lifelong procrastinator. Or maybe it’s because I eat so much food that I’m never really in the mood to think about more food! Whatever the case, I’m determined to get a handle on meal planning this year. So far, I’m off to a pretty decent start thanks to these tricks for how to make meal planning easier. Here are the methods I’ve used to get the job done.

Watch cooking shows
Use this free template
Have a goal in mind
Plan meals while you’re hungry
Think in categories
Eat the seasons

Let’s break down how to make meal planning easier a little more below.

Watch Cooking Shows

When we had cable, I used to have Food Network on all the time in the background. I thought getting rid of cable would make me more productive. And I think it has. However, it’s made me less productive when it comes to meal planning, because I don’t have the source of inspiration I used to. One way I learned how to make meal planning easier was to play cooking shows on YouTube, instead. Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa is my favorite to watch before bed. Her meals aren’t too complicated, yet they still seem refined. When I watch cooking shows, it gives me much more inspiration for my meal planning template than if I don’t.

I’ve also learned a lot by watching cooking shows about trickier cuisines, such as Asian ingredients. Learning cooking techniques visually is so much easier than reading, to me! It makes it much easier to implement these skills in our own kitchen.

Use A Meal Planning Template

I didn’t even put it on this list, because “planning ahead” is such an obvious part of how to make meal planning easier. However, my trick is to plan really far ahead. I don’t plan one week at a time — I plan my meals for 2-3 months out at time. Why? It’s not often that I’m in the “mood” for meal planning. So when I am, I make the most of it. That way, I actually have fun doing it!

Click here to download the meal planning template I use. It’s already filled in with 3 months of planning for you — or, you can delete all the recipes and start over with your own preferences! (Each recipe is linked.) It’s not the fanciest or the most complicated, but it’s free! (I was on a major Ina Garten kick when I planned out this season. You’ve been warned.)

Feel free to download & customize our meal planning printable!

Have A Goal In Mind

I’m always trying to improve my diet. Always. That doesn’t mean I’m always on some fad or deprivation scheme. Quite the opposite, in fact. But I’m always trying to rotate the focus of nutrients I put in my body. Different chapters call for different foods. Right now, I’ve been functioning well with reduced carbs, so I’m actively planning meals with fewer carbs. (No, I’m not a “low carb” advocate — I regularly eat anywhere from 300-400g of carbs/day because, well, I eat a lot of food!) Other nutrition goals I’ve set in the past include…

Reduce carbohydrates
Decrease animal products/increase plant-based meals
Decrease processed foods
Intermittent fasting
“Grazing” schedule
No added sweeteners
Whole 30
Zero dairy
Increase fish consumption

Each time I try a kick, it tells me a little more about how various nutrients affect my body. For example, with reduced carbohydrate intake, my heavy lifting is suffering. However, my endurance has increase dramatically. One is not necessarily better than the other. But it teaches me how my body responds to nutrition. So, depending on my goals, I will adjust my nutrition accordingly. This is helpful when considering how to make meal planning easier. It provides a great “search” starting point.

Plan Meals While You’re Hungry

I might be crazy, but I hate meal planning when I’m full. Which is most of the time, because I eat a lot of food. As in, usually around 3500 calories for maintenance. Of course I don’t recommend this for everyone. But I spend a lot of time eating, and a lot of time full. I learned how to make meal planning easier by scheduling my food chart prep before I typically eat, rather than after. By planning future meals while I’m hungry, it’s a lot easier to get inspired and keep the meals for the next month interesting, rather than routine.

Think In Categories

It helps me to break meals up into major “categories” in my head when trying to mix it up. Some of these categories might include…

Cuisine (French, South American, Mediterranean…)
Main Ingredient (Chicken, Beef, Vegetarian…)
Goal (Reduced Carbohydrates, Zero Sweeteners, Whole 30…)
Flavor Profile (Savory, Sweet, Spicy…)

If I see too many of the same “categories” in a row, I don’t need to delete and search for entirely new dishes. Instead, I just switch around the order that I had planned for the next three months to keep the menu a little more interesting. It’s as simple as dragging & dropping. This is another tip for how to make meal planning easier. Color coding helps, too!

Eat the Seasons

This is one of my favorite tips for how to make meal planning easier. I like to start filling out my meal planning chart right as one season is winding down, and I’m getting excited for the next. Autumn is just about to hit here is Wisconsin, so that means I’m having a blast planning lots of cozy comfort foods and fall crop ingredients. Not only is it healthier to “eat the seasons”, but it’s cheaper, too!