How to Meal Plan as a Busy Working Mom

working mom grocery shopping

I've been asked several times in the last week how I meal plan for our family.

Few things are more exhausting than deciding what to have for dinner when you're already tired from a long workday and everyone's hungry.

Having a plan for dinner, knowing you have all the ingredients you need, and having food on the table at a reasonable time is like the biggest exhale. Not to mention it helps keep that bedtime train on the tracks.

So I thought I would share the nitty-gritty of how I meal plan for our family of 5 with a simple routine.

My Weekly Meal-Planning Routine:

  1. Sunday AM - While drinking coffee at the breakfast table with the kids, I reference our meal index and choose 5 dinners for the week. I put those dinners in a OneNote template that my husband created.

  2. Sunday AM - I reference recipes and add ingredients to the same OneNote template. I also add anything else we need for breakfasts, lunches, or snacks, checking the fridge and pantry as I go.

  3. Sunday AM - My husband goes grocery shopping using the OneNote template that syncs to his phone.

  4. Sunday PM - I make our Monday dinner in advance because Mondays are bonkers!

  5. Sunday PM - My husband usually cooks a new recipe or one that takes longer since we have more time on Sunday as compared to a weeknight.

  6. Monday - We eat the pre-made dinner in shifts between dance and piano

  7. Tuesday - Tacos, enchiladas, or some variation (meal chosen on Sunday)

  8. Wednesday - Some sort of chicken dish usually (meal chosen on Sunday)

  9. Thursday - Some sort of pasta dish usually (meal chosen on Sunday)

  10. Friday - Pizza and movie night (alternate homemade and take-out)

  11. Saturday - Out to eat or leftovers

I want to highlight why this routine works so well and doesn't take a ton of time so that you can see the process behind creating an effective and easy routine.

  • All our go-to recipes and meals are in ONE place.

    • When I sit down to choose our meals for the week, I don't have to search Pinterest, saved links, or screenshots for inspiration. I just open our meal index (that we've built over time) with all of the meals we've tried and loved enough to repeat with links to the actual recipe. (We have a separate list of recipes we want to try.) This saves so much time!

  • I limit my options.

    • I have loose categories for the types of meals we eat on different days of the week. When I am thinking about what to eat on a Wednesday, I limit the options to some sort of chicken dish. Friday? Pizza forever and always. Instead of choosing from ALL of the options, I'm choosing from just a sub-category.

  • I have a template.

    • I don't create anything from scratch. Each week, I type in the meals I've chosen next to the day of the week in my template, and then I put the grocery items in a pre-built list that's divided by category (produce, meat, dairy, etc.). I don't have to think. I just open the OneNote app on my phone and get started.

  • I have realistic expectations.

    • I've timed myself and know approximately how long each step of the process takes so my expectations are realistic. I also don't expect it to be "fun" or that one of these days I'll enjoy it. It's work, plain and simple and that's ok. If I catch myself complaining or procrastinating because "it takes too long" or "it sucks" I call bullshit. It takes 10-15 minutes and it's just making decisions and taking inventory of what we have and what we need. Simple as that.

  • I share the process.

    • If I tried to do it all, I would burn out. So my husband I agreed to share the process. I choose the meals and create the list. He double-checks it and goes to the store. We take turns cooking based on who has the capacity and energy. The person who doesn't cook does the dishes. That may not be possible for everyone, but it's what we've been able to configure.

That's it! I hope seeing step-by-step how I plan meals for the week was helpful.

Katelyn Denning