5 Tips to Make Meal Planning EASY (that you can actually stick to! 😉) 

A tip from myself as a trained cook - when meal planning, always block yourself out a “FIFO Day” (I do FIFO Friday) where you go through the fridge and pull out everything that is on its last legs - that bagged salad, the sad bell pepper you never used last week, etc - add a starch like rice or noodles and make a dinner from those. It’s like a free space on your meal plan bingo card and reduces waste. It’s how those of us who work in kitchens eat our 4pm lunch. 😜

as a mom to many kids, my biggest tip aside from having a plan is to prep your meal early in the day. right away in the morning I'll make sure to defrost meat (night before is even better) chop all veggies/fruits. get my dinner ingredients out and ready. if making rice I have the ingredients measure out in rice cooker and ready to make later. Or I"ll fill the crockpot or instant pot early. this has saved me so many times as I'm too tired later in the day. having it prepped or already in the crockpot helps so much

Don't forget those Fish Fridays for all the Catholics out there. 😁 Another category is leftovers. If your family doesn't like "leftovers", call it Soup night and toss all the leftovers in a pot with broth and add some onion or garlic if it needs something and you have a very quick soup meal. Some of our most loved soups are leftover soup. The sad part of that is they are impossible to replicate.

Grill night Italian night Mexican night Asian night (stir fry, potstickers etc) Air fryer meal Soul food night (fried chicken, meatloaf etc 1 eat out night Lunches we prep once a week and freeze everything That’s my plan 🤗 makes it easy

“When you buy bags of salad for the person you wanna be”. 😂😂😂

I find it helpful to not think of meals as complete dishes but rather components such as protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fat. These can most often be paired interchangeably. If I have these components I can make a healthy meal easily and it makes prep super easy. We usually have staples such as chicken, beef, mince and fish for protein. Bread and pre-cooked brown rice, pasta and potatoes for carbohydrates. Avocado, olive oil, butter and Greek yoghurt as fats and some vegetables for fiber. Then you can just combine them throughout the week like a capsule wardrobe but for food ✌🏼

Jordan Page actually recommends just making double a few nights a week and freeze those meals. I tried that while I was pregnant and didn’t want to be cooking for a few hours. 🤯 best idea! Thanks for all these tips too

An absolute game changer for me was what I learned from Diana Rene (The Decluttered Mom). I don't want to share all her tips here because she has a whole program dedicated to meal planning - but I will say that her method makes so much sense! You take a couple hours to plan out an entire year's worth of meals (it's easier than it sounds because you basically just plan out 4 weeks and use that same menu for one quarter of the year, then rotate to the next quarter, etc.) and make a shopping list with all the ingredients you will need each week. Then you just open up the chart, pick a week, and buy all the ingredients listed beside that week and you're done. I seriously never have to meal plan anymore because I did it once and now it's done forever! If I look at a particular week and think "I'm not really feeling that right now" I'll go to another week or even go into another quarter (who says you can't eat grilled chicken in the middle of winter!?) and go from there. I love all your tips, Angela, and they are actually right along the same lines as Diana Rene's! Thanks as always for your fun and helpful content!! :D

In Croatia most important meal is lunch. That one has to be freshly cooked and worm. Dinner is usually leftover lunch or breakfast food.

The droopy eyes comment had me laughing so hard. I think I almost spit my coffee. Thanks for keeping me grounded Angela 😆 always keeping it real.

A video on snacks and lunches being home all the time would be beneficial

I’m Polish; I don’t do fast food, take outs etc- I cook everything. It’s done the way you just presented, I just didn’t know it was called meal planning😉

Having a category for each day of the week has kept is the most successful with meal planning! Great tips. Thanks for sharing!

I like to buy meat when it's on sale. I have a recipie binder that's broken up into different meat categories. So, when it comes time to write out my weekly meals, I'll take an inventory of what meats I have in the freezer. Whether it be beef, chicken, pork, ect. Then I lookup recipes in the appropriate meat section of my binder. And I shop for whatever missing ingredients I need to that particular recipe. Usually meats are the most expensive ingredient in any recipe so that's why I like to shop/plan this way. Hope that makes sense.

I have ADHD and as a mom that makes things tough. I finally got a system down that works for me and my family. I usually plan out 4 dinners per week, the 5th is always breakfast and things usually come up the other nights (family, sports etc). I write down all of the ingredients down, cross off what I have on hand. Then I usually look at the local ads and shop where the most things on my list are on sale. Hopefully this is helpful to someone. 😄

My tip for meal planning is to use grocery pick up or any way to order online cause I find I'm less likely to forget anything on my list. Even if I have a list I always forget something when I shop in store 😂

The thing is I want EVERY SINGLE MEAL to be easy and healthy and inexpensive and quick to make and delicious 😋 Truth is.... I don't get everything I want. I only get like 2 per meal tops! I'm coming to terms with that.

I use categories to plan, too. I started this because my older son is autistic and insisted on a few of them. Meal planning has made my life much easier, though still chaotic because 4 kids (1 NT, 2 on the spectrum, 1 with ADHD and delays), 2 jobs, and 1 husband. Lol Saturday - pizza night (frozen or homemade) Sunday - varies; usually something "real" lol or traditional Sunday type dinners, sometimes our breakfast for dinner day Monday - easy, like crockpot meals or DIY subs or hamburgers Tuesday - taco Tuesday (tacos, quesadillas, nachos, or for some reason, he accepts stir fry on this day, too) Wednesday - varies; sometimes this is our breakfast for dinner day Thursday - spaghetti Thursday (he now accepts any pasta, like lasagna, ravioli, hamburger helper, even chicken noodle soup ) Friday - takeout

I do Monday- pasta night Tuesday- taco Tuesday Wed- wing it wed.. chicken basically lol Wed- fish dish Salmon, Mahi. Tilapia, shrimp etc Thursday - legumes/ beans and rice / chili etc Fri- steak dinner Sat- leftovers Sunday - Sunday dinner Whole chicken/ pot roast

I make a meal plan for 2 weeks. It’s fluid and by this I mean just because something is written for Tuesday I might feel like cooking what I wrote down for Friday. What my meal plan actually does for me is keeps me on track at the store, makes me use what I have and gets me planning for dinner in the morning so I am not at a loss at 5 pm. Brinner is made weekly at my house.

Lots of good ideas. I always look through my fridge/freezer/cupboards before I meal plan to see what I need to use. It makes me a little creative and I don't throw away as much.

Thank you for keeping this real! I planned out my meals when our children, now grown and with families of their own, were quite young, and now that I’m a retired teacher and a work from home wife/mom, am back to meal planning. I made out menu cards of our most preferred meals. These are on 3x5 index cards and are quite simple! Each card has a meat, a vegetable or 2, a salad, and sometimes a dessert. I also include where the recipe is found! Something like Mexican Spaghetti (recipe box) or Vermicelli Salad (church cookbook) saves me so time when I’m meal planning! My local grocery offers a 5% Senior discount on Tuesdays and Thursdays, do I try to do my meal planning on Tuesdays (plan and pay day for me! 😉) and shopping day is Thursday (errand day). Love your channel, love you ❤, and love all the guidance you give this old woman (70 years old!).

I've incorporated what I call themed days for a while now, and it's worked very well. For example, one day a week is soup day. There's various soups that I know how to make and occasionally I'll try a new recipe. It helps so much to just plug in which soup I'll be making. Saves time and energy on decision making.

I meal plan from what I have in my house and make a list on Tuesday then I shop for those things no matter what on Wednesday. If anything needs to be thawed or prepped I do that Thursday and Friday I am in my kitchen literally all day cooking for the entire week and everyone eats until the following Friday. I have three Dutch ovens going making stews, always make a couple of hardy stay fresh salads like quinoa, lentil,parsley etc and have a drawer full of washed fruit and chopped veggies ready for a salad in the fridge. I make bread on that day- two loaves of sour dough and make sure there are quick make things in the house like tortillas, chips and shredded cheese. I also do allll of my house’s laundry during simmering and waiting for things to finish cooking on the same day. It’s a lot of work but it is so worth it when there are nutritious home made meals that everyone in my family can go to and heat up very quickly whenever for an entire week. I also freeze a portion of everything I make each week and pull it out to thaw for the one week around my cycle when I am low on energy so I literally only cook 3 days a month and that takes care of it all. It’s the best way I have found for myself to manage it sustainably and maybe it would work for someone else too. I use to try and fight the fact that I can’t really do anything in moderation so for me, doing it all in one swoop way less of the time than a little bit of cooking and laundry every single day is really really great.

We make frozen meal kits. Taco night, build your own pizzas, etc for quick what to eat times. Specially when the kids decide to bring friends home for a sleepover lol

At my house it’s meat meat meat and a salad usually made with shredded cabbage instead of a lettuce. I’m the odd woman out (literally only female in the house) and I don’t eat meat except pepperoni and bacon. I do eat salads but I get tired of them. I started cooking and freezing just for my self. I love that you suggested crossing something off of the weekly or monthly menu plan if you eat it on another day. Light 💡 moment for me. Thanks.

We do a vegetarian, seafood, chicken, beef and that's enough for us for 8days (I make it big enough to eat the next night) sometimes we have something else but that's our go to groups ☺️

We are a family of 12 and a meal plan is definitely a must and it saves us so much money. I laugh so much at your comments about stopping at fastfood or a sit down restaurant. It's crazy we would blow through our whole food budget in two eating out trips. These tips are gold!

As a mom of 5 who just found your page it’s a relief to get advice from a mother of more than two kids (not saying having to kids is easy) but having 4 or more is not for the weak 😅 God bless you

Once you get to a point where you know your favorite recipes, it's easy to shop 2-4 or more weeks at a time. I buy 80% of my food in bulk at Costco. For instance, I know if I keep tomato sauce and paste on hand, I whip together homemade pizza anytime. It's just like keep the staples or the seasonings in stock, I keep non perishables in stock. So one big trip to the store gets me everything I'm running low on and some fresh produce. A couple weeks later, all I have to buy is fresh produce. I keep a freezer with veggies, fruits, meat and bread (and the occasional hail Mary bag of nuggets) In the pantry I have bulk pasta, flour, sugar, oil, vinegar, baking soda, nuts, chicken stock, canned chicken etc... By always having these basics on hand, I can make 90% of all my recipes my family loves at a moments notice and I only have to shop once a month. I've actually gone like 5 months without shopping during lean times.

Super great advice! My meal planning consists of many of the same tips. Only, I don’t use a calendar. I just put a list of meals on my fridge for the week and buy those ingredients that week along with staples were low on. Then I can pick and choose what I’m in the mood for each day but I have all the ingredients for each of those choices.

Instead of "Dump and Go", we can say Crock Pot Prep Pack, or CP3 for short. I don't like the term Dump and Go either. I'm trying to get a good routine and keeping a cleaner house. I'm hoping to be able to meal plan as well. I've been telling my husband for months that I need to. I even took inventory of all of our canned food, planned for two weeks, and stopped. So I'm restructuring my very poorly structured binder, and giving it another go! Thanks for your videos!!💖💖💖💖

We do "Linner" a lot lol .. Its just eating dinner around 2-4pm and then snacking the rest of the night.

Would love to see more dinner idea videos from you -- I know you've covered a ton of recipes and topics, but I would still love to see what you guys make/eat on a regular basis. Also would love to see how you organize your fridge and keep all your ducks in a row! I am always looking for new ways to keep everything in order, and you seem to have that down pat.

Years ago we used to shop once per week with no meal planning, but we mostly bought the same things except for one special treat per person, plus sometimes using coupons for our staples. Now I have meal plans and do grocery shopping once per month with replenishing fruits and veggies at mid month, also getting specialty things for special occasions. We hardly try new things, as to not waste food. Savings are automatic with store cards. Nice tips Angela.👍🏽💖

I love that you are clear that you have to do what works for you and your family. I actually loved your last tip. I have a kiddo on the Autism Spectrum so if I was focused on getting good deals I would likely be getting things he would never be willing to eat. If I happen to notice that something at our grocery store is on sale that he likes, I'll maybe change up one meal on the original plan but it's far more important to me that he eats than saving a dollar or two on something he won't eat.

Working on my meal plan and weekly grocery list while watching this. Grocery pick up was a game changer for our family of 7. Fewer impulse buys, less time, and better thought through.

My husband works long days on the road. Most meals I do are kid favorites with hidden veggies etc. Then I add the bold seasoning and package for dad to take the next day. Our parachute meal has been good quality fried chicken strips and fries for the oven. $10 for the whole family instead of $20-30 at McDonald’s.

Meal plan and meal prep.

😂😂😂 I don’t have a life either! It’s all good I love it.

I was just stressing about meal planning!!! This is EXACTLY what I needed :))) Thank you!!! And the printables are so helpful! We love the category method, it helps a lot!! We do pasta on Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Fish on Wednesdays... but then usually it falls apart as we get closer to the weekend. haha. So I love the brinner idea and freezer fridays!!!

It's just me and my husband right now, but we make a large batch of something each week to serve as our lunches. We portion it out and have stacks in the fridge ready to go for the work week. This helps us so much because then we only have to cook dinners a few nights a week vs every night if you take leftovers for lunch the next day.

I find that involving your family in picking the meals is really good. There is a lot to learn from this kind of practice and the involved in good kids are the more excited they are to eat it. Also don’t be afraid to switch nights, if you lay out your week to have alfredo on Friday but crave it on Wednesday make it on Wednesday, don’t trap yourself into eating things you’re not feeling. Also make defrosting a part of your kitchen shut down routine 😊

All I can say is THANK YOU! I have never been able to figure out why meal planning never worked for our family no matter how hard I tried! You have nailed it so thank you and the last tip was my favorite because that was my biggest pit fall and I never realized it!🤗

Now you have to do a video about your hair!!! Lol . I love it! I have lost soooo much hair as I’m nearing 50 and I’m so sad about it!!

I plan for 2 weeks, it helps me budget, I look at what’s available or on offer and plan around them, I try to look at food groups to ensure the children get a variety, it’s written onto planners and it’s there for the kids to look at. I have to be super savvy as we’re on a tight budget.

Great video Angie 👍😎 I know this is a bit off topic but I miss seeing your grocery hauls/cooking videos and would love to see more of them one day soon 🙂

THANK YOU!! Your "Controversial" comment at the end has saved me so much! I am always trying to make new healthier food or things on sale. you are right, it wastes more money, stick to what they love.

As a single mother I try to find ways to make my life easier so when I cook I make enough for leftovers the next day. If anything extra is needed I simply add then I will do the next odd days, My babies never notice & saves so much money 1. Monday: Leftover Night 2. Tuesday: Mexican Night (Chicken Fajita Tacos) 3. Wednesday: Leftover Night 4. Thursday: Seafood Night (Baked Fish, green beans & Yellow potatoes/ Rice) 5. Friday: Leftover Night 6. Saturday: Soul Food Night (Baked Chicken/ Steak, Greens/ Broccoli, Yams or Mac n Cheese) 7. Sunday: Crockpot Night (chicken noodle soup/ Beef stew) or Eat Out Night

A cooking channel from Christopher, where he cooks for his family, would be so cool!!🥰

Love your hair! Thanks for the tips!

Ooo I like the category idea Thanks!

thank you! really needed this video

Thank you for just being real. Sometimes , as a mom, it's easy to think that I'm the only one who struggles in a certain area and everyone else just has it all together. Thank you for being transparent and for sharing the things that you have found to work for you! You're doing such a great job with your beautiful children! God bless!

Thanks so much for sharing!! And the “backed up, gassy” we can totally relate to! 😂😂 We just returned from our summer vacation and our bodies are now detoxing from all of that eating out. 🥴 Our insides were not happy with us.

You are spot on …. The meal plan is what counts , if they eat it it’s a win ! You’re videos bring me joy because they are so realistic ! Thank you for your advice! Love your new hair , too cute 😊

Love this! I needed this reminder to get back on track with my meal prep! Especially with prices today....great to have a plan. And you are right....buying and cooking what your family will eat...rather then wasting unused food....or doing take-out....saves money. Thank you very much for sharing ❤

Love your tips !! I learned a lot if thos the hard way lol ..

We love brinner in our house too! Thank you for the helpful tips.

Great tips!

Great tips!!! Thanks so much😊

Angela thank you for being you i LOVE your videos 💜🙏

These are all great ideas. A couple more that work for us- always cook enough for leftovers. Great for lunch or busy nights. We also have one MYOD (make your own dinner) night. The tiny ones need help but it’s a good way to get the kids cooking and familiar with the kitchen even if it is just a quesadilla!

I meal plan for a week to two weeks at a time but I LOVE the idea of categories!!! That is such a great idea ❤️ Thank you!

Yes, love your ideas of Categories!!!! Thanks for a great video!!!!

I really like that category tip.

So real!!

Great ideas!

If I find a week OR even day recipe that I want to repeat I write it on a weekly menu sheet. Each sheet is numbered 1-20. I Rotate these weeks and/or pull a meal from example: week 3 Monday week 4 Wednesday and make a new week. I rotate so do not get bored. I hate having to plan fresh each week. I also make cook ahead breakfast meals, soup, anything. One day is leftovers one day is freezer food.

This was very helpful!

I am definitely a beginner, but one thing that I have been doing for the past year or so is freezing leftovers more. So let say I make chili, soup or even sloppy joes and I have more leftovers than I anticipated. I will put them in some smaller or bigger freezer bag, make sure they are air tight and have them for those night when sh** happens. Most can be nuked in the microwave or you can set a variety of them out in the morning and let them defrost during the day and heat them up later. Its a more lazy approach to meal prep. Lol but its been working for my family, it doesnt take as long as meal prepping can, and yoyr not throwing away as many leftovers. Its a good stepping stone for beginners as well. Great video, im gonna find a few more to watch.

Best thing you can do for your kids, and their future family, is to let them pick, plan, and cook dinner for the family from a young age! My mom had us doing this from about age 8. In the beginning we needed a lot of help, but within a couple years we were able to make most things ourselves. Now as adults, we are all the main chef in our homes (brothers too) and all have a love of cooking. We had a menu, like you talked about, and we had to pick something that had not be chosen that month. New month, new menu. We also had set breakfasts each week. I'm 55 years old and still remember cereal Mondays, Friday cinnamon toast dipped in hot chocolate. (my favorite) and Saturday donuts dad would pick up. Eggs, pancake, french toast, and inside out omelets had their set days. I loved waking up and being excited for that particular meal!

Living for your hair Angie 😍😍 shhhmokin girl! Love it

This is my first time watching your channel thanks for sharing thanks for your tips

Slow and steady is usually where lasting change is. Learning this from my husband! This was good! I suggest also using things on hand that the family also enjoys and creating a list to add to those ingredients to make meals. This can save money if the budget is tighter.

Agreed about fast food spending for large families!

Totally agree with these tips! I look at my busy calendar and plan those crock pot meals when I know the day will be crazy. The 80% thing is what I do too. Stick with what everyone likes. Great tips!

I love the idea of categories! We do this and it has been a game changer. We also do sandwich night one night a week, the kids love it.

Love these tips. Their so simple, but like profound. I needed this

I get the "missing ingredient that has been eaten" problem. I write "SAVE" in Sharpie on the packages of anything I don't want used.

Thank you!! I am getting off rails with the planning and now I am starting to get frustrated at 5pm whattt is forrr dinnnnnnerrrr!!

Love the categories tip. Definitely do it regularly! We don't have a big freezer, so I am regularly double-batching meals to reheat for those crazy nights too. Would love to see you do a relaxed meal-prep Saturday night video, cup of coffee in hand!

I love the theme everyday... I'm trying that!

Love the long hair today!! 😉 We use your same categories plus sheet pan dinners and we grill A LOT! It’s easy to roast veggies in the oven and grill something on nights you only have 30 minutes to get dinner on the table!

Love ur hair x

😍 Wow you’re hair looks amazing!! And I loved all the tips, so helpful thank you!

I also batch cook a sauce to put into the freezer so if we want pasta the base sauce is there, or to use on enchiladas, lasagne, lentil tangine etc

I can't wait for this video 😅

I do grocery shopping for two weeks and meal prep for 1 week for 3 who have very long working hours it is just what works best for us

pen and paper ! ❤ love from Norway

“It has eyes.” 😂😂😂😂

Such a great video! Entertaining too...that bit about the bagged salad cracked me up 😂

Do you have a video on lunch ideas?

Great tips! Thanks! You are so right - you’re not saving if your family won’t eat what you prepare! Love your plan!

Loved your down to earth, simple(and slightly sassy 🙃) tips 👍

This video was so incredibly helpful, thank you, Angela. ✨Subscribed

Absolutely love the tips. We are trying to figure the best meal plan for us. So far we find that having 1 leftover day where nobody cooks is really working.

I love your hair like this!! How do you get loose curls so easily 🥺

We mealplan with some decided days like taco tuesdays and pizza on fridays (usually storebought dough but I’ve been experimenting with sourdough but of course not everyone in m my family likes that 😂). We all have one day each: monday, wednesday, saturday and sunday and the other days We mostly have ’restfest’ or translated: a leftover party 😊

I just stumbled across your channel. I am impressed with your sincerity and your seriousness of mind and wisdom! You have a new fan!