I have found when I plan my meals for an entire week, my week runs so much smoother! I snack less, grocery shop smarter, eat healthier, and am more efficient with my time when I have a plan. You might be thinking, “Meghan, this is obvious!,” but I have to work to be this organized! Preparing my weeks has made my life MUCH better when we come home hungry!
This was a feature in this month’s Chaim Magazine. For more details, and amazing recipes, check them out here. If you want a pdf version, you can message me. 
It’s too big of a file to post.
A few time-saving tips: When you plan your weeks, use the crockpot on the days you know are the busiest. Prepare the meal in the morning so it’s ready for dinner. Plan for leftovers for lunches the next day. I always buy lunch meat so we can have sammies for lunch on any day. And I always have smoothie stuff for breakfast, and eggs, salsa, and tortillas for quick dinners. Egg burritos are served weekly (sometimes bi- and tri-weekly) in our household for dinner!
I try to make Saturdays or Sundays my day to map out the meals for the week. This is when I go through the recipes I want to make for the week. As I choose the recipes, I add the ingreds to my grocery list. Once I do my shopping, I’ll even prep (if I am SUPER on top of things) some of the cooking–chop veggies, thaw meat, etc. I love LOVE having time to choose and try different recipes.
I created a pdf form to print weekly to organize the week’s meals and snacks. It has spaces for writing in meals (and where you have the recipe–ie. magazine, online, recipe card, etc). It also has a grocery list you can cut/tear off to shop. Good stuff! I’ve used it since I made it, so hope it’s useful for you, too. I have found when I have the food, I’ll eat healthier. I even have started planning my snacks, and this has DRASTICALLY reduced my Doritos intake. For snack ideas, click here. For a mixed nut snack mix recipe, click on the magazine link above, and go to page 31. Delicious! I actually keep a gallon-sized baggie of it in my car for easy access snacking.
Here’s the pdf of the planner.
After it’s filled out, I just magnetize it to my fridge, and voila, you’re set!
