This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.
Congratulations! You’ve created your meal plan and are now ready to bring it to life! Here are your final steps.
Step 5: Make a Quick Grocery Plan
When you’re planning, jot down:
- Always start by taking an inventory of what you have on hand
- Any food to use up (veggies on their last leg, freezer meals, etc.)
- Ingredients you need
Keep a running list on your phone or use a dry-erase board near your fridge.
Or you can print out my grocery list worksheet if you want something a little more fun. You can download it below:
Click here to download and print your Grocery List Worksheet
Pro Tip: Grocery planning is a skill of its own. The more you follow your meal plan, the easier this gets!
Take action: Review your meals and turn them into groceries.
Step 6 (Optional): Meal Prep Lightly
At the start of the week, consider meal prepping. It makes the week a little easier and I highly recommend it when you’re ready.
You don’t need a full-on meal prep Sunday. Just try one or two things:
- Chop veggies ahead
- Make a large batch of protein (e.g. chicken salad, hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, seasoned ground beef)
- Make a batch of muffins/snack bites
- Cook grains or proteins for the next few days
- Mix sauces or marinades
Even 15 minutes of prep can smooth the week out a lot.
Take action: Try one or two meal prep steps to make the week a little easier!
Pro tip: Throughout your whole meal planning exercise, get the family involved! Let toddlers help pick a theme (“Do you want taco bowls or quesadillas?”). Ask older kids to pick a meal or help prep. This builds excitement and buy-in.
Step 7: Reflect and Repeat: Track What Works
The beauty of this meal planning system is that it’s easy to evolve. Each time you’ve completed your meal planning cycle, based on your rhythm, that’s a natural opportunity to reflect and improve your meal plan. Specifically, you can:
- Choose your next set of meals (or repeat the previous set)
- Choose new themes (or repeat the previous set)
- Add more meals or days (or keep steady with the same cadence)
- Adjust your meal rotation or meal planning rhythm (or keep it steady)
Here’s what I recommend between meal planning stages to make adjustments easier:
- Identify Anchor Meals: Pay close attention to which meals are a hit with the family, and circle or highlight them in your meal planning worksheet. Those are your newest anchor meals! If you’re also using one of my Meal Bank worksheets, don’t forget to add them there too.
- Adjust The Rhythm: Check in with yourself. What’s working? What’s not? Was this overwhelming, or was it the right cadence? Adjust as needed. For example, you can use this to reduce the frequency of meals per week, or even add more.
Final pro tips:
- Add in a new recipe or two you’ve been wanting to try
- Replace any meals that aren’t being enjoyed with something fresh
- Use the season for inspiration — chili in the fall, pasta salad in spring
- Ask your kids for input! Giving them choice boosts buy-in
Here’s what your meal plan worksheet might look like after a few weeks:
Take action: Reflect and jot notes down on your meal planning worksheet. Bring it with you at your next meal planning day and carry your learnings forward!
Min’s Gentle Encouragement
Meal planning isn’t about doing it all! It’s about making one part of your day a little easier. If things get chaotic and you eat cereal for dinner? You’re still doing great.
