25+ Free Printable Meal Planner Pdfs: Get Dinner On The Table With Way Less Hassle

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by Robin

I’m not going to give you an exhaustive list of why you should plan your meals – you already know, amiright?! We ALL know. Just like we know why we should floss and do our Kegels daily…

What we actually need is to:

Just. Get. Started.

I KNOW that’s true for me. My meal planning goes in spits and spurts. I’m so well versed in the benefits – heck – I teach this stuff as a Registered Dietitian! I’ll be on top of it for weeks and months – and then my resolve peters out. I suffer for it – and my family suffers too! We don’t eat nearly as well and I am definitely more stressed out. Having a plan calms me – NOT having a plan electrifies my anxiety.

I just need to commit to gettin’ er done. You’re probably the same – that’s why you’re reading this! Let’s get on top of this right now – together.

So here’s my quick-start guide (and kick in the butt) for our meal planning:

1. Just do it. Just start.

Don’t overthink this.

2. Print one of these free printable meal planners.

It really doesn’t matter which one – they’re all great – just pick any one that you like the look of.

If you’re out of ink – don’t let that stop you! Grab a sheet of paper and write the days of the week down the side. Tada! Free meal planner!

3. Pull out your Master List.

If you don’t know what this is – check out this post. It’s a great first step that will save you time and headaches later.

4. Consult your calendar.

Which days are busiest? Start there – pencil in your quickest meal to prep. Which days do you have more time? Which days are you away from home? Etc.

5. Explore through your fridge.

What’s in there that needs used up. Pick a meal that will prevent this food from going to waste.

6. Write in your meal ideas.

Be realistic! Sure you’d like to try that new amazing recipe from that magazine – we all do – but will you?
Also, give yourself some grace not every day is a “from scratch” kind of day – if it’s an especially crazy day – write in a frozen meal that you’ll heat up when. That’s perfectly fine.

7. Add ingredients to your grocery list that you’ll need.

(If you want to save time at the grocery store – try our list – it works!)

8. Bam! You’ve got a plan.

AND! Be super duper nice to your future self and save this plan. Tuck your weekly plans away somewhere and pull them out to help you make decisions next time. Heck – maybe even repeat the exact same week again.