Tag: Meal Planning

How to Make a Meal Plan: 8 Actionable Steps to Make a Meal Plan for the Week
If you’re like me, you have yet to try a meal planning service like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. (But if you’re interested, check out this review of the 13 best meal kit delivery services.)

And it’s not because you don’t want to… because they sound lovely and convenient.

Instead, chances are you haven’t tried a meal planning service because:
1. You’re trying to save money
2. You enjoy shopping and cooking for your family
Now, this is all fine and dandy. But if you’re finding meal planning more stressful than enjoyable these days… it may be time to consider learning how to make a meal plan that works for your life.

A Quick Look at Our 8-Step Meal Planning Process
Step #1: Pick your Meal Planning Day

Step #2: Check your Calendar for the Week

Step #3: Schedule your Shopping and Prep Day for the Week

Step #4: Decide What’s for Dinner

Step #5: Get Organized

Step #6: Save Time with Multi-Ingredient Prep

Step #7: Complete What You Can

Step #8: Educate Yourself on Proper Food Storage
Companies like these (and there are more, believe me) essentially force you to sit down and start your meal planning for the week. So, whether you use them or not, the concept is a good one. They are onto something.

Get into the habit of meal planning for the week! Don’t worry… I’ll walk you through it. Sound good? Good.

So let’s get down to business.

Step #1: Pick Your Meal Planning Day

Most families have some downtime each week… for me, it’s typically Sunday evenings.

There is no work that day. No extracurricular activities. No homework kids are in a rush to finish.

Sunday is our family day. Our day of rest, as you will. So… Sunday evening is our meal planning day. The night where we crack open a bottle of wine and discuss how to make a meal plan for the upcoming week that works for our kids and us.

What night works for you?

Quick Tip: If you have older kids, consider their meal planning ideas. If you have younger kids, wait until they are asleep to start your meal planning. Whichever night you decide on, just remember to plan for 7 days!

Step #2: Check Your Calendar for the Week

Whether you’re trying to figure out how to make a meal plan for one, a couple, or a family, you need to start with your calendar.

Meal planning ideas are only as good as the time you have to dedicate to them. For example, if you work late on Tuesdays, you may want to have something that is either:
1. Already prepped and quick to cook (10 mins or less in the oven or microwave)
2. Is good served at room temperature/warm or leftover
If your son is brought home from soccer practice at 5 pm and your daughter gets picked up for dance at 5:30 pm, that evening’s meal planning maybe should include either:
Something that can maintain its freshness for at least 45 minutes (your daughter eats at 5, your son at 5:15)… like a piping hot lasagna or casserole?

A “make your own” meal planning idea, like tacos! Just have the ingredients on the table, and the kids will do all the work. Pretty cool, right?
With just a quick glance at the upcoming week, you’ll figure out which nights a fancy sit-down meal will work vs. the ones where “build your own pizzas” or leftovers may be in order.

But before we get ahead of ourselves…

Now is a good time to make sure your family utilizes a shared calendar.

Whether it be an old-fashioned whiteboard hanging in the kitchen, or one of the many calendar phone apps available for IOS and/or Android users, you’ll be wasting your precious meal planning time if you don’t have everybody’s schedules in one place.

A printable weekly meal planning template is also an option if you prefer to have a physical copy of your meal plan.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…

Let’s move on.

For meal planning to succeed, you need to set aside time to shop for and prep the food for your meal ideas. And if you’re anything like me, you need to have something on the calendar and plan around it.

I personally prefer hitting the grocery store first thing in the morning before it gets busy.

As for the meal prep, I prefer to do that on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon… when I know I only have two children at home with me, as opposed to three.

Then again, I’m up early every day because I have small kids. And, yes, I am a stay-at-home mom, so my flexibility is different from someone working a 9-5 job.

Regardless of your situation, making time to get the grocery shopping done and prep your meals ahead of time is the best way to bring your meal ideas to fruition.

Try doing it all in one day for a stress-free and enjoyable break from your hectic life. Just crank up some tunes in the kitchen and get chopping!

Tips and Guidelines on Meal Prepping

Knowing a few tips and guidelines when it comes to meal prepping will save you a ton of time and help keep you on track during the week and remove the temptation to order out.
Start Small: You want to make sure your meal planning is sustainable, so it helps to start out small. Plan and prep a few snacks and meals ahead of time to start with, and then as you get into the habit, you can take on more.

Get Organized: You have to be organized when you meal prep, or you may forget something. Make sure your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer are organized, and this can help make your meal prep day a breeze. Come up with a system that works best for you and what you plan on prepping.

Use Quality Storage Containers: Your storage containers will be critical when gathering your meal prep tools. It may be time to invest in some high-quality storage containers. When finding the best containers, consider what you will be using them for, whether it is freezing, microwaving, or wanting to be able to pop them into the dishwasher for easy cleaning after.

Set Aside Time: Meal prepping will take a bit of time, so make sure you plan ahead and carve out some time to do so. You can use the time to prepare food items you will be using throughout the week, wash and cut your fruit and vegetables, pre-portion meals and snacks, etc. Having chopped fruit on hand is much more accessible to your kids as well, so they are more prone to reach for healthy snacks over junk.

Batch Cook: It is sometimes good to batch cook when prepping meals. This is when you prepare larger quantities of food ahead of time so that they can be used in different ways throughout the week. This is great if you find you are on limited time during the week. You can make a large tray of veggies or meat at the start of your week that you can then use as dinner sides or in salads for lunches. Think about your weekly meal plan and see what you can make ahead of time to make things easier to cook a healthy meal at home in no time.

Always Make a List: Finally, it helps to make a list before grocery shopping. Make your weekly meal plan, create a shopping list around your meal plan, and you can stop yourself from overbuying, and it helps ensure you have everything you need for your meal prep.

Use the Freezer: When you cook certain meals or foods in large batches, you can freeze them for use later. Freezer meals can help save time, reduce waste, and even stretch your current food budget when grocery shopping. You can have your favorite meals on deck for a busy weeknight.
Step #4: Decide What’s for Dinner

Now that you’ve got a grasp on how to make a meal plan, it’s time to answer the big question… what’s for dinner tomorrow?

And the next day?

And the next day?

You get my drift.

Have fun with it!

Make healthy, delicious, simple and quick meals for the family and their food preferences with just a bit of research and meal planning.

Recipes are everywhere:
In the old recipe box your grandmother left you

In those cookbooks your mom passed down… or the ones you received as housewarming presents when you got married

Television and online videos

Recipe websites
Today, there are not only favorite recipes for every type of cuisine but every lifestyle choice, healthy diet, and schedule as well.

If you’re a vegan, there’s a recipe for it!

If you’re gluten-free, there’s a recipe for it!

If you’ve only got time for 30-minute meals, there’s a recipe for it!

If you’re cooking for a family, there’s a recipe for it!

In fact… there are entire cookbooks, magazines, cooking shows and websites dedicated to these things. And more. There’s no excuse.

Here is a list of some of the best recipes resources I’ve come across over the last year or so, broken down by category:

Cookbooks

Yes, I included a crockpot cookbook.

Now hear this!

If you don’t have a crockpot… it’s time you invested in one.

Crockpots are meant to be turned on and left for hours at a time… with automatic shut-off and controlled temperature settings, the threat of fire is not really a factor.

Regardless of what happened to the Pearson Family on “This Is Us.” So sad.

Slow cookers, or Crockpots, are a wonderfully convenient way for your meal planning ideas to come to life… even on the busiest days.

Nobody has to be home to watch the oven or stir anything… just turn it on and go!

And when you come home… a delicious, hot meal awaits the entire family!

Mmmmm… chili.

The crockpot even works when you’ve got older children at home, waiting for mom and dad to finish work. All they need to do is turn it on and wait.

If you’re more of a visual person, cooking along with your favorite celebrity chefs on tv (or YouTube, Hulu, etc.) may be the way to go!

Not everyone has a television in their kitchen, but you can stream almost any program these days onto a laptop or tablet.

I, personally, enjoy watching the Food Network… have gotten some great ideas from chefs like Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay.

No, I didn’t mean to rhyme.

Emeril Lagasse, Giada De Laurentiis, Paula Deen.

The list goes on.

But I’ve also found that I’m often looking for something specific… such as quick meals or kid-friendly meals. And that is where internet-based shows and tutorials come in handy.

Check these out!

Online Cooking Shows

Conversely… for those times when you just want a little peace and quiet while you cook, you can venture online and print recipes out from a multitude of websites like these:

Online Recipe Resources

Use cookbooks, watch online cooking shows and read up on online resources to help you decide what meals to plan.

Step #5: Get Organized

Now that you’ve learned how to make a meal plan, it’s time to take your meal planning ideas and organize them.

Efficiency is key!

What you’ll need:
Easy access to the recipes you’ve selected

A list you can take to the grocery store
Now, call me old-fashioned… but I prefer post-it notes and a handwritten grocery list. That’s just me.

In this fast-paced, high-tech, app-riddled world of ours… there are so many ways to get your act together and save time; it would be a shame not to take advantage of such things.

So, because I am not averse to change, I’ve done the legwork and found some awesome meal planning app options.

Wait for it…

Many of them are free. Yay!

And while free is always good, especially for those budget-conscious meal planning types, it occasionally pays to upgrade.

Such upgrades typically mean eliminating advertisements and enjoying premium services, such as family calendar sharing.

It’s up to you.

That being said, here are my votes for the top meal planning apps:

1. Cozi Recipe Box & Dinner Planner

Free basic, premium upgrade

Android | IOS

2. Mealime Meal Plans & Recipes

Free

Android | IOS

3. Yummly Recipes & Shopping List

Free

Android | IOS

4. MealPlan Meal and Grocery Planner

Costs $3.99

iOS

5. AnyList for Busy Families

Free or $9.99 per year for AnyList Complete for an individual and $14.99 per year for a family

Android | IOS

6. Pepper Plate

Free

Android | IOS

7. CookBook

Free basic

Android | IOS

These apps offer their own recipes and will automatically create lists for those you’ve selected. The Cozi app even syncs the recipes into your family calendar, so everybody knows what’s for dinner that night!

It doesn’t get any easier. And if you are using recipes from a cookbook, some of these apps like CookBook (and a handful of others) offer page scanning directly into the phone.

If you are planning meals and intermittent fasting, there are great intermittent fasting apps that can help you track your eating and fasting cycles and work well with meal planning.

It’s the perfect marriage of old school and high-tech.

Side Bar: If you are loyal to a particular grocery store, check out their app! Many of them (like Wegmans) offer a shopping list creator, automatically sorted by aisle and recipes that will sync to a list. Talk about convenience!

Step #6: Save Time With Multi-Ingredient Prep

When cooking for the week, you will notice early on that many recipes call for the same ingredients. Fresh herbs and spices especially play a big role in meal planning.

Herbs, in particular, are often sold in bunches and will perish quickly if not used. So learning proper storage techniques is an essential part of meal planning.

But we will get to that in a bit.

For now, as you’re getting ready to chop and slice and dice for the week… take a gander at all of the recipes and see how much of each ingredient you’ll need. Taking care of it all at once is a huge timesaver, as you probably figured out from our meal prep tips and guidelines outlined above.

A teaspoon here, a cup there and then separate the portions into meal prep containers or small storage bags, and you’re ready to rock! As for getting the oven, grill, or slow cooker ready… marinating is always a good idea. Doing so makes meats or fish more flavorful.

Regardless of whether or not you’re marinating or just doing a dry rub or seasoning, you can get the hearty ingredients ready ahead of time as well. Pound that meat, devein that shrimp, chop or julienne those veggies…

Then, say it with me, separate and store it!

There are tons of meal prep containers to choose from on Amazon. So many, it can be daunting.

Never fear!

We will be doing an article on the Best Meal Prep containers in the coming weeks… so be sure to keep an eye out! In the meantime, baggies will work just fine.

Preparing ingredients ahead of time helps you cook your healthy meals faster so you can enjoy more time with your family.

Step #7: Complete What You Can

While not all of your meal planning ideas will be fully oven-ready on your designated prep day, it is a good idea to get them as close to it as possible.

Recipes like meatloaf, veggie lasagna and chicken Milanese, for example, can all be mixed and put together in a casserole dish ahead of time… leaving very little to do for dinner besides preheating the oven.

Novice tip: Most modern ovens have a “time bake” feature, which allows you to just put the food in and program it to turn on and off later. This is especially handy for a teenager who gets home a few hours before you.

Thanks to modern technology, dinner waits for no man (or woman)!

Step #8: Educate Yourself on Proper Food Storage

Meal planning ideas can go south fast if the ingredients are not stored properly. It can lead to spoiling, which can make you sick.

Nobody wants that!

The internet is crawling with food safety tips, so definitely be sure to check them out if you’re uncertain.

As for weekly meal planning, here’s a quick guide:
Fresh herbs generally last 1 to 3 weeks if stored properly.

Uncooked meats, poultry and seafood generally last in the refrigerator for 1-5 days, depending on the type.

Some fresh vegetables will last for days, while others, weeks, provided they are stored properly.
Listen Up! Not all vegetables or herbs need to be refrigerated. It can actually accelerate spoiling. Make sure you’re up to speed on this. Nothing would be more frustrating than to have all of your hard work and meal planning go to waste over something so easily avoidable.

Oh, and yes, there’s an app for that!

FoodKeeper, an app available through FoodSafety.gov, collaborates with various government agencies on food storage and safety. It is compatible with IOS and Android devices.

Android | IOS

Ok, so now that I’ve got my “public service announcement” portion of the article out of the way…

Let’s sum up what we’ve learned.

Learning how to make a meal plan starts with a commitment.

A commitment to spending a few hours each week:
Going over your calendar for the week

Looking through recipes

Making a grocery list

Shopping for ingredients

Prepping meals

Executing your meal plan ideas requires a little organization:

Utilize online resources and convenient apps

Prep and store ingredients for multiple meals at the same time

Make as many oven-ready dishes as possible in one day
Side Bar: If you are meal planning for one, or a couple, try doubling the recipes. Then simply break up the meal into individual portions to freeze. This way, should you find yourself short on meal planning ideas (or time) one week, you’re just a quick thaw away from a delicious do-over.

Now that’s how to make a meal plan last!

Know this…

Meal planning can save your family time and money in the long run.

But it is not an exact science. And it is not always the most convenient thing to do when you’re busy.

However, the pros certainly outweigh the cons:
You’re serving home-cooked, fresh meals daily

You’re cooking what you like

You’re cooking as healthy as you want (if dietary restrictions are a priority)

You control your portions (if weight loss is an incentive)

You’re cooking “in bulk,” so to speak, saving money by using the same ingredients for multiple meals

You’re cooking once a week, theoretically

You’re more likely to eat as a family

You’re enjoying yourself in the kitchen (hopefully)
You should also know, and this is important, that it is perfectly acceptable to work one “take out” night into meal planning for the week.

Maybe not every week… but it can certainly be a nice treat and a welcome reprieve from kitchen and dish duty once in a while.

So don’t be afraid to pencil in pizza or pad thai now and again.

Who knows? You may even be inspired to create a recipe of your own next week. After all, some of the best meal planning ideas often come from a little inspiration.

In this article, I covered meal planning for dinner… but if you’re feeling brave, you can take it a step further and try planning all three meals for the week!

Blackjack!

Twenty-one meals sound like a lot, but some people do it.

Believe me.

Meal planning for breakfast, lunch and dinner has its benefits:
Eat healthier by avoiding those last-minute “drive-thru” or “take out” orders at the office

Save money by not having to buy lunch every day… instead, put that money towards something fun (like a massage or weekend away)

Be more efficient at work (or home)… since you won’t be wasting precious time deciding what to eat

Websites offering complete meal plans do exist. And they can be super helpful if you’re feeling up to the challenge.
But remember…

Attempting to develop good habits, such as meal planning, has to work for your particular situation to be successful.

And your commitment to those habits has a shelf life. It will expire if you try and take on too much too soon… and set unrealistic goals and expectations.

For instance, if you are a couple with young school-aged children… it may behoove you to make a chart of what is for breakfast every morning.
Monday – cereal

Tuesday – toast

Wednesday – fruit cup

Thursday – yogurt with granola

Friday – eggs and bacon

Saturday – pancakes

Sunday – bagels
Enjoy healthy meals with your family, but make sure you set realistic goals and expectations, so you don’t burn yourself out.

It may make sense to make their lunches the night before school.

Each week, you can add the necessary items to your meal planning grocery list.

Conversely, if you have older children, it may be good to make them accountable for their own breakfast and lunch as part of their weekly “chore chart.” Teaching kids responsibility at a young age will result in self-sufficient adults… not to mention taking some of the pressure off mom (or dad) to do it all.

Here’s the Bottom Line…

In a fast-paced world, where life moves way too fast, meal planning is a time saver… regardless of how many meals you choose to plan. Americans, in particular, spend an exuberant amount of hours each year asking themselves the question, “what should we eat?”

In a fun little study published in the New York Post last year, U.S. couples spend an average of 5.5 days a year deciding what to eat. That’s 5.5 more days you could have spent with your loved ones, at the gym, catching up on house projects, visiting a museum… or on an airplane flying to someplace exotic.

Life is too short to spend it being indecisive. Wouldn’t you agree? So, if you take anything from this article, I hope that it’s how to make a meal plan… that works for you.

That is enjoyable for you.

That saves you money.

That saves you time.

Now go… plan… eat!

Nicole Krause has been writing both personally and professionally for over 20 years. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Film Studies. Her work has appeared in some of the country’s top publications, major news outlets, online publications, and blogs. As a happily married (and extremely busy) mother of four… her articles primarily focus on parenting, marriage, family, finance, organization, and product reviews.
Nicole Krause

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October 10, 2024
Organize Your Meals with these Meal Planning Templates
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Making meal planning a
habit can fast track your journey to better health.

A research study published in The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity shows that meal planning has a host of benefits. These include:
Being more productive when there is time scarcity

Encouraging preparation and consumption of healthier meals

Improving health markers

Helping you stay on track with fitness goals (weight loss/gain, recovery after surgery, etc.)
In addition to these benefits, having meal planning as a part of your weekly to-do list can help your household save up to a few thousand dollars annually.

In a previous post, we discussed the best meal planning apps that you can use to make your life easier.

We’ve also looked at the different meal delivery kit services such as eMeals, which is a digital service that makes it simple to plan all your meals. (You can check out the review of eMeals here.)

Today we’ll continue the conversation and talk about 34 printable, weekly, meal planner template ideas to inspire and assist you in your meal planning.

Now let’s check out those templates!

Best Printable Weekly Meal Planner
Templates

1. 4 Meal Plan Printable Templates Bundle

Check out Meal Plan Printable Templates Bundle on Etsy

With these minimalist Meal Planning Printables, you can stay organized and simplify your meal planning — featuring daily, weekly, and monthly layouts.

These printables help you streamline your grocery shopping and ensure you never miss a meal.

Perfect for busy individuals and families looking to save time and eat healthier.

2. Black and White Weekly Meal Planning Template

Download the PDF

Want a simple weekly meal planning template that gets the job done? Then our very own Black-and-White Weekly Meal Planning Template is perfect for you.

This is the ideal meal planner if you’re only planning meals for yourself or as a couple. There are spaces dedicated to your daily meals, as well as your shopping list for the week.

3. Colorful Weekly Meal Planning Template

Download the PDF

If you want to involve your kids in your meal planning efforts, this colorful weekly meal planning template can help. Ask them for their input and then post a final meal plan somewhere the entire family can see.

4. Elimination Diet Weekly Meal and Snack Plan

via Word Templates Online

Some meal plans help keep track of the food you eat, especially if you need to identify triggers for illnesses or allergies.

This is one example. You can immediately spot a trigger food in case there are flare-ups of a medical condition by simply looking at the meal plan.

This template is in MSWord and is editable.

5. Handsketched Meal Planner

via Future Girl

If you intend to use a meal planner, it is best to choose a template that accommodates your lifestyle. For some people, that means customizing their planners when they cannot find a suitable template.

This planner is an example of that. It has no dates, so there is some flexibility within your planned menu for the week.

6. Weekly Meal Prep Clipboard Design

This meal planner
contains ample space for writing your shopping list, in addition to the meals
you plan for the week. It is very convenient because you can see what you will
need at a glance.

When you’re planning
meals for your whole family, it is a good idea to have a shared calendar where
you can coordinate everyone’s schedule. This ensures that everyone gets a hot
meal when they’re eating at home.

You might want to check out this review of the 15 best family calendar apps you can use for organizing your family’s schedule.

7. Teal-Themed Meal Planner

This teal-themed planner
features space for important notes about the meals you’re planning for each day
of the week.

If you’re new to meal
planning, the entire process can feel overwhelming. However, remembering three basic
things will help make it more doable:
Step 1: Select the food for every meal. You might have to research some recipes for this step.

Step 2: Buy your ingredients and supplies.

Step 3: Prepare your meals according to the plan you made.
8. Kitchn Weekly Meal Plan

Having a meal plan can
help you keep track of the perishables in your pantry, ensuring that you use
them up before they go bad. This template has space for a pantry inventory of
what ingredients or supplies you need to use up, as well as a make-ahead list.

With this type of
planning, nothing goes to waste. Furthermore, with a make-ahead plan, you know
how to channel your energy and resources when it comes to preparing meals. You
can rest easy knowing that the things you need to get done can be reviewed at a
glance.

9. Minimalist Meal Plan

Many people like to keep things simple, and this meal planning template reflects that preference.

It features a black-and-white motif and is quite straightforward as a planner, providing columns where you can write down the meals you want to prepare for each day.

10. Systematic Meal Planner

In contrast to the minimalist meal plan, this template is itself an entire system of meal planning.

In addition to spaces you can fill in with the kinds of food you intend to prepare for all the days of the week, there is also generous space for brainstorming your ideas regarding the entire week’s menu.

This is quite useful,
especially if there is an important event that week, such as a birthday party.
The space reserved for brainstorming ensures that you remember minute details.

You will also find that
the grocery list is grouped into categories. Lastly, there is space to remind
you in case you need to prepare something beforehand.

11. Weekly Family Dinner Schedule

This dinner planner has
assigned columns for the planned menu, who will be cooking it, and who will be
assisting.

Research studies show that chores are good for children’s
personal development. With this planner, you can teach valuable life skills to
your children and instill in them family values that you want to pass on to
them.

Usually, older kids can
be assigned to cook dinner, while the younger ones will be the assistants. However,
you can also boost a younger child’s confidence by assigning them to be the
cook, letting them do easy-to-prepare meals for the whole family.

12. Black-and-White Menu Plan

If you’re into black-and-white themes or you want to save on printer ink, this meal plan template does the job.

The template contains spaces for the days of the week, plus an untitled column that you can use as a grocery list, pantry inventory, or space for personal reminders.

13. Colorful Weekly Meal Plan

For those of you who
love color, this planner might be what you’re looking for. It features splashes
of pastel to add a fun design concept to the meals that you are planning.

14. Green-Themed Weekly Meal Plan Template

Green is a very relaxing
color, and this template is a sample of an elegant green-themed meal planner.
It has columns for each day of the week, with spaces for writing down the food
you plan to prepare.

There is also a column
for a grocery list, with ample space for writing down the stuff you need to buy
for the week.

15. Violet-Themed Weekly Meal Plan Template

Here’s another template
with a color theme. This time, it’s in violet. Its standout feature is
food-type trackers for each day.

The concept behind this food-type tracker is that the person preparing the meals will tick off one of the dots for every dish prepared for the day, which should ideally contain the food types listed, such as grain products, vegetables and fruits, and meat.

It also features a three-columned shopping list for better efficiency.

16. On the Royal Table Template

In some households, family members only have a chance to get together during dinner. For these families, it would be impractical to plan three meals per day for the entire week. Yet it is still possible to do meal planning, as this template demonstrates.

The planner simply focuses on dinner menu plans. Of course, there are spaces provided for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, too, just in case you’ll be preparing any of these meals within the week.

Furthermore, there is a two-column shopping list for your convenience.

17. Meal Plan and Grocery Checklist

In this meal planning
template, the grocery list is featured prominently. It is categorized into
“produce” and “non-produce,” with a system for listing the grocery items you
need and their quantity.

The designers of this
template have a suggestion for how to use their planner:
Write down the meal you plan to prepare for Monday.

Write the ingredients for that dish on the grocery list, categorizing items as produce and non-produce.

Shade the dots according to the quantity you need (each dot has a divider line across the middle to indicate half quantity).

Once you’ve listed all the ingredients for the intended dish for Monday’s meal, do the same for the remaining days of the week.
If you are feeling
overwhelmed with meal planning, this template might help you see the lighter
side of things. This planner comes with a fun produce header and colorful tabs
for each day of the week.

Here are some additional
suggestions to make meal planning a fun process:
Display a creative board for your meal planning (something like a vision board that inspires exciting ideas).

Include the whole family in meal planning.

Prepare at least one gourmet dish each week.
19. Easter Weekly Meal Plan

This charming template’s
design is ideal for meal planning during the Easter season.

Meal planning is ideal
for the holiday season. It helps keep things organized at a time when things can
become hectic.

For example, when
relatives come over for a holiday meal, you can use your meal plan to keep
track of food preferences and dietary restrictions. This way, you can prepare
meals that everyone can enjoy, creating happy memories and ensuring that no
food goes to waste.

20. Healthy Weekly Meal Plan

This is another fun meal
planner with a fruit-and-vegetable header and a colorful layout. This template
is available for download as a PDF and features a reminder for “make ahead”
tasks for the next day.

21. Be a Master Meal Planner

For something to become
a habit, it must be done consistently. This goes for meal planning, too. You
can only be a master at meal planning and reap the benefits from it if you do
it regularly.

With this template, you
can have home-cooked meals every day of the week. This will benefit you in at
least two ways: You become healthier as you avoid fast food (which is devoid of nutrients) and you save
money.

22. Meal Plan with Water and Mood Trackers

This template features a
black-and-white color scheme. There is a water tracker to ensure that you are
properly hydrated throughout the day and a mood tracker to help keep track of
your emotional health for the week.

23. Accountability Weekly Meal Plan

This template works in
tandem with the 8Fit app to provide you with a meal plan that’s tailored to
your dietary preferences and health goals. The app supplies the information of
what you are to eat for the week, and you can choose to write this down on a
printed meal planner.

There is a box you can tick to indicate you’ve actually prepared and consumed the meal suggested by the app.

24. Floral Header Weekly Meal Planner

This meal planner is a great way to prep for your weekly meals. It has seven boxes dedicated to each day of the week, so you can plot out the meals for the entire week.

The right-hand portion of this template has space allocated for a grocery list. You can easily bring this planner with you while shopping so that you remember all of the necessary ingredients for the week’s menu.

25. Meal Planning Helper

Turn meal planning into something fun with the help of this colorful meal planner. It features two pages: one for brainstorming the family’s favorite meals and another for plotting out the meal plan for the week.

Space is also provided for your grocery list, as well as notes in case there’s something very important you need to remember.

26. What’s for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner?

If you need more examples of colorful meal planners, here’s another one to try. It features a page for meal planning and another page for a grocery list.

The meal planner has spaces for writing down three meals each for Monday through Friday. One row is allocated for the entire weekend’s menu. Meanwhile, the grocery list allows you to categorize the items you need to buy, with boxes labeled “Produce,” “Dairy,” “Pantry,” etc.

27. Elegant Meal Plan Template

If you’re looking for a simple yet elegant template, here’s one worth your consideration. It features a monochromatic design with cursive text.

There are spaces dedicated for writing each day’s menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ample space is also provided for your notes of the week.

28. Organize the Menu

When you’re creating a weekly meal plan, it’s a good idea to set aside a certain day of the week to brainstorm the menu and prepare your grocery list. Some meal planners dedicate Sunday afternoons for this task.

This planner has boxes for daily to-dos and is ideal if you also need reminders about important tasks during the day that are related to meal preparation. There is also space assigned for listing things to buy (not just groceries) and notes.

29. This Week’s Menu

This template is pretty straightforward in its design. It features seven rows representing the days of the week, with columns for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can easily write down the week’s menu and review it at a glance.

30. Bento Box Lunch Planner

Parents of school-age children know how challenging it can be to prepare school lunches. It often takes extra effort to prepare healthy, packed lunches that also pique kids’ interest and make them want to finish their lunch.

Bento boxes are popular these days and are a great way to encourage kids to be more interested in their food and to eat healthy. This planner features a bento box template for every school day, which you can use to plan the kids’ packed lunches.

31. Pastel-Themed Meal Plan

If you prefer a light-colored theme for your meal planning template, here’s an example that you can use.

Meal planning is a wonderful time-saver for busy households. It also helps save on food costs while making sure that your family eats quality, healthy meals.

32. Beginner Vegan Meal Planning Template

Adopting a new way of eating can be challenging for many people. One of the biggest hurdles is to learn how to eat the right foods.

If you’re starting out being a vegan or vegetarian, a meal plan like this one can be helpful. Planning out the menu for the whole week ensures you’re on track with eating a variety of dishes while adhering to the principles of veganism or vegetarianism.

33. What’s Cooking?

In addition to spaces allocated for writing the dinner menu for the whole week, this green-themed template has several extra details to make meal prep a breeze.

It has dedicated boxes for writing menu ideas for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. There are also boxes for taking note of things to prep for a specific menu and to take out of the freezer.

Finally, it has space for a shopping list organized by category, such as produce, meat, frozen goods, etc.

34. Printable Meal Planner Floral Style Template

If you’re using meal
planners to enhance your productivity at home, then you might want to print out
this floral-style planner. It features pastel-colored pages.

When downloading or printing, there are eight paper sizes to choose from. You can also select the start day of your planner (usually Sunday).

In addition to the meal-planning pages, there are also printable pages dedicated to your grocery list, freezer and pantry inventories, favorite meals, and a customizable planner cover.

Make It Reusable

Rather than printing a
new copy of your meal planner every week or so, one way you can cut printing
costs and become more environment friendly is to make your planner reusable.

You can choose to print a single page and laminate it, or place it inside a clear file folder. Then you can use a whiteboard marker to write the dishes you plan to prepare for the week.

Once the week is done, you can simply erase the content and write a fresh plan.

Final Thoughts on These Meal Planner Templates

Meal planning is a good
habit you may want to start practicing in your household. You can actually feel
the benefits of doing it through improved health and the amount you save every
year.

Do you have a favorite weekly meal planner template from among the ones featured today?

Feel free to let us know in the comments.

If you need more in-depth information about meal planning, then be sure to check out the following articles and resources:
Michal Feyoh

Source link
September 22, 2024
19 Best Meal Planning Apps & Websites to Save You Time and Money
There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.

Last Updated on September 4, 2024 by S.J. Scott

Meal planning is all the rage these days. Whether you subscribe to one of the best meal kit delivery services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh or you are just trying to plan out meals and shopping trips for the week; it’s safe to assume you’re game for anything that will make your life just a wee bit easier.

Wait! Don’t apps and websites typically make your life easier? I mean, they must – given our phones and tablets are riddled with them.

So, what if someone were to list their favorite meal planning apps and websites, so all you had to do was give them a whirl?

Lucky for you, I’ve done that here.

Just know that these are my personal picks for some of the best meal planning websites. Something about each of them spoke to me and my situation.

“Krause! Party of 6!”…

Yeah, that’s me.

So… it’s safe to say I’ve looked into a lot of meal planning sites.

Why?
- One – to save money.
- Two- to save time.
- Three – to stop ordering out or cooking frozen foods so dang much!
But, and there’s always a but, simplicity is a must, and a budget is just as important as diversity.

I’m a mom trying to eat (somewhat) healthy, and I also have young kids who can eat whatever they want. My husband thinks he looks good for his age (and he does!). Beer and hoagies don’t affect him.

Clue me into that superpower!

So, I need a meal plan that ticks all of these boxes. Yours may be different. Each family is unique and has its own set of guidelines and necessities, what they consider to be natural foods, so that is why I’ve included something for everyone in my meal planning app review.

Presenting… The 19 best meal planning apps and websites.

So let’s go over them…

Side bar: One simple health habit you can build is to drink this superfood green drink, which gives you a boost of energy and supplies your body with the nutrients it needs to get through the day. (You can also read the review of it here.)

Save Time and Money with these 19 Meal Planning Apps and Websites

If you’d like to jump ahead to a specific app, then here’s a quick look at all the meal planning apps featured on this page:

1. eMeals

Free to try for 14 days, monthly fee after that

eMeals offers a choice of 15 different food styles, including:

eMeals is a subscription meal planning service. However, unlike other services such as Blue Apron, Plated, or Hello Fresh, no food is actually being delivered. Only the recipes are.

Groceries can be delivered via eMeals partnerships with Amazon Fresh and local grocers, but it is not required and may not be available in your area. In some instances, curbside pickup may also be available.
- Clean eating
- Quick and healthy
- Paleo
- Budget-friendly
- Kid-friendly
- Slow cooker
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Diabetic
These are just a few of the options they currently offer. There are also options for families of all sizes. A weekly plan features seven new meal ideas and allows for unlimited switching between food styles. A smart shopping list is generated and auto-populates as you select your weekly meals.

eMeal plan costs after the free trial are as follows:
- 3-month Dinner Plan recurring subscription: $29.99
- 12-month Dinner Plan recurring subscription: $59.99
- 3-month All-Day Bundle recurring subscription: $39.99
- 12-month All-Day Bundle recurring subscription: $99.99
The app is available via Google Play and iTunes, but only for subscribers.

Finally, if you’d like to learn more about this app, then I recommend checking out our detailed review of eMeals.

2. Cozi Recipe Box & Dinner Planner

Free

So, if you are familiar with the Cozi Family Organizer, this is a nice little add-on feature. If you haven’t tried it, I highly suggest giving it a whirl.

The Cozi Recipe Box & Dinner Planner is available online and as an app. Both offer an import feature that allows you to surf the web for recipes and connect them directly to your profile.

You can also create shopping lists from your recipes and add them to your weekly calendar—perfect for meal planning!

Specific to the app is a Cooking Mode feature, allowing your screen to remain lit so there are no interruptions (well, except for maybe your kids) when you’re making dinner. It also helps eliminate the greasy fingers on the phone when you are trying to get back to the recipe.

Also, Cozi allows you to link to multiple devices for extra convenience.

You can download it for IOS, Android, Windows phone, or desktop.

Finally, we also have a detailed review of Cozi if you want to learn more about this app.

3. $5 Meal Plans

Free recipes and a meal-planning service are available after the free trial, so $5 dinners is a bit of a mashup.

There are a few neat things going on here. For starters, you can choose to view the recipes, print them out, and go shopping. It is as easy as that. Kicking it old school.

Another option is to sign up for the $5 meal plan, and this is where it gets interesting. For just $5 per month, the company will send you a delicious meal plan, where every meal costs about $2 per person – and in most cases less.

The meal plan includes recipes and well-organized grocery lists, and free coupons are available. Five Dollar Meal Plans currently offers Classic and Gluten-Free meal plan options.

In addition to the standard weekly meal plans, they offer six-week specialty meal plans at a significant discount to the regular price. Six-week specialty plans follow a theme and are sent to you all at once rather than over the course of six weeks.

Currently, four specialty plans are being offered:
- 30-Minute Meals
- Slow Cooker Meals
- Paleo Meals
- Vegetarian Meals
*Keep in mind that this is an online service only.

Finally, we have a detailed review of the $5 meal plan if you’d like to learn more about this service.

4. Mealime

Free

Mealtime is a truly personalized meal-planning companion. It allows you to identify which types of recipes you are interested in, including:

You can also note any allergies, such as peanut and dairy, so those recipes are excluded, as well as tell the app which foods you don’t like.

Finally, you can pick your serving size (2 or 4) and the number of meals you’d like to make for the week (2, 4, 5, or 6) on your plan.

Once you’ve been given your meal plans, the grocery lists are automatically generated to make shopping a snap. Imagine getting your weekly shopping done in one hour or less! And, bonus, most meals are made in under 30 minutes!

It is easy to use with its user-friendly and customizable meal plans; however, one of its most significant drawbacks is that you are limited to the recipes that are available on the app. You cannot import your own recipes. Also, you cannot save any previously used meal plans or customize calorie preferences unless you upgrade to the pro version.

Mealtime is available on Google Play and iTunes.

5. Yummly

Free

Touted as having one of the most extensive recipe collections, Yummly prides itself on providing delicious recipes matching your dietary restrictions and food preferences.

It offers everything from appetizers to smoothies and everything else from main courses to desserts. They have a sort feature that makes it easy to filter through whatever you have a hankering for that day.

Most unique, however, is Yummly’s relationship with Instacart, a same-day grocery delivery service that partners with local stores.

So, when you put your zip code into Yummly’s database, the ingredients in the recipes you choose are automatically generated into a grocery list sorted by aisle for your chosen store. This speeds things up should you decide not to have the items delivered.

Score!

A coupon link will also pull up offers specific to the grocery store you’ve selected. It will then apply those savings directly to the order.

Pretty impressive, right?

Yummly also uses an algorithm to generate recipes based on your likes and dislikes, with the simple tap of a “yum” button. If you’re diet-conscious, the nutritional information for all of the recipes is included (calories, carbs, fat, and cholesterol).

If you’re using an app like My Fitness Pal, iTrackBites, or Weight Watchers, this is a primo feature! Yummly is both an app and a website, so you can browse and save recipes that are specifically tailored to your tastes and preferences.

It even allows you to filter your recipes based on skill level and those with videos, so it is perfect for novice home cooks looking to learn and refine their skills in the kitchen.

One of Yummly’s biggest drawbacks is that there is no calendar-style meal plan. However, this may not be an issue for you if this isn’t a feature you are looking to have with your meal-planning app.

The Yummly meal planning app is available on Google Play and iTunes.

And if you get stuck with what recipes to add to Yummly, then feel free to check out these articles we’ve put together:

6. Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

Free

This unique meal-planning app brings social media into the kitchen with its collection of over 50,000 recipes created by home chefs. You can even follow your favorites for inspiration!

Your feed is personalized and grows smarter with every recipe you save and make and which cooks you follow. You can rate dishes as well. As with similar planning apps, you can search by keyword and cuisine—even dietary restrictions.

But for me, the standout feature of this app is the one that allows you to enter your zip code to find “on-sale” items at local stores relevant to your recipe. This feature makes meal planning easy.

Now that’s nifty!

The Allrecipes meal planning app is available for download on Google Play, iTunes, Kindle, and Windows Phone.

Note: This is not an “ad-free” app, and there are no upgrades currently available to make it so.

7. Pepper Plate

Free

Pepper Plate allows you to log in using your Facebook account and share recipes that way, as well as on Twitter and email.

Like its competitors, Pepper Plate allows you to import and sort recipes and automatically generate grocery lists. However, Pepper Plate stands out with its COOK NOW feature. This tool allows you to use multiple timers (on your smartphone or tablet) for all of the recipes on your menu. So, no need to worry about overcooking the pasta while sautéing the chicken.

Pepper Plate is available for download on Google Play, iTunes, Amazon App Store, Windows Store, and Nook.

8. Meal Planner Pro

Free

Save Time. Save Money. Eat Healthy.

That is the Meal Planner Pro tagline.

It encourages healthy eating and incorporates that into your weekly meal-planning routine by first allowing you to set up profiles for every family member.

Furthermore, their database includes more than just dinner ideas. Their menu also includes healthy breakfast and lunch recipes as well. And that’s something you don’t get with most meal kit delivery services.

The ProScore System is the app’s equivalent to having your nutritionist. It highlights each item’s good and bad nutritional values and assigns it a score of 1-100.

The site also offers personalized meal planning and support for things such as:
- Diabetes (all types)
- Lactose intolerance
- Weight management and weight loss
- Anemia
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Digestive Health
- Gluten Intolerance
You can save your favorite recipes and put them directly onto your calendar for the week… even months!

This makes meal planning a snap! When you create your grocery list, you’ll be given images and nutrition information for all ingredients… even the warning labels, so you will know if it contains something you or a loved one can’t have.

9. Plan to Eat

Free to try for 30 days, $4.95/month or $39/year after that

Perhaps the most basic app at first glance, Plan to Eat has a few surprises for health-conscious meal planners.

First and foremost, by bookmarking the Plan to Eat webpage, you can scour Pinterest or Delish and click the recipes you like to automatically add them to your meal plan.

Additionally, the user interface is highly intuitive, making it a cinch to drag and drop items to populate your meal planner for the week. This is also super helpful if one person is trying to eat gluten-free while also planning regular meals for kids at the same time.

Speaking of kids, if you bookmark the site on their personal devices as well, they can log in and see what’s planned for dinner. Older kids may even be able to start the meal with the recipe right in front of them.

Do I hear allowance money?

You can also add notes to the planner if leftovers are on the agenda, which reduces the need to double the ingredients in the shopping list.

The Staples List is a great place to add common and often forgotten items to your shopping list. Just click to add a staple to your weekly shopping list without having to re-enter it time and again.

Got questions? No worries. Plan to Eat has top-notch customer service agents who are willing and eager to help.

This app is ideal for people who already have a decently sized recipe collection or for those who love to look around on the internet for new recipes. It does not come with a preset recipe database.

The Plan to Eat app is available online, via Google Play and iTunes.

10. Big Oven

Free, pro membership available for $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year

Yes, this meal-planning app offers more than 350,000 recipes to inspire you! And, yes, it offers a snapshot feature where you can take pics of family recipes, and Big Oven will upload them into your recipe collection.

You can comment on recipes, receive feedback notifications, and create a grocery list that other family members can share. These are all awesome features, but cooking with leftovers and controlling your portions is this app’s bread and butter.

With Big Oven, choose up to 3 leftovers/ingredients, and the app will tell you what you can create! For instance:
1. London broil
2. Tomatoes
3. Mushrooms
I typed these in, and Big Oven suggested:
1. Chili
2. Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
3. Irish stew
There were other suggestions, but these three recipes utilized all three ingredients I typed in. Other recipes used one or two of the ingredients as a springboard to something else.

Either way, it’s pretty cool.

Pretty cool.

11. Dealstomeals.com

2 weeks free, $4.95 per month after

Deals to Meals claims to be a one-of-a-kind service! It is the only meal planning service online that bases its weekly meal plans around the best grocery deals in your area.

All of your meals will be planned around sale items, which will save you hundreds of dollars each month. The weekly meal planner provides you with one week’s worth of:
- Main dishes
- Side dishes
- Desserts
- Food storage recipes
The food storage-specific recipes are perfect for those nights when you are short on time!

Meal planning doesn’t get much more straightforward. For shopping, you can elect to create your own grocery list or have one generated for you.

Separate from the meal planning service, Deals to Meals offers an option to save up to 70% on groceries without using coupons.

Every week, you will be given a comparison breakdown of the major grocery stores’ deals to Costco, Sam’s Club, and Walmart. Then, Deals to Meals will tell you where the best deals are in your area to save you the most money, promising savings upwards of $ 100 a month, all for just over $1 a week.

The company guarantees you save more than your membership rate, or they will refund you. Refund sounds like no-risk, and I like the sound of that!

WARNING: If you live outside the USA – this is not the app for you.

12. Eat This Much

If there was ever an app for “diet lovers” and “meal preppers,”… this one may be it.

Eat This Much is an easy-to-navigate, user-friendly app designed to help you reach your diet and nutritional goals. It offers tools such as the calorie calculator, weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and more.

You can also create personalized meal plans based on your food
preferences, budget, and schedule.

Whatever type of diet you’re on and whatever your goals may be, this app can help. Its basic features allow you to:
Quickly generate meal plans that meet your calorie and macro targets

Set targets based on weight loss, maintenance, or muscle/bodybuilding

Follow any eating style or create your own

Choose from paleo, Atkins/keto, vegetarian, vegan, and Mediterranean diets

Filter out foods/recipes based on allergies and dislikes, including gluten-free

Set the available cooking time for each meal to match your schedule

Personalize recipes or add your own

Customize recipe suggestions

Configure the meal planner only to use foods you like using a “Recurring Foods” tab
Eat This Much takes some of the anxiety from deciding what to eat.

There is also a premium feature that
incorporates:
A separate intake log for when you didn’t follow the suggested meal plans

Grocery lists are automatically created from your meal plans based on the number of servings

One-click grocery delivery using Instacart

Pantry tracking to reduce food waste

Customizable targets for each day, such as adding more calories or carbs on workout days
Typical calorie trackers force you to add foods to your diary individually. By the end of the day, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be near your nutrition targets. With our automatic meal planner, there’s nothing to track because everything is already entered for you. All you have to do is follow the plan.

Try out the free account to see if their meal plans appeal to you. If you like what you see (and eat), you can upgrade to the premium meal planner for $4.99 per month – billed annually as $59.88. That’s just $ 16 cents per day!

The app can be downloaded via the App Store or Google Play.

13. GO – Meal & Fitness Tracker

Developed by Dietitians, GO claims to be the
easiest meal and fitness tracker you’ll ever use.

Available exclusively in the App Store, the GO requires you to answer two quick questions before you can start using it.

Please select a color (red or green) and pick your size… that’s it.

Really?

Really.

This finely crafted app offers one-touch meal entry and creates a visual food log that is more powerful, understandable, and useful than typical calorie trackers.

GO plots each entry on an easy-to-read timeline in daily, weekly, or monthly formats. This zoomed-out view helps you see the big picture with a single glance. When it comes down to it, your day-to-day habits are what really make a difference in your health.

GO is incredibly visual… and, honestly, many of us consider ourselves visual people.

The platform’s visual timeline gives you an instant snapshot of your personal strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you overeat at night? Or too many snacks? Skipping breakfast too often? Not getting enough workouts logged weekly?

One look at a weekly or monthly timeline will empower you to make changes that pertain to you and your lifestyle.

Go also motivates you to stay on point with visual tracking staring you in the face. Too many “red” foods during the day? Maybe you need to have more greens for dinner, then. User reviews admitted to adding more “green” foods just to make your timeline look better. Think of it like your child giving you the “puppy dog eyes” when you say no to ice cream.

GO makes capturing the most essential details easy in seconds… and is built on the science of practical, everyday life.

Your average calorie trackers are rarely accurate because we all tend to underestimate our food intake and overestimate our activity. We rarely, if ever, have the exact weight/size/brand/recipe to enter, making the whole process “just a guess” anyway.

Here’s the bottom line: Most of us know when we make healthy or not-so-healthy choices. What we really need is the motivation to make better choices and the visibility to see the impact of our choices over time—a nutritional babysitter, if you will.

Main features include:
The ability to enter meals and activities in seconds

An integrated camera that lets you snap pictures of your meals for precise meal tracking

The interactive timeline shows daily, weekly, and monthly views of your eating and exercise habits

The “How to Succeed” coaching section offers practical guidance on what behaviors to look for on your timeline and how to make healthy adjustments.

Syncs your results to the cloud

Automatically plots workouts you do with other Lolo apps
The app is certainly onto something… so if you can access an Apple device, check it out for $1.99.

14. 30 Whole Days

Both Apple and Google/Android customers can now enjoy 30 Whole Days… the app that brings the Internet sensation’s 30-day challenge straight to their smartphone or tablet.

This app is designed to help users complete the 30-day challenge or change their food habits with ease. No more frustrating Google searches for unknown foods and ingredients while at the grocery store.

This app allows you to search for packaged foods at the grocery store using a barcode, description, or UPC … It automatically tells you if the item is compliant or not. No more searching through the labels!

In addition, you can quickly and easily search for additives and ingredients you are unaware of on labels to determine whether they are compliant.

The app features a grocery list, a countdown for your 30-day venture, recipes, and more!

This app can also be used to find Paleo-compliant foods, but it is designed for the 30-day challenge.

Disclaimer: The app is not affiliated with Whole30.

The app costs just $2.99, regardless of the platform it’s loaded onto. One complaint is that despite being a paid app, there are still some ads… which can be annoying.

This website and app prides itself on offering easy, personalized meal plans for busy families. It takes the guesswork out of planning dinner by making affordable and delicious recipes easily accessible for any budget.

Unlike traditional meal planning and prep, Build a Menu offers a fine selection of recipes. There is no need to scour cookbooks or the Web for ideas.

The initial setup is easy.

Simply enter your zip code and pick which store you will shop at. Build a Menu, then search that store’s sales ads and recommend several recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (even side dishes and desserts) for the entire week.

Once that is done, Build a Menu turns meal planning into a simplistic 3-step process.
- Click on a recipe that sounds appealing
- View the price each recipe will cost to make so you can pick the ones that fit your budget
- Select your recipe, and BAM (pun intended)! A shopping list is automatically generated at your preferred store.
When filtering through meal options, BAM
offers choices.

Allergy to gluten, dairy, or nuts? No problem.

Want vegetarian options? Not an issue.

Menu categories include:
- Dine on a Dime
- Family Friendly
- Low Carb
- Low Fat/Sensible Portions (Points
  Based)
- Gluten-Free
- Allergy Friendly (No Gluten, Dairy
  or Nuts)
- Vegetarian
- Clean Eating
- Slow Cooker
- Grill-A-Meal
- Freezer Cooking Menus
- Trim Healthy Mama (THM) -inspired recipes
- Your Choice of Side Dishes
But wait! There’s more.

BAM’s
selection of additional meal choices include:
- Lunch Box, Family Friendly, THM
  and Gluten Free Lunches
- Family Friendly, THM and Gluten
  Free Breakfasts
- Cheat & Eat – Breakfast &
  Lunch (no recipe needed!)
- Family Friendly, THM, and Gluten
  Free Snacks
- Cooking With Kids
- Dessert of the Week (Family
  Friendly, THM & Gluten Free)
BAM charges $4.99 per month (or $48 for 12 months) for the premium plan but eliminates some of the risk by offering a 30-day full money-back guarantee… no questions asked. A slightly less expensive option, the Done-4-You Plan, provides you with pre-selected menus via email. You can’t customize recipes on this plan. This costs $5 per month, or $34.95 for 12 months.

16. Prepear

Prepear streamlines all facets of cooking—from recipe gathering to shopping to prep to finished product—into one simplistic and crisp interface.

The app is designed to help make mealtime seem like less of a chore. Key features include:
- Meal plan creator: Organize your entire meal process with Prepear’s intuitive Meal Planner. Just tap to plan a week of meals from your own personal, shareable cookbook… including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.
- Automatic grocery lists – “smart grocery list” technology makes it possible to match your meal plan automatically. Ingredients are sorted into categories for efficient, satisfying shopping… check off items as you go.
- Recipe collection, storage, and sharing – collect your favorite recipes from anywhere and sort them into collections for simple meal planning.
- Collaborate with friends to build your collections. Never lose another recipe.
- Food Feed: Here, users can share their cooking lives in real time with friends by posting pictures and cooking tips. You can take inspiration from their ideas, and you can also get meal ideas from people you trust. Every post is paired with a recipe you can easily bookmark and cook.
The app also features personalized meal ideas based on what you’ve cooked before and who you follow. You can track your cooking habits and customize your tastes, allergies, and preferences.

Additionally, a clear recipe screen allows
easy navigation between ingredients and directions. You can even check off
steps while you cook.

Prepear is available via the App Store and Google Play. The app is free, with in-app purchases.

17. Mealboard

MealBoard combines recipe management, meal
planning, groceries and pantry management into a single app.

Currently only available for iPhone and iPad users, Mealboard allows you to manage your recipes by: easily
- Ingredients
- Food category
- Meal type
- Stores organized by the aisle
- Grocery items
The clean, uncluttered interface is typical Apple.

Recipes can be automatically loaded onto the
app with its web browser feature. You can use the search feature to search websites
for recipes to import, or even upload your own.

Another feature that really sets Mealboard
apart is it’s Pantry Tracker.

Ever wondered how much sugar left in your pantry? Or how many tomatoes left in the fridge?

MealBoard eliminates the guesswork by keeping track of those things. Once you’re done grocery shopping, move items from the shopping list to the pantry.

You can easily adjust the items left in stock as you cook with those ingredients.

The app is available for $3.99 via the App store.

18. Spoonacular Food Companion

If you’re looking for an app that helps you make meal plans based on what you and your family eat rather than an ideal weekly menu, you might want to give this one a try.

Most people always want to eat healthy, but time constraints and preferences make it very difficult to prepare full-course, home-cooked meals constantly.

This app considers that users sometimes dine out or use frozen foods. It incorporates this into a meal plan that automatically creates a shopping list based on the menu you’re planning for the week.

In addition, this app automatically calculates the nutritional information of every meal. This is a nice feature that can help keep track of your protein, carbs, and calorie intake, making it easier to adhere to diets that require you to keep track of certain nutrients.

If you have heirloom recipes, this app allows you to store them online and share them with others through a link.

The app’s other cool features that users appreciate include:
Recipe of the day – To inspire you to try the featured recipes.

Search engine – Allows you to find recipes, restaurant meals, and pre-packaged food to add to your weekly menu.

Meal planner that syncs with your Google calendar.

Diet-specific recipe search.
This app is available for iOS and Android. It is free.

19. Anylist

AnyList is a “no-frills” tool for creating grocery shopping lists and collecting and organizing recipes.

You can also share any of your lists with your spouse or roommates for free. Thanks to seamless integration technology, changes show up instantly on everyone’s device.

Anylist top features include:
Quickly add and cross off items. Autocomplete suggests common items as you type

Add notes to list items to indicate package size, brand, coupons, etc

Create multiple lists to organize items by store or occasion

Grocery items are automatically separated into categories

Create custom categories

Re-order categories to match the layout of your local store

Save items as favorites, then browse your favorites and add them to your current shopping list

View recent items from your past shopping trips, then add them back to your current list

Easily share lists via email; there is no limit as to how many people you share with

Everyone creates their own AnyList account, so you can share some lists while keeping others private

Optional push notifications let you know when a shared list has been modified

Sort list items alphabetically or manually.
Anylist also allows you to enter and share your own recipes or copy and paste recipes from another source.

The app will sync across all of your devices. Sign in to your AnyList account on your devices, and any changes made will appear.

Your lists and recipes are also securely backed up in the cloud as part of your AnyList account. So, if you get a new device, the list will transfer.

All of these features above are available for free via Google Play and in the App Store… however, Anylist also offers optional in-app purchases (ranging from $9.99 – $14.99) called AnyList Complete, which includes added features, such as:
AnyList for the Web – works with most major web browsers

Recipe Web Import – search for recipes on the web and import them directly into AnyList

Meal Planning Calendar – plan your meals with month and list views, easily add some or all of the ingredients for upcoming recipes to your shopping list

Shared/uploaded item and Recipe Photos

Passcode Lock – protect your lists from casual snooping
And Now to Sum It Up…

Meal planning sites and apps are pretty much all over the place these days. And quite honestly, they all offer many of the same features. (But if you prefer to write things down, here are some weekly meal planner template ideas to choose from.)

If you want to build better healthy habits for your and your family, then it’s really a bit of trial and error when it comes to finding the one that best suits you.

I’ve tried my best to wrangle up some of the better ones…

Regardless of which you choose, it would be best if you were on the lookout for these things:
1. Free or free trial
2. Menu/recipe variety
3. Automatically generated grocery list
4. Calendar sync
5. Available as an app
Most of the ones I suggested are free, so I implore you to check them all out if your data plan allows. Not to mention, many are accessible on the web. So, there is really no excuse.

Meal planning works! You’ve just got to commit to it. And if you haven’t got the time or desire, let these sites and apps do it for you! Especially when so many of them are FREE!

Nicole Krause has been writing both personally and professionally for over 20 years. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Film Studies. Her work has appeared in some of the country’s top publications, major news outlets, online publications, and blogs. As a happily married (and extremely busy) mother of four… her articles primarily focus on parenting, marriage, family, finance, organization, and product reviews.
Nicole Krause

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September 4, 2024
5 ways young Canadians can prepare financially for what awaits in 2024 – MoneySense

3. Food prices will rise, but at a slower pace

Compared to previous years, food prices should stabilize in 2024. However, keeping your kitchen stocked will still keep your grocery bill high. According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2024, overall food prices are expected to increase by 2.5% to 4.5% over the course of next year (whereas food inflation jumped by 4.7% in November 2023). So, if you’re a single adult who spent roughly $375 on food per month this year, you can expect to shell out from $385 to $392 monthly by the end of 2024.

The Food Price Report suggests that you can expect baked goods, vegetables and meats to take a big bite out of your budget. However, you’ll get some relief with canned goods and dried pasta. The good news is that food prices will increase at a more gradual pace than in 2023.

What you can do: Consider meal planning

During the pandemic, I started meal planning as a strategy to deal with grocery costs. It’s been helpful in ensuring that our family stays within our food budget and doesn’t fall into the temptation to order takeout. Meal planning consists of deciding what you will eat for the upcoming week and then adding only the ingredients you need to your grocery list.

Personally, I like to make extra lunch portions when preparing dinner, which helps cut back on costs. Another option is to buy items in bulk when they go on sale and then divvy them up into smaller quantities and store them in the freezer. This works well for sliced fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood.

4. Consumer debt will continue to grow

Gen Z will continue to face financial pressure in 2024, so managing debt will become even more important. Between Q3 2022 and Q3 2023, the average credit card balance in Canada increased by 9%, according to TransUnion Canada. The increase was fueled by an increase in the cost of living and the cost of credit, thanks to higher interest rates. Unless the Bank of Canada starts reducing interest rates and daily living expenses start to come down, it’s likely that debt will continue to grow in 2024.

What you can do: Start a side hustle to pay off debt

To become financially secure, 40% of Gen Z are interested in generating more sources of income, such as starting a side hustle, according to a BMO survey. Considering there’s only so much you can do to cut expenses, you might want to consider growing your income so you can more easily pay down your debt.

Once you have some disposable income, prioritize paying off high-interest debt, such as credit card debt, which can help to squash your debt load. If you’re carrying a monthly balance, call your credit card provider and ask if they can lower the interest rate. If you’re fresh out of school and borrowed money to pay for your studies, it’s a good idea to focus on repaying your student loans.

5. Travel will rebound in spite of high travel costs

Despite rising travel costs, young travellers are eager to escape the daily grind. Many young people would rather spend their hard-earned money on experiences instead of goods. Regardless of being in a tight financial situation, 2024 may be the year many Gen Z make their dream vacations happen.

Sandy Yong

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December 29, 2023
Customized Nutrition Coaching is Now Available at Camp Gladiator
Press Release
–

Aug 18, 2022
AUSTIN, Texas, August 18, 2022 (Newswire.com)
–
Camp Gladiator (CG), a national platform for outdoor and online bootcamp workouts led by Certified Personal Trainers, is proud to expand its offerings with the launch of CG Nutrition, a customized nutrition coaching program. CG Nutrition connects clients to Certified Nutrition Coaches across the United States and provides customized, dietitian-approved meal plans for individuals’ unique fitness and weight-loss goals. Unlike other meal-planning programs, CG Nutrition clients partner and communicate one-on-one with their Coach for education, motivation, and accountability.

“We are proud to be the only fitness and nutrition platform to offer thousands of full-body workouts and one-on-one nutrition coaching,” Camp Gladiator Co-Founder and Co-CEO Ally Davidson stated. “We want to positively impact as many lives as possible, and offering nutrition coaching, in addition to our outdoor and online workouts, is one of the most significant business decisions we have made to achieve our mission. We are launching with over 350 Certified Nutrition Coaches across the United States and growing daily. Our Coaches are passionate about delivering a simple and effective program to help clients achieve their goals.”

CG Nutrition includes:
- Dietitian-approved meal plans.
- Education for sustainable healthy eating habits.
- One-on-one partnership and accountability with a Certified Nutrition Coach.
CG Nutrition Coaching is available today with membership options starting at $49/month. For more information on the program and pricing, visit CG Nutrition.

Disclaimer:
CG Nutrition consists of general nutritional information regarding healthy eating habits and is not a substitute for individual or personalized medical advice. You should consult a licensed health professional before starting a new, or making changes to an existing, nutrition or health program. For additional information, please visit the CG Nutrition Terms.

About Camp Gladiator: Camp Gladiator (CG) is a fitness and nutrition platform on a mission to positively impact lives through full-body bootcamp workouts and customized nutrition coaching. By connecting individuals to their own Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, clients experience one-on-one communication to stay motivated and accountable to achieve their goals. Camp Gladiator also provides entrepreneurial opportunities for Trainers and Coaches to build their own businesses within CG’s well-known brand and network of clients. For more information on Camp Gladiator, please visit campgladiator.com, and follow CG on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter under @CampGladiator.

Contact:
Howard Schaffer
Chief Marketing Officer
Camp Gladiator
marketing@campgladiator.com

Source: Camp Gladiator
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August 18, 2022
Camp Gladiator to Expand Into Nutrition Coaching, Creating a Comprehensive Fitness Platform

Camp Gladiator Has Acquired T3 Optimization and Facts Over Fads to Create the New CG Nutrition Program Coming This Fall

Press Release
–

Jun 9, 2022

AUSTIN, Texas, June 9, 2022 (Newswire.com)
–
Camp Gladiator (CG), a leading innovator in the fitness industry and a business platform for trainers across the nation, today announced it is expanding into nutrition coaching this fall through the acquisitions of T3 Optimization (T3) and Facts Over Fads.

CG has brought on T3 Optimization’s owner Tyler Wagner as its new Vice President of Nutrition and Fact Over Fads’ owner Joseph Guandolo as its new Nutrition Director. Tyler, with the support of Joseph, will lead the development of the CG Nutrition program, to be introduced in the Fall of 2022.

“The fitness industry has had more change and disruption than any other industry over the recent years, and we’ve been on the forefront of that — innovating to meet the changing needs of the world we live in,” said Ally Davidson, co-founder and co-CEO of Camp Gladiator. “After launching virtual CG training in only 11 days back in 2020, we’ve been asking ourselves ‘What’s next?’ We’re excited to announce the next phase of Camp Gladiator where we’ll be offering the world’s best fitness AND nutrition-coaching program to hundreds of thousands of people.”

Davidson continued, “There’s no one else in the industry offering this combination of world-class service. CG will soon have hundreds of nutrition coaches operating across the country in our existing fitness platform, seamlessly bringing customized nutrition coaching, meal plans, and more to our clients. We want to create the ultimate fitness and nutrition experience.”

For more information, review the blog post or contact CG Marketing at marketing@campgladiator.com.

About Camp Gladiator

Founded in 2008 in Dallas, Texas, Camp Gladiator (CG) is a fitness movement dedicated to transforming lives through fun and challenging workouts led by certified personal trainers who inspire Campers to discover their best selves. CG offers outdoor, online, and on-demand sessions, with each workout designed to challenge clients of all fitness levels. In addition to offering world-class workouts, CG operates as an entrepreneurial platform for trainers across the nation to build their own businesses while tapping into CG’s well-known brand and network of clients. For more information on Camp Gladiator, please visit campgladiator.com and follow CG on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter under @CampGladiator.

About T3 Optimization

Founded in 2021 in Dallas, Texas, by Tyler Wagner, T3 Optimization is a nutrition-coaching program designed to help clients achieve their goals through fitness, nutrition, and accountability. T3 Optimization offers clients meal plans, fitness support, and nutrition education to help create positive lifestyle changes.

About Facts Over Fads

Joseph Guandolo founded Facts Over Fads in 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. Driven by relationships, science-based nutrition, integrity, and accountability, Facts Over Fads aims to provide clients with knowledge and power through nutrition and fitness in order to live a healthy lifestyle.

Source: Camp Gladiator

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June 9, 2022
Should I drink sugar-free fizzy drinks every day? – Catherine Saxelby’s Foodwatch

Sugar-free soft drinks, which have been around in various forms for almost 40 years, still have their problems. Remember Tab? Remember Coke Zero? Yes, they tasted sweet and saved you drinking some 40 teaspoons of sugar from each 375 ml can, but are they really healthier than regular soft drinks?

Brownie points

When you choose a diet drink, you may end up indulging in other sweet, kilojoule-dense options because you’ve been ‘good’. So, you’ll often see someone sipping a sugar-free drink while eating a chocolate bar, croissant or brownie. It confuses our brains.

Weight loss … or weight gain?

Sugar substitutes do little in the way of weight loss. In fact, the opposite may be true: some diet-beverage drinkers gain weight and have an increased risk of chronic diseases.

A 2010 study published in Physiology & Behavior concluded that regularly consuming sugar-sweetened drinks could lead to weight gain and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In 2013, however, researchers had 200 people replace their sugary drinks with diet varieties or water for 6 months. Their conclusion? The sugar-free-beverage drinkers actually ate fewer desserts than the water drinkers. So there’s that.

A too-sweet taste?

When you drink them regularly, no-sugar soft drinks get you used to a sweet taste. This is a long-term problem for weight loss, as well as for people with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. If your body is used to getting a super-sweet hit from diet soft drinks, it makes managing appetite much more difficult.

The sweetness signal tells our bodies to prepare for kilojoules (or calories) and our appetite is generated in readiness, but no kilojoules arrive. So we’re likely go out and consume other foods. In other words, sweeteners prep our bodies for a sugar fix but then don’t deliver. So sweeteners interfere with the learned responses that normally contribute to glucose and energy homeostasis.

How safe are they?

We know these sweeteners are safe, but what we don’t know are their long-term effects on appetite. So let’s just say, the scientific jury is still out on their long-term effects.

The bottom line

The key is only having sugar-free soft drinks as an occasional treat, not every day or when you feel thirsty. Long term, we don’t really know what these sweeteners are doing to our bodies. One or two is fine (say, if you’re going out to a club), but regularly consuming these zero-sugar drinks may lead to long-term overconsumption of other foods.

Foodwatch

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August 31, 2021