Ok, so you want to create a meal plan to save yourself dinner time struggles and make your life easier, but finding time to create a healthy meal plan as a busy mom feels like one more thing on your already long-ass to-do list.
I get it- good news! You can create a simple, nutritious meal plan for the entire week in under 10 minutes!
Here's how to do it:
Breakfast: Keep it simple (think stuff you can prep ahead of time or that take less than 10 minutes - smoothies, overnight oats. Need more inspo? Check out this blog for how to get 30 grams of protein at breakfast In under 5 minutes.
Lunch: Prep salads or leftovers from dinner.
Dinner: Batch cook proteins, choose pre-chopped veggies, follow schedule below
Snacks: Focus on easy grab-and-go options like below.
1. Start With a Theme for Each Day
One of the easiest ways to streamline meal planning is by assigning a theme to each day of the week. Not only does this make planning faster, but it also brings variety to your meals and you can just remember - oh yah on this day, I do this. It also sets your kids up to know what to expect so you can minimize battles.
Here are some easy theme ideas:
Meatless Monday (keep It easy like grilled cheese or pasta)
Taco Tuesday (mix it up with chicken, beef, or vegetarian tacos)
Slow Cooker/Air Fryer Wednesday (throw everything into the crockpot in the morning or frozen stuff into your air-fryer)
Breakfast for Dinner Thursday (kids will think this is a novelty and its SO easy - waffles, eggs, or even just oatmeal with all the toppings)
Pizza Friday (make it homemade with whole-wheat crusts and healthy toppings or order In - who cares?)
Sheet Pan Saturday (one-pan meals with minimal cleanup)
Leftover Sunday (Use up what's in your fridge or give yourself permission to do takeout)
2. Choose Simple, Balanced Recipes
Now that you have your themes, select easy, balanced recipes that include whole foods and cover all your nutritional bases. You don't need to get fancy in this season of your life to be healthy. I promise. Focus on:
Protein: Chicken, turkey, beans, tofu, eggs, or fish.
Healthy Fats: Avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil.
Fiber-rich Carbs: Whole grains, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, or whole-grain pasta.
Vegetables: Aim to include a variety of colorful veggies to maximize nutrients.
Here’s a simple example:
Monday (Meatless): Black bean and sweet potato tacos.
Tuesday (Tacos): Ground turkey tacos with homemade salsa and guacamole.
Wednesday (Air Fryer): Frozen veggies + fish sticks + fruit on the side
Thursday (Breakfast): Cheesy egg quesadillas + cucumber sticks + berries
Friday (Pizza): Homemade pizza with whole wheat crust, spinach, and chicken.
Saturday (Sheet Pan): Salmon, roasted veggies, and quinoa.
Sunday (Leftovers): Maybe some pizza is still kicking around in your fridge or some leftover eggs, or just order some Thai - no one cares :)
3. Stick to a Simple Grocery List
Once you have your meals planned, write down the ingredients. You'll notice that many ingredients overlap, making your grocery shopping easy and affordable.
Here’s a sample grocery list for the week:
Proteins: Chicken breast, ground turkey, salmon, black beans, eggs.
Vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, lettuce.
Carbs: Brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat tortillas, whole-wheat pizza crust.
Fats: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds.
Extras: Spices, salsa, guacamole ingredients.
*if you want even more guidance, check out some of my meal plans in the shop - they all include a grocery shopping list with the exact amounts - helllllo mental load break!
4. Prep What You Can Ahead of Time
To make your week even smoother, prep what you can on Sunday. Chop veggies, cook grains, and batch cook proteins. Having these things ready makes throwing together meals in the middle of a busy week much quicker.
5. Keep Snacks Simple
In addition to your meals, have some easy snack options ready for when hunger strikes. Great options include:
Protein bars or trail mix.
Apple slices with peanut butter.
Greek yogurt with fruit.
Veggie sticks with hummus.
Just a reminder that you don't have to make it hard, complicated or fancy to feed yourself and your family nourishing food. It's ok to have a general plan each week and eat mostly the same things, this is a hard season, you're doing a great job!
Happy meal planning!
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