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Weekly Menu Planning

July 23, 2013 By Gwen Brown 54 Comments

Weekly-Menu-PlannerWeekly menu planning is the best and the worst part of my week.  On one hand, I love having that framework in place to make out a grocery list…a THOROUGH grocery list that ensures that I only make one trip to the grocery store per week.  That’s the goal.  And a girl can dream.

I really don’t love the actual sitting down and figuring out what to eat part of menu planning, but it’s gotta be done.  And it’s never as bad as I make it out to be.  It’s actually kinda fun to scroll through the THM Pinterest Boards, and my Trim Healthy Mama book, and pick things I would like to try.

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What do I adore about menu planning?  I don’t have to answer the ‘what’s to eat’ question for the WHOLE rest of the week, AND I have what I need in the pantry already!

My week goes SO much more smoothly when I’ve done a menu plan.  This neat little printable menu planner I created is the BEST way I’ve found to get it all done on one simple sheet: a weekly menu on one half, and the shopping lists on the other.  You can see my menu plan in action here:

P1110809 So, I plan for the meals for each day, and write out what I need to buy to make them on the shopping half of the list.  Pretty straight forward.

P1080918

Here, I’ve been a little lazy.  OK.  A LOT lazy.  I’ve only planned for dinners.  But that’s OK, because one of my favorite weekly menu planning tricks is to use leftovers as lunch for the next day!

Being the ‘creative’ type, I don’t love schedules, but I do enjoy the flexibility of having SOME sort of plan.  I can always swap days around if I get a wild hair.

P1080920After shopping, I’ll usually fold back the used shopping list to leave room for family members to write in stuff we run out of that we’ll need for next week.  Like toothpaste and bandaids.  Which keeps me up to date on next weeks ‘needs’ when I start that menu.  So that’s basically how I use my menu planning list for the week.

My Best Weekly Menu Planning Tips

  • I often check out a coupon site, just to see if anything that’s on sale+coupon is of interest this week.  If I find a great coupon, I’ll print and staple it to the back top corner of my list, so they’re ready to go when I shop.  Southern Savers is my favorite coupon site for the southeastern U.S.
  • Add in repeating theme meals to make menu planning easy.  Fridays are always pizza & ice cream.  Saturday mornings are always a big S style brunch with pancakes.  I make Sunday’s breakfast on Friday.  I know some Mamas who only serve one item for breakfast EVERY morning, just to keep things simplified. Sometimes, I’ll dub Mondays as “Mexi-Night” and if we have a busy season with practices, that night will become ‘Leftovers’ or ‘Crock Pot’ night.  In the winter, I have done ‘Soup Night’ and ‘Chili Night’ (varying types and toppings of chili).  Make that menu work for you.
  • Jot down spur of the moment ideas on your menu for the following week.  For instance, if I discover a lasagna in the freezer mid-week, I’ll jot a note reminding me to schedule it for the following week (and on the day or two before to thaw it).
  • Use a colored pencil or marker for things that you want to really remind yourself of.  Like this:  RETURN LIBRARY BOOKS!
  • Jot down major daily activities, functions, or appointments on the menu plan to give you an idea of which nights are going to be the best for easy meals, leftovers, or using your crock pot.
  • Plan for leftovers, and use them!  My man loves leftovers for lunch, so I make him a plate either before or right after we eat dinner.  If you and yours are not so much into repeat foods, then make freezer plates, and that way you can start a great stash of easy to re-heat meals for lunches or busy nights when you don’t have time to cook.
  • Re-vamping ‘planned-overs’ is also a great tactic.  In the menu below, you’ll see I turned shredded chicken into BBQ chicken pizza on another night.
  • Along the same line, if you’re expecting, are planning a vacation, or have friends or family who are expecting, planning double cooking one night a week is a GREAT way to stock the freezer.  Just make a note on your shopping list for the extra food.  It only takes a little more time to toss 2 lasagnas together.
  • Remind yourself to thaw things on your menu plan.  For real.  I’m horrible about this.
  • Don’t feel like you have to be RIGID with a menu plan.  The main goal is that it’s there for *ideas* when your brain isn’t in the mood later on.  If you decide to have Thursday’s Spaghetti on Tuesday, the menu police will NOT come knocking.  Being flexible is what it’s all about.
  • Recycle those menus!  After you’ve planned weekly menus for a month or two, pull out your stash and re-cycle those babies.

Free Printable Weekly Menu Planner

Here’s a printable .pdf  FREE Blank Weekly Menu & Shopping List

*AND* I am sharing a true labor of love:

THM-1-Week-Menu

One Week THM Sample Menu
with shopping list for you to play with.

I didn’t skimp here, friends…I filled out the WHOLE menu including snacks and a couple of desserts.  WITH links to recipes and/or page numbers.  Now I don’t expect your tastes to match ours, so please feel free to scrap things that don’t appeal and sub your own ideas.  To simplify that, I listed ingredients by day/meal.

You can see how my Trim Healthy breakfasts and lunches are sometimes different than the kids at times.  But those are the easy/quick meals ONLY, and usually the kids can make their own…and I make mine in less than 5 minutes.   We enjoy ALL dinners, and even several breakfasts and lunches together with just a few tweaks with toppings or side dishes to move the kids into crossover mode.

And you’ll see that I don’t spend hours in the kitchen…I definitely try to make good use of my time by making extras and using common components to meals. Hope you enjoyed!

 

And now for LOTS more Trim & Healthy Inspiration…

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Recipes, Trim & Healthy Tagged With: menus, THM Tips, Trim & Healthy, Trim Healthy Mama, Trim Healthy Tuesday

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  1. Stacy says

    July 23, 2013 at 8:39 AM

    I think we’re friends because we’re polar opposites. LOL LOL

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      July 23, 2013 at 11:35 PM

      Ha! Probably!

      Reply
  2. Jessica from SimplyHealthyHome says

    July 23, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    Thanks for hosting! I need to start putting my weekly menus on the frig. I think it will help me stay on track.

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      July 23, 2013 at 11:36 PM

      I call it my ‘brain on paper’. 🙂 Which reminds me…I need to go thaw some ground beef. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Tonia says

    July 23, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    I love your weekly menu – mine is similar but why did I not think to put the grocery list right beside it on the same page! So simple it’s brilliant!

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      July 23, 2013 at 11:37 PM

      I decided to do this after wishing over and over that I had my menu with me at the grocery store. It’s worked out great!

      Reply
  4. Monica says

    July 23, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    you are amazing. thank you so much for sharing this.

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      July 23, 2013 at 11:36 PM

      You’re welcome!

      Reply
  5. Becky L says

    July 24, 2013 at 12:02 AM

    You are awesome. Thank you so much!!!!!

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    August 29, 2013 at 12:09 AM

    Oh Gwen!
    You are such a HUGE resource of great tips and helps!
    I’m just now seeing this post and was VERY interested in the weekly planner, but when I click on the free pdf, what comes up is a form with blurred rectangles instead of text. Any ideas on how to fix this?
    The THM menu comes up beautifully.

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      September 3, 2013 at 12:54 AM

      argh! .pdf files make me crazy! :/ I’m so sorry you’re having issues with it. I’ll play with it and see if I can fix it for you.

      Reply
  7. Cynthia says

    January 3, 2014 at 12:51 PM

    I do something similar, but I make a copy of it on my copier before heading to the store. I had the frustration of losing it a couple times going to several stores with kids in tow lol! It is super disappointing to have to recreate (and attempt to remember) all that info to match all the food I just bought.

    Reply
  8. Destiny Ramsey says

    February 4, 2014 at 11:05 AM

    I don’t like to sit down and menu plan either. So weird… Cause I LOVE to search for recipes for hours, but deciding is hard. I find it especially tough because my kids eat differently from me. And my husband is a yet another equation of meals. My list seems to be sooooo long for just 7 days! If I do make a really awesome week of meals or even more than week, it isn’t guaranteed that I’ll use it again. Even though it is all worked out for me. I have a hard time eating the same plan over and over. Sheesh! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Connie says

    August 17, 2014 at 6:04 PM

    What are “s” meals and “e” meals?

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      September 3, 2014 at 10:55 PM

      Hi Connie,
      They designate the meal types for the Trim Healthy Mama plan. 🙂 You can learn more about that here in my review of the book: https://gwens-nest.com/natural-remedies/trim-healthy-mama-book-review/

      Reply
  10. Deanna says

    October 3, 2014 at 9:16 AM

    Hello!!! Can you make a couple more weeks so that I mayhave some differentiation. I am going to try to help my husband and myself. 🙂 I would love for you to help out with a few more weekly menus… I have already printed out the example, but I am a BEGINNER!!!! Like today!! So do you think you can help me? 😉

    Reply
    • Gwen says

      October 6, 2014 at 11:59 PM

      Hi Deanna!
      I’m so glad you enjoyed the menu. 🙂 Try printing out a few blank ones and as you see recipes you want to try, just fill them in. I try to do at least 2 E meals per week, and then enjoy them as leftovers for lunch. I have lots of great recipes by type in the menu bar. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Helen Krahn says

    February 23, 2015 at 12:09 PM

    I really enjoy all your good information, I am new to THM, really hoping I can get a grasp of all this cauce I want to lose 20lbs by summer & I’ve tried almost everything else but this looks like something I could do & most important to continue after the weight is off
    Thanks for your help

    helen

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      February 23, 2015 at 6:34 PM

      Welcome, Helen!

      Reply
  12. Marisa says

    February 23, 2015 at 7:14 PM

    So glad I saw this in my FB feed today. It was on my agenda to work on a menu plan this week and now I don’t have to go looking for one! I shop 2x a week and am hoping to plan ahead enough to start doing once a week. It is hard when you work next door to a grocery store! Thanks Gwen! Headed to print one out. Doing good with getting back to THM, too!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      February 23, 2015 at 11:12 PM

      Yes! Hope this saves you bunches of time. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Wilma says

    March 7, 2015 at 11:44 AM

    Thanks for the weekly menu blank

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 7, 2015 at 12:25 PM

      Sure, Wilma!

      Reply
  14. Renel says

    June 19, 2015 at 2:01 PM

    I am glad I found this my daughter just moved away from home and she requested that I send her weekly menus of the meals I make, being a in the moment meal maker lately I needed something to help me put my meal ideas and grocery list together. Your menu planner is perfect, thank you for all your hard work.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      June 19, 2015 at 6:28 PM

      You’re very welcome!

      Reply
  15. Brend says

    August 4, 2015 at 10:00 AM

    I’m just beginning. I like the way you have it set up. I’m very excited to get started.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      August 4, 2015 at 4:20 PM

      Thanks, Brend! 🙂

      Reply
  16. Randi says

    September 21, 2015 at 9:12 AM

    When I clicked on your sample menu page to print… it wouldn’t upload so i could print it… is there something on my end that I have to do in order to print this?
    I love the idea of having the menu all made ahead of time
    Help please,
    Thank you,
    Randi

    Reply
  17. Randi says

    September 21, 2015 at 9:16 AM

    Hey it worked this time.. its printing now… must have been sleeping … I love your web site.
    Randi

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      September 21, 2015 at 6:14 PM

      Oh great! Hope it’s helpful to you! 🙂

      Reply
  18. cam says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:44 AM

    just getting started i’m aliitle confused for e meals and s meals when looking at recipes is that all you eat or do you add anthing else like i from the old school meat, pototes, veg and bread please help

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      January 6, 2016 at 4:38 AM

      Hi Cam! I think the book will really help shed light on it, and you can check out the menu printable I provide to see my basic ideas for a main dish. You absolutely can build a healthy, well balanced meal with protein, veggies, bread, etc. It’s just a different way of combining foods based on carbs and fats. You may find the Trim Healthy Mama Quick Start Guide to be a help? 🙂

      Reply
      • cam says

        January 6, 2016 at 10:18 AM

        thank you very much

        Reply
        • Gwen Brown says

          January 7, 2016 at 1:37 AM

          You’re welcome!

          Reply
  19. Danielle says

    February 16, 2016 at 9:19 PM

    Thank you for this… I’m a newbee so this is really great!

    Reply
  20. Eileen says

    July 10, 2016 at 7:18 PM

    I love your site! I printed your weekly menu and noticed one dinner there was just popcorn and frappe. My husband would divorce me if I served him just popcorn for dinner! LOL! I’ll have to adjust it accordingly. Thank you for taking the time to do all this!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 10, 2016 at 9:26 PM

      Ha! Well, the frappe was a protein shake, and that was our easy Sunday night supper. We usually have a heavy lunch and a snack before the kids leave for church, and they’re home late. So it works for us to have a lighter supper that night. 🙂 Definitely adjust accordingly!

      Reply
  21. Susan Hamner says

    April 17, 2017 at 9:24 AM

    I am just starting this plan and your site was suggested to me before I took the plunge. You have been such a blessing so far. THANK you for all you share. Love the tips for meal planning which I need to start (cute magnet, too)

    Reply
  22. Cara says

    September 9, 2017 at 10:05 PM

    Thanks for this great layout! Gave me the tool I needed to get 100% on plan. I am creating seasonal menus (spring/summer and winter/fall, 6 weeks each) to rotate through. I am typing up the weeks and listing all the groceries needed. Then, when that week is up for shopping, I take inventory and cross off what I already have. I also type up recipes not in the THM cookbook and store them all together. I can still write in additional shopping needs (like pantry staples out toothpaste) but don’t have to look up the recipe-ingredients each time. Under days of the week I write in our activities and notes about the recipe (for example, brown double batch of meat and set aside half for [day of the week needed]). LOVE this system! Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  23. Holly says

    August 2, 2019 at 1:43 PM

    Gwen – I just wanted to say thank you for creating the blank shopping list. I have literally used it weekly for YEARS and I am so grateful for the time you spent creating it.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 13, 2021 at 1:35 PM

      Awww…Thank you for letting me know! Comments like this make my week!

      Reply
  24. Rachel says

    October 4, 2019 at 8:35 PM

    I am trying to print the blank weekly meal plan, and when I print it just shows prints but with no writing of the days etc on it. Just has the boxes?
    Thanks for all the great information 🙂

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 13, 2021 at 12:40 PM

      How odd! Try opening it in a different web browser? It’s showing up for me.

      Reply

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