How to Create Your Meal Master List + Free Printables
Has meal planning ever stressed you out? If so, you’re doing it wrong! Meal planning doesn’t have to be a tedious task. Learn how to simplify your meal planning in this post, plus you’ll get two free printables.
If you don’t know yet, I’m a really big advocate for planning. I just cannot imagine trying to stay on top of all my tasks without some type of a plan.
But after talking with a lot of moms and wives, I’ve realized that a lot of you don’t actually enjoy the planning process. Which is why I like to offer simple methods and free printables to help you get started.
Today, we’re tackling meal planning – particularly setting up a master meal planning list to help streamline the process. Personally, I think meal planning is probably one of the most important systems to start with if you’re new to planning. Here’s the details on why, how, and when – and your free printable, too!
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What Exactly is a Meal Master List
Basically, it’s just a list of recipes or meals your family loves, all in one place for easy reference. That’s it Just one list, organized, and put away for use over and over. This one tool can simplify meal planning, save you time, money, and a headache.
Simple enough, right? Right! But…I do have a few things I want to mention just to help you create the best list you will use again and again.
Benefits of a Meal Planning Master List
Have you ever sat down to meal plan and thought “Okay, tacos, spaghetti, but what else?”. Because I have! You know your family loves a variety of meals, but when you sit down to plan it out, you draw a complete blank.
This is why you need a meal master list!
- Saves Time: Like I mentioned before, having a comprehensive list of meals your family loves, cuts down on mealtime drastically. We will get into the organization of the list shortly, but just know that you can meal plan in minutes with this tool.
- Reduces Stress: By getting rid of the need to pick and choose breakfasts, lunch and dinner ideas from your memory, you cut down on the number of choices you have to make. This reduces stress and does away with decision fatigue.
- Save Money, Reduce Waste: By creating seasonal meal master lists, you can take advantage of eating seasonally or utilizing food you already have on hand.
- Adds Variety: No more cooking a recipe once just to forget about it for months and months. Add it to your master list so it becomes part of your regular meal rotations!
What You Need to Get Started
I already mentioned that I have the free printables for you, but there are a few more things you need to gather before you get started.
Family Favorite Recipes: Grab a recipe book, your phone, or wherever you store recipes at for easy reference. You may think you know all the recipes you want to include, but it never fails, as soon as you sit down to put to pen to paper, you draw a blank!
Planning Supplies: You need somewhere to store your master list, like a 3 ring binder. I have made so many lists like this is in the past just to lose them or never reference them again. Creating a household management binder is a great way to ensure that never happens! Here’s some of my favorite supplies for getting that set up.
- Cute Binder – 3-ring binders are perfect for creating your own custom planners or budget binders. They have plenty of room for your budgeting worksheets, bills, and supplies!
- Mr. Pen Pens – There’s just something about a nice pen…and not only do these pens write nice, they also look nice!
- Mr. Pen Highlighters – No color printer? No problem! Some highlighters can allow you to color code your budget.
- Planning Stickers – An inexpensive pack of stickers for your planning pages can make the planning process feel creative and more enjoyable.
Free Printables: If you want to use the free printables I mentioned, here’s the link to grab them – Free Meal Planning Master List Printables.
Tips for Creating a Functional Meal Master List
So, it sounds pretty easy, right? Just write down all the meals your family enjoys, and you’re done.
And you definitely can do it that way. But here are a few tips that can help you get the most out of your menu planning. And I’ve made it easy to follow these steps with the meal planning printables I’ve created. So, entertain me for a few minutes, and consider these ideas:
Meal & Recipe Organization
Making sure that your family meal list is well organized can make all the difference in its usefulness. By organizing your meals into categories, like chicken, seafood, or other, you streamline the process even further.
Or maybe you need to meal plan for all three meals, plus snacks. You can write down your family favorites by meal category. Choose a variety of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items.
The best news? The printables in this post have an option for categorizing in both of these ways!
Plan Seasonally
Seasonal meal planning is the perfect way to add variety to your meals. You’ll also save on groceries by eating foods that are in season since the prices are often lower. You can plan for all four seasons to really change things up or just do a warm weather/cool weather list.
For warm weather, you can include recipes that require grilling, use lots of fresh garden produce, or can be cooked without turning on the oven. When it cools off outside, it’s time to break out the soups and casseroles loaded with root veggies. It’s also the perfect time for lots of baking!
Rotate Regularly
Even if you’re not creating your master list based on seasonal basis, you still want to be sure to rotate it out. This will allow you to swap out some recipes your family has grown tired of and try new recipes. I suggest doing this two or three times a year.
Involve Family
If you’re planning for a family, be sure to get their requests to include in your master list. This isn’t necessary of course, but it is always nice to be able to make someone’s favorite meal for them.
Include Easy
Be sure to include quick meal ideas in your list. You could even notate next to the meal that it is “quick” or “simple”. Things like sheet pan meals, slow cooker recipes, or one pot dishes are all perfect for those busy weeknights. They also make the perfect recipes for older kids who are just getting familiar to working in the kitchen.
Meal Planning Tips
Okay, now you have this huge list of meals. How do you turn it into an actual meal plan? It’s easy, but again, there are some things that can make it flow more smoothly.
Consistency is Key
If you’re not already, you need to get in the habit of a once a week sit down for planning purposes. Personally, we do this on a Sunday evening, after the kids are in bed. We discuss more than just meal plans, but this is a dedicated time where any type of planning can take place.
Pick Your Meals
You can pick at random, but I would definitely encourage you to look at what you already have that needs to be used or what is on sale for most of your meals.
If you know you have chicken that needs to be cooked, select a meal or two from your chicken category. Did you snag a bunch of produce on sale at the grocery store? Find a meal that utilizes those ingredients.
Transfer to a Weekly Planner
Now to get it all in one place! Sit down with a piece of paper, your planner, or one of my Free Weekly Meal Plan Calendars, and write down the meals you selected for each day. One of these free meal planning printables should work for you.
- Meal Planner with Grocery List – Write out your meals and make your grocery list all in one place!
- Monthly Menu Planning Calendar – Want to have the entire month planned? This printable has you covered.
- Nutrition Focused Meal Planner – If you have some specific nutrition needs to meet, this planner gives you a place to list out your healthy meal ideas plus nutrition information.
- Free Printable Recipe Cards – Tired of having your recipes scattered all over the place? Use these printable recipe cards to create your own cookbook full of tried-and-true recipes your family loves.
Store Your Master List for Later
Don’t forget to put the master list somewhere you can reference it again and again, like I mentioned in this supplies section of the post. I keep my list in a sheet protector in my household management binder.
That’s all I have for you today! Let me know down below what meals you’re including in your master list currently. Don’t forget to grab the free printable to get started and share with your friends on social media.
