#DINNER MEAL PLANNER FREE PRINTABLE DOWNLOAD#

Simply fill in the title with the appropriate season or month (many prefer to rotate their dinner themes each month) then write in the weekly themes in the calendar.

#DINNER MEAL PLANNER FREE PRINTABLE DOWNLOAD#

You can download the blank template below to create your own dinner theme template. I also have a separate Spring & Summer themes template where I cook more lighter meals using an abundance of fresh produce.

Once you have a feel for the type of meals your family prefers, create a simple weekly or bi-weekly template that you can refer to as you plan your meals.Īs I mentioned above, I have two dinner theme templates that I refer to by seasons, a Fall & Winter themes template where I plan more hearty and comforting foods like casseroles, soups and chili. Or maybe your family absolutely loves a variation of pasta night and wants some sort of Italian dish every week? Sit down with your calendar handy along with a list of your family’s favorite meals and look for any themes. Those are the nights you want to use your slow cooker! If Monday nights are busy nights with sports practice or church events, you probably don’t want to plan for a brand new recipe with multiple steps. So how do you set up dinner themes that will work for you?įor the first step is thinking through your family’s preferences and schedule. I also give myself room to try new recipes… you know all of those many hundreds of recipes I have pinned! Instead of just pinning them and letting them stay hidden in the vaults of Pinterest never to be seen or heard from again, I am conscious to go through there periodically and make myself try them out. I might choose one week and my kids rotate in too. For example this week it’s my husband’s choice so he can request any of his favorite meals. Family favorites are meals that each family member gets to pick. Italian, Mexican and BBQ meals are always sure hits, and I never go a week without using my slow cooker (some weeks I use it more than once).

Saturday – Family Favorite or Dinner OutĪs you can see, we have a variety of themes so I can plan meals that I know my family will love.

Sunday – Pizza Night (we love making homemade pizza).

What do I mean by themes? Mainly they are just guidelines that help me to plan.įor example, my current Fall & Winter dinner theme looks like this: Week 1 I prefer to use a two week model that way there is plenty of room to incorporate a variety of themes. Setting Up a Dinner Theme Template for Meal Planning I have a seasonal, two week template in place that helps me take the guesswork out of what to cook allowing me to rotate in tried and true family favorites but also helps me to think a little outside of the box to try new recipes or get creative.Ĭurrently I am using my Fall & Winter dinner themes template but I also have a Spring & Summer template set up too. I plan around set dinner themes that don’t change. So to say that I was overwhelmed when it came to meal planning from the beginning would be understatement! I was a fish out of water!įast forward to nine years later, I now have a system to make meal planning super easy and, almost, seamless. I went from my mother’s house, where she prepared meals every night, to the college dorm cafeteria, back to my mother’s house after I graduated, to finally moving into my husband’s house after we married. When I married my husband I never really had a season where I had to cook for myself. The list could go on with all of the reasons that make meal planning feel like so much work. BUTthe actual process of meal planning can be overwhelming, even laborious, especially when you have a growing family, food allergies or sensitivities, picky or very opinionated eaters, or a limited budget. On one hand when you take the time to sit down and think through your meals for the coming week or month, you’re creating a plan of action which will save you time in the long run. Meal planning… two words that can bring both a sense of dread and relief, depending the way you look at it.

Dinner meal planner free printable