Meal Planning and Prepping – a skill that’s universally tricky to master. I’ve gotten lots of questions about this and I’m (finally!) getting around to this blog post! I’m certainly not an expert on this but years of trial & error have taught me a few things.
I’m sharing my simple and easy-to-follow tips to make meal planning a breeze. A big part of that is good organization in your pantry and with your grocery list. Next week we’ll cover how to meal prep – but first we tackle the planning!
Organization is Key!
Starting with an organized pantry + organized grocery list is SO important for efficient meal planning. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left the house before checking my pantry. I’ve ended up with a pile of tomatoes when I already had some at home. I’ve also gotten halfway through a recipe because I thought I still had a box of quinoa in the cabinet when I went to the store – but I didn’t. Moral of the story – CHECK THE PANTRY + FRIDGE FIRST. Always.
Start with an Organized Fridge + Pantry
The fridge is pretty simple – lunch meat and cheese are kept in the meat and cheese drawer, produce is split by fruit and vegetable and kept in the two produce drawers. I keep breakfast things and staples on the top shelf (butter, eggs, bread, jam, yogurt). Leftovers are kept on the middle and bottom shelf, along with meat that needs to be cooked. Trays like these are great – they give you extra control over your fridge space!
Keep similar things together in the door, too. I keep jams, maple syrup and breakfast-type spreads together, condiments together, cooking ingredients together (think soy sauce, coconut aminos) and drinks together (milk, juice, etc.).
Organizing your fridge is not only important for seeing what you already have, it also helps prevent food waste!
I keep my pantry organized into different sections. In my “cooking” cupboard, I’ve got snacks (graham crackers, nut butters, trail mix, etc.) on the top shelf, along with some less frequently used cooking ingredients (bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, and a hot roll mix).
The middle shelf is home to canned goods and nuts! I included canned broth and salsa in this section.
Bottom shelf has pasta and grains (lentils, quinoa, boxed mac ‘n cheese). There’s also a thing of garlic chillin’ in there because that’s just where I keep it! Onions and potatoes live on the top of our fridge. (Our pantry gets too hot and I think they go bad faster when they’re in enclosed spaces).
I have baking staples in another cupboard. Baking chips are in a little basket on the top. I’ve also got baking chocolate up there, vanilla, shortening, and powdered sugar.
The middle shelf has “alternative” sweeteners – honey, coconut sugar (in the jar), brown rice syrup, date syrup, and maple syrup. There’s also baking soda, baking powder, flaked sea salt (in the cute little jar!) and tapioca starch (in the tupperware – because it gets EVERYWHERE if it’s not in a container!).
The bottom shelf has the MOST used items – all-purpose flour, cane sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, raw sugar, salt, and my salt + pepper shakers.
My backup/less frequently used baking ingredients are in the actual pantry, one one long shelf.
I’ve got flours in one corner (whole wheat, pastry flour, gluten-free flour, etc.) and yeast.
The middle of the shelf holds extra sugar (and cocoa powder!).
The end of this shelf holds odds and ends – canned fruit, sweetened condensed milk, jams and jellies, chia seeds, extra salt, and marshmallows.
The cupboard above the stove holds my cooking oils (olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, and nonstick spray). Toothpicks also live here for easy testing of baked goods. I’ve also got some random odds and ends here like tea, coffee, and hot chocolate.
The other side of the same cabinet has buckwheat honey (for adding to tea when we have colds!), oats, and cornmeal. It’s kind of a breakfast ingredient area.
All this is to say that it’s important to be able to check your cabinets and EASILY see what you’re need and don’t need! It’s a great system and helps reduce food waste.Your kitchen and cabinet layout may be different than mine but you can still organize them in a way that makes life easier.
A few notes about storage
Mason jars or larger jars are great for storing pantry staples (flour, sugar, dry beans, etc.). Just refill the jars when you buy more! This will work wonders for de-cluttering your pantry and cabinets – you won’t have tons of bags piled on top of each other, making it difficult to see what you have. I got mine from Target (they’re pretty cheap!) but I’ve also heard great things about these containers!
If you’re storing things that don’t have a jar or some type of air-tight container to call home, clips like these are your best friend! Nobody wants to spill an entire bag of flour on the floor (oops!) or snack on a bag of stale goldfish.
Use plastic trays or wooden boxes to organize smaller items that would get lost and cluttered on their own.
I keep all my baking chips in one of these little bins, from Target.
I have another bin that holds baking spices, sprinkles, and food coloring. This lives in my baking pantry and helps keep the clutter to a minimum! These containers would work well, too.
Making a Grocery List
How to keep the list
Now that we’ve got our pantry organized, let’s make that grocery list! Use a pen + paper or a phone app to make your list. Make sure to cross things off as you walk through the store to avoid forgetting anything!
Organize your list by category (dairy, produce, meat, etc.). This will make your life easier as you walk through the store!
Pro Tip: As I notice I’m running out of something during the week, I add it to the list in my phone right away!
Evaluate how many meals you need for the week
Before you start searching for recipes, think about how many people you’re trying to feed, how many meals you want to make, how many leftovers you want to have, and how many times you’re going out to eat.
Consider what you’ll need for each meal – breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Make sure to include any baking ingredients, snacks, or kitchen essentials (dish soap, foil, ziploc bags).
Check Pinterest + Food Blogs + Cookbooks for Recipes
Check Pinterest and your favorite food blogs for recipe ideas! Some of my favorite blogs that have easy meal recipes are Pinch of Yum, How Sweet Eats, and Well Plated. Sally’s Baking Addiction is my go-to for desserts.
If you’re a cookbook junkie (like me!) you’ll have lots of cookbooks on hand for more inspiration.
I’m terrible at pulling meal ideas out of my head, so checking Pinterest, food blogs, and my favorite cookbooks are all things I rely heavily on when meal planning! My mom is also a great source of inspiration!
Check your pantry
Check your newly and beautifully organized pantry to see what ingredients you already have. Look at the recipes you’ve chosen and add all the ingredients you don’t have to your list.
Pro tip: Include ingredient quantities – this will save you a return trip to the store, when you realize you needed 2 pints of blueberries but only bought one.
That’s all for this week! Check back next week for my post on meal prep! Because, unfortunately, all these ingredients we’re buying won’t cook themselves. But, hey, that’s the fun part.
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CreativeRx Revival Skin Cream says
Well I truly liked reading it. This tip offered by you is very effective for proper planning.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks! ❤️