3-Step Simple Meal Planning and Prep System

Do you like to cook but don’t always like the time involved? Although meal planning saves money by eating at home, the trade off is the time that it takes to plan, grocery shop and cook.

Things that we do day in and day out need to be set up as a repetitive system, so you need to set up a simple meal planning system to save yourself some time.

I have a 3-step solution to help you set up that simple meal planning and prep system.

 Step 1

The first step is setting up a meal plan calendar. This can be something as simple as writing down the meals that your family absolutely loves on index cards or if you prefer digital, create a spreadsheet of all the recipes and meal ideas. This allows you to keep these popular recipes in a regular rotation for your meal planning which saves you time from having to find new recipes.

You can also create different boards in Pinterest to organize your family’s favorite “go-to” recipes or have a board titled “This Week’s Meal Plan” where you move the recipes you’ll cook that week onto that board for easy access.

The key here is to plan out recipes that your family enjoys, but at the same time, recipes that are quick and easy for you to prepare. I consider recipes quick and easy if they take 30 minutes or less.

Step 2

The second step is to find a grocery store in your area that has curbside pick up. You get to shop from home in your pjs while someone else does the heavy lifting for you at the actual grocery store. Then you just have to drive to the store, and they load up your car for you. It really can’t get much easier than that.

I feel like a little kid when I shop online because our grocery store’s website even has the “bloop-beep” sound of the scanner as you add items to your cart. (It’s the little things, right?) 😉

Our local Wal-Mart has this service too, and with Wal-Mart being all over the world, you may have curbside pickup and not even know it yet.

I really can’t say enough about the curbside service and how it helps me with simple meal planning. It saves me so much time.

Step 3

The third and final step actually takes care of the meal planning AND makes mealtime a breeze. Using kitchen equipment that cuts your prep time and dirty dishes in half is the best way to go.

The secret? A pressure cooker.

These things are AH-MAZING! They can do so much more than a crockpot ever could. Don’t let all the buttons intimidate you!

My friend Cami over at Tidbits is the queen of pressure cooking for the modern mom.

She and her sister, Marci, have gone above and beyond to make it super easy for anyone to start cooking with a pressure cooker, even if you’ve never touched one.

Click the image to learn more:

They have created the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide that you’ll ever see on pressure cooking. They have tested and created recipes for every meal of the day plus snacks and desserts.

Did you know you can make homemade yogurt in a pressure cooker? Or a Rainbow Thai Soup in under 30 minutes that is full of healthy vegetables? Or if desserts are your favorite, what about Chocolate Lava Cake? YUM! These recipes and more are included in their cookbook.

You’ll want to check out all the details, so click here to read more about their cookbook. You also get exclusive access to their Facebook group when you purchase their cookbook where you can meet other people who love pressure cookers too.

Need help deciding on a pressure cooker? You can check out several brands of pressure cookers here. One of my favorites and the most popular is the Instant Pot. It has over 13,000 reviews and 4.5 stars on Amazon.

Oh, and did I mention that Cami and Marci have 7 kids between the two of them? So, they know a thing or two about what kinds of meals your family will love. Simple meal planning is the way to go, and their cookbook solves that problem.

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Here’s the thing with simple meal planning and prep, you just need to take the first step and start. It gets easier and faster with practice. So, I have a FREEBIE for you! If you need a quick meal planning sheet, you can have it sent straight to your inbox by clicking the button below:

These three simple solutions of meal planning, grocery pickup and pressure cooking can all be used together which gives you more time to spend with family. But if you can only start one solution today, let it be the simple meal planning step. This solution will not only save you time but money too.

Good luck and let me know in the comments what you’re going to start doing today to take back more of your time!