I desperately love the idea of meal planning. I really want to be the mom who has meals planned out three weeks in advance—and I adore and have collected several meal-planning printables, notepads, and magnets. But the simple truth is, I love dinner-on-a-whim or being inspired by something at the grocery store or farmers market. When I do plan in advance, it’s typically because I have an unusually busy week or ingredients I specifically want to use…which is why this meal planner is my perfect solution.
A big space to scribble in? Check.
A place to write “use up the basil goat cheese”? Check.
Space to leave my husband notes so he can contribute to the prep and grocery shopping? Oh, yes! (And if you’re thinking to yourself, OMG! My hubs NEVER helps! I say, how easy do you make it for him to help? Hmm?)
I keep this printable framed in a simple 8″ x 10″ frame from le Hobby Lobby and write on it with an Expo marker. It’s easy to change my mind and erase or start over all together.
Or, you can always print them out individually—there’s no shame in needing a stack! Plus, if you have a “rotation,” you can fill in the week once and use it again and again. If you clip your “weeks” together with a little binder clip, the whole stack can hang on the inside of a cabinet or on the front of your fridge with a 3m sticky hook. Brilliant and easy!
Can I just have a moment with these peonies? My only heartache about living so far south is the inability to grow peonies. Thankfully, I also have great relationships with florists all over town who call me when they are in season—and a husband who’ll drive out of his way to pick them up. Amazing! OK, I’m done.
Snag your simple, easy, flexible (and cute!) meal planner here: yummy meal planner.
(And just to keep things real, here is my framed meal planner, in its spot of honor by the coffeemaker so I’ll see it first thing in the morning and actually remember that I’ve planned dinner (or not). My kitchen is terribly un-photogenic, but real life, there it is…)
