The short answer: the easiest meal plan covers dinners only: pick five or so meals you already know, repeat favorites, plan one leftovers night and shop once. How to meal plan shows the method.
- Use a template so planning takes minutes: the weekly menu template or the monthly meal planner.
- Plan for a family with how to meal plan for a family.
- Keep it cheap with easy meal plans on a budget.
Our picks for easy meal plans
Starter pickPrintables
Meal Planner & Grocery List
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
$3.99Buy
Printables
Household Binder
Family info, emergency plan, calendars, meals, groceries, cleaning, bills and sitter notes.
$6.99Buy
Printables
Budget Planner Printable
Twelve undated pages you can print every month: budget, bills, spending, savings and debt.
$5.99Buy
Browse easy meal plans by topic
Guides (2)
- How to Meal Plan Start hereHow to meal plan in 7 easy steps: check what you have, map the week, pick meals, write one grocery list and prep ahead. Free templ…
- Meal plan for a familyHow to meal plan for a family: build a family favorites list, use theme nights, plan around busy days, prep once and get everyone …
Ideas and how-tos (1)
- Monthly meal plannerUse a monthly meal planner to map 30 days of dinners in an hour: theme nights, a sample month, a shopping plan and freezer timing …
Templates (1)
- Weekly menu templateHow to use a weekly menu template as a family dinner board: what to write on it, a sample week, theme nights, kid-friendly tips an…
How to use this page
Everything here is aimed at people who want a plan they will actually follow, not a perfect one. Start with dinners, then add breakfasts and lunches once the habit sticks; the breakfast ideas and lunch ideas hubs help with those.