Is it weird to time your meal planning? It is, right? Oops. Too late now, I guess. My March Meal Plan is ready to go, just in the nick of time. I planned 31 meals for march in just a few minutes — I even did it live on Instagram. There’s a video below if you’ve got an extra 18 minutes to spare!
My Meal Planning Method
I’ve been using my monthly meal planning method for over a year now and, honestly, I don’t know that I’ll ever stop. Here’s what I do:
- Gather Materials – paper, planner, pen, cookbooks (optional).
- List the dates of the month (1-31 for the March Meal Plan)
- Identify all the Tuesdays and Fridays and fill in “tacos” and “pizza.” (8-10 meals planned in seconds)
- Plug in “goals” (aka, salads to eat more veggies, vegetarian to eat less meat, etc.) (3-4 more meals done)
- Fill in the rest of the days, referring to the calendar as you go to ensure that busy days have quick meals and less-busy days have slower meals. I usually plan to dine out twice a month. Planning it in prevents impulse dining out.
And that’s it! I have a list of favorite meals I refer to if I get stuck. I also ask for my family’s input — just a quick, “What do you guys want to see on the menu this month?” gives them some say, but isn’t allowing them total control.
Every weekend, I check the menu and the food we have on hand and create my grocery list based on that. I display the weekly menu in the kitchen for all to see—and use a few other strategies for sticking to my meal plan, as well.
March’s Schedule
Life is picking up a bit around here now that spring is approaching. Between three kids involved in scouts, lacrosse, tennis, and piano, our Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty full (I’m not complaining, I missed it SO much). That’s reflected here with quicker meals on those days.
Also in this meal plan is Corned Beef and Cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day — we all love this meal but it’s definitely only made once a year. Finally, we have a birthday on March 28th, so when you see “E’s choice” it means she’ll get to pick what’s for dinner that evening — and I’ll plan that a few days in advance.
What’s for Dinner this Month
- Whole chicken (crock pot), sweet potatoes
- Taco Salad (my fave DIY taco seasoning recipe)
- Fajita bowls (my fave DIY fajita seasoning recipe)
- Avocado Chicken Sandwiches (my recipe)
- Homemade Pizza
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Spaghetti & Meatballs (crock pot)
- Ham Chowder
- Tacos
- Asian Chicken Pasta (from Weeknight Dinner Cookbook)
- Salad Kit & Chicken Tenders
- Pizza
- Order Out
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Whole Chicken (crock pot), Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Taco Salad
- Corned Beef & Cabbage (Happy St. Paddy’s!)
- Chicken Orzo Soup
- Pizza
- White Chicken Chili (family favorite)
- Baked Ziti
- Creamy Keilbasa & Broccoli (from Weeknight Dinner Cookbook)
- Tacos
- Beef Shish Kabobs (on the grill??)
- Salad Kit & Chicken Tenders
- Pizza
- Order Out
- E’s Choice
- Honey Sesame Chicken
- Hot Dogs & Mac’n’Cheese
- Taco Salad
And that’s our March Meal Plan!
Need this in your life? I’ve compiled all the directions, tips, and planner pages in a printable ebook/planner Meal Planning Made Simple.
Your March Meal Plan
What are you having for dinner this month? Leave your favorite meal idea below!
