My Favorite Meal Planning Tool (& a Sample Plan!)
It’s no secret that I love to meal plan! I’ve used a ton of different programs in the past. Plan to Eat, eMeals, $5 Dinners, and more. I’ve had a lot of luck with freezer cooking…and also times when freezer cooking totally flopped, and we had to order pizza.
Over the last few months, I’ve finally found the one meal planning tool that I absolutely cannot live without. The EatWell Planner from Inkwell Press is my favorite. I love it, it’s so ME, and it makes meal planning so very much easier.
It’s Paper! & Pretty!
As much as I try to get into online programs and apps, I just still always default to writing things out by hand. I need to feel like I’m getting things out of my head and onto something tangible. Online programs and apps don’t feel tangible to me. So, I appreciate that the Eat Well meal planner is an actual notebook that I can hold in my two hands.
A regular old notebook is fine, but the Eat Well Planner is beautiful!!!! I love looking at it, which means I use it even more. I know this might be silly, but you know what? A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. If a pretty planner means a more organized home and less take-out meals, I think that’s worth it!
How I Meal Plan
I meal plan one week at a time. I love the Eat Well planner because I can plan out all of my dinners and there are still spaces for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks too! Before I get ready to meal plan, I pull out our Family Favorites Recipe Binder and pull a few tried and true favorites each week!
Each day of the week, I write out our main dish and side dishes. I use the InkWell Press stickers to dress it up a little, and I add as many details as I need. This way, I’ve got everything covered, and I know exactly what I’m serving. In the little colored section at the bottom of each meal, I write the things I know I’m going to need from the grocery store.
Then, I write out lists for breakfast, lunch, and snack options. I like to have lists instead of an exact plan for these meals, because sometimes we like to mix things up. I don’t always feel like having what I planned, and having a list of other healthy choices to choose from is super helpful!
After I’ve got everything written down, I turn the page to THE BEST IDEA EVER. After each week of meal plans, there’s a grocery list! Honestly, this is my favorite thing about this meal planner. I turn the page and fill out my grocery list right there, using the notes I already took on the bottom of each day’s meal plan! The shopping list is divided into all of the areas of the grocery store, so I slip the planner in my purse and grocery shopping is so much more simple. I can get in and out quickly, which is a big deal with two kids who are over the whole shopping cart thing.
A Typical Meal Plan:
A typical week in our family looks pretty simple. Honestly, I’ve tried more elaborate programs and meal plans and ideas, but SIMPLE WORKS FOR US. So I’m sticking with it.
Mondays: Something kid friendly, like this delicious (but not heart healthy) Bacon Mac & Cheese
Tuesdays: Taco Tuesday or some sort of Mexican dish – These Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas are also a favorite!
Wednesdays: Baked Chicken & Veggies. This Grape & Shallot Chicken is a winner in everyone’s book!
Thursdays: Something New. We’ve loved this Cheddar & Cracker Chicken before, and Jon’s choice is always this Italian Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaf.
Fridays: Make-Your-Own-Pizza, or something else we can eat on the floor. We try to do Family Nights on Fridays, with a favorite movie or game at the center.
Saturdays: Something simple, like this Easy Homemade Pasta Bake, followed up by a yummy dessert. This Chocolate Caramel Cake is TO DIE FOR.
Sundays: We either do a simple spaghetti or breakfast for dinner. I love breakfast any time of the day, so this is always a fun one!
It’s might not seem like anything fancy, but we’ve finally found a pretty stable meal planning routine that keeps us eating at home instead of heading to Chick Fil A or Chipotle on a regular basis, and that’s the whole point right?
The Eat Well Planner is honestly my very favorite tool for all of my meal planning needs. Inkwell Press, the amazing people who put out the Eat Well Planner is pretty incredible all the way around. It’s run by Tonya Dalton and her hubby John (and I think it’s pretty awesome that they get to work together every day!), and she’s super organized with great ideas for keeping our lives all streamlined. Plus, she creates videos to go with each of her products to show us all how we can use them. Those videos alone are priceless!!
I asked Tonya if she’d share a little of her heart with us, and she gladly agreed! Here’s a little from Tonya:
- How did you get started creating this business?
- I started my first business back in 2009 – it started as a side business while I raised my kids, but it kept growing. Before I knew it, I was running a business full time and eventually was able to have my husband leave his corporate job to come join me at my company. We loved working together, but we found that we were just not passionate about what we were creating. I was doing a lot of business consulting with fellow women business owners and I have always been big on organization… so the idea for inkWELL Press was born.
- What’s your mission, and why do you do what you do?
- The mission behind inkWELL Press is to empower women through organization. I think too many times we are so hard on ourselves… we have a hard time finding the good in all that we do each day. We tend to forget and then feel badly or feel like we did nothing at all. I find that using a planner helps me to feel organized so I know the direction my day will go. Just simple things, like knowing what I’m making for dinner, helps alleviates a great stress. And when I’m not stressed, I’m a much better wife, mother and friend.Using a planner also empowers me when I look at my list at the end of the day and can see all that I accomplished. In today’s hectic world it’s easy to forget all the good we do each day… having a written list of my accomplishments makes me feel much better at the end of the day. I want everyone to have that same feeling of accomplishment. Everything we create – each planner or accessory is designed with this mission in mind.
- What do you love to do when you’re not being amazing and creating all of these goodies for us?
- Why thank you – I truly love designing and creating. It’s like an escape for me, so I feel blessed to love doing anything with my family. I work all day with my husband, but it works for me. I love that we literally sit across a desk from one another every day. Outside of work, I love spending time with my family… regardless of the activity. We live in Asheville, so we do a lot of things outdoors since there are so many things to do and see here in the mountains of North Carolina. I enjoy having time to soak in these days with my kids while they are still young.
- What’s been the most surprising thing about motherhood, for you?
- One of the hardest things to me about motherhood is that it’s always changing. I was an elementary teacher for several years before I became a mother, so I felt pretty confident that I knew what motherhood would be like – I was wrong! I feel like every time I think I’ve got things figured out, something else changes. I love watching them grow, but I think you constantly have to be on your toes because you never seem to know what’s coming around the corner! I love that, but there are times that it can be frustrating. Having a pre-teen, every day is filled with new emotions and ideas! No matter what they are going through, no matter how hard each stage may be, you love them so very much. That’s really the biggest surprise, I think… how much your heart opens up and all the love that you have for your children – even on days that are tough. At the end of the day, the love you have for you children can overwhelm you at times – I don’t think anyone is ever prepared for that.
Isn’t she great?! I love supporting moms who are pursuing their dreams while providing us with awesome resources. Be sure to check out Inkwell Press! You’ll love it! (And if you use any of the links in this post, you’ll get $10 off your first order!)
And guess what? Tonya’s giving away a meal planner to TWO of you!! Simply enter below to win! (Click here to come on over to the blog if you’re reading this in your email!)
What do you use to meal plan?
I hope you’ve enjoyed our week of getting organized! It’s been so fun to share what we do here at home. Nothing is perfect, but hopefully it’s given you some ideas that will make your own home lives a little more simple! In case you missed the other posts, here they are…
- Set Your Priorities
- Create Systems That Work For You
- Developing A Morning Routine
- Planning Your Days
- Meal Planning Made Easy (that’s this post!)
Thanks for visiting this week! I’d love to hear any organization ideas that you all have too!
What systems do you have set up in your home? Do you think this strategy would help calm your chaos?
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Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.
So fabulous! Featuring at Family Fun Friday! http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/category/family-fun/ Ahalogied this!
Meal planning is pretty new to me. I would love to use this planner as a way to get it on track. Thanks for the opportunity!
One of my favorite family meals is a roast in the slow cooker with veggies. It’s all right there, ready on time, without me having to pay attention to it, and leftovers are great for morphing into something else.
I have never actually tried meal planning, although I know that it would be way beneficial for me, especially now that I want to get fit. My favorite family meal has to be our family recipe of Bacon Tacos. Seriously, amazing!
This is such a great idea! I always have a tough time with meal planning.
I usually meal plan each week on paper but this planner seems like a great tool to keep meal ideas in one place. Thanks for posting!
After much research, I decided to try Inkwell Press. It is hard to pick a planner, thanks again for your reviews. The videos really sold me, Tonya is great!!! I can’t wait to order the 2016 planner. I’m ordering the fitness journal tomorrow in order to get started now. The meal planner would be a welcome bonus. 🙂 Smiles, Lori
Forgot our favorite menu…Taco night! Soft, and/or hard shells, spiced burger, lettuce, tomato salsa, cheese, sour cream,re-fried beans and Mexican rice. We keep it basic here!
I’ve tried meal planning soooo many times and after the first week it falls by the wayside. I’m such a (unorganized) pen and paper person so thank you for introducing me to this Inkwell Eat Well Meal Planner. A favorite go-to meal in my family is baked spaghetti. I got the recipe from Campbell’s Kitchen a few years ago and continue to turn to it for a quick and easy supper.
We really love chicken sausage, rice, and grilled veggie for a quick week night meal.
That’s one of our favorites too!
I think our favorite meal is chicken enchiladas. My “big boys” as I call them request it at least every couple weeks and I always have to make a double batch. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. I use chili beans instead of pinto. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-chicken-enchiladas/
YUM. Those look amazing!
I want to win! Way better than my scratch paper 🙂
My favorite recipe is quick to throw together, hearty and delicious and always has leftovers. Lazy Sunday Sausage Bake!
http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2012/03/lazy-sunday-casserole.html
Great post! Thank you!
Picking a favorite meal is really hard. I can’t vouch for the rest of my family, since we all have different tastes, but my favorite thing to make and eat is either Beef and Guinness stew or French Onion Soup. I make my own, having smooshed together a bunch of recipes until I know what works for us, so I can’t link up. Mmm… now I want some French Onion Soup. Another great recipe, more appropriate for summer, is Pear and Goat Cheese salad: take a few fresh pears and dice them. In a small bowl, mix together some honey, some balsamic vinegar and a small package of goat cheese. Stir in to the pears and sprinkle with walnuts. Yum!
I feel like I need those soup recipes… I love soup!!
I would love this! Currently, I just use a spiral bound notebook.
New to your site. Looking forward to the archives.
P.S. Neat handwriting! 😀
Hey thanks!! 🙂 I’m so glad you’re here!
I forgot to include our favorite meal 🙂 Currently, the meal our family is crazy about is fish tacos. Corn tortillas, mango/pineapple salsa, grilled salmon. Easy and so good!
We are loving this right now too, except with the breaded tilapia from Trader Joe’s. Yum!
I just recently found your blog through Crystal Paine’s email. I have really enjoyed looking through your website! I have just started meal planning and this system looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing the information and the giveaway!
I’m so glad you’re here!! Yay!
My favorite family meal is spaghetti and meatballs. I love when the kids walk in the house after school and say “it smells so good in here!” 😀
I think the Eat Well Planner from inkWELL Press is the planner is just lovely and think it’s the tool I’ve been searching for for years. I’d LOVE to win one! 😀
Our favorite family meal is chicken pot pie crumble. It’s a deconstructed chicken pot pie with a parmesan biscuit topping. Yum yum!!!
That sounds amazing!! Would you share a recipe??
My favorite family meal is anything with capers! For the past several months I have been planning meals 2 weeks at a time because I do not like the planning part. I have been planning in an old notebook. Using the planner you wrote about would be much more fun!
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Meal planning for me has been up and down! I will get some accomplished but on some scratch paper or a sheet that is lost after the week is done losing all of my hard work! This would be great to keep as a reference! One of our family favorite meals is a penne pasta dish I make! Such a comfort food item! So excited to try inkwell products! I hope I win if not I’ll be buying one or two for sure!
T is rather brilliant, to have the grocery list and meal planner together! I’ve been struggling to come up with a system that works for my whole marriage–either I overplanned and had too many leftovers that our two person family couldn’t finish, or I was too sick from being pregnant to even look at pictures of food, to now when I’m trying to find time to cook at all. I wonder if this system would work for me?
I so understand. I think if this works for me, it would work for anyone!!!
Our current favorite meal is one pot kielbasa. It’s so good and everyone in my family of 5 likes it. That’s not easy. I love it because it’s easy and cheap. I pair it with a salad, or just some fresh sliced veggies, and bread. Easy peasy! Here’s the link: http://sugarapron.com/2015/02/15/one-pot-kielbasa-pasta/
This is my favorite family recipe, and I ALWAYS have to make a double batch. I don’t make my own cornbread (ain’t nobody got time for that)… Jiffy works just as well!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chili_cornbread_casserole.html
Amen to the jiffy. I like the Krusteaz (sp?) one with honey. YUM. And this looks great!!
We love simple and yummy meals – homemade pizza, chicken tacos & BBQ chicken wraps are a few favs!
I’ve been contemplating getting this planner. I’ve done things like eMeals and tried making a binder with printables but it doesn’t seem to become a habit. This is so pretty that meal planning may just become a pleasure again. After fifteen years of marriage I’m finding that I need a little inspiration in the meal planning department! Our favorite family meal is tacos. Thanks for sharing this!
Yay! I’m glad you’re looking into it! I think you’ll love it. 🙂
This looks delightful and so helpful. Love having everything in one adorable book. Thanks for the great giveaway!
I plan my meals on a notepad. I love the way this meal planner looks!
Love the meal planner and can’t wait to purchase one along with the 2016 planner next month!
I also wanted to share my favorite easy meal with you! I love the cornbread quiche recipe from Healthy Tipping Point. It’s such a great “clean out the fridge meal! I have even taken to making two batches of corn bread at once, one as a side and the other as a base for the quiche for dinner a few nights later!
What a great idea!
One of our favorite meals is my fried chicken fingers with homemade fries and dipping sauce. Not the healthiest, but oh so yummy! I would love to get this meal planner. This is one of my goals…to get consistent with meal planning.
blessings!
Our favorite family meal are these pretzel-crusted chicken bites! So good! http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/08/12/pretzel-crusted-chicken-bites/
Those look AMAZING. I have to make them right now.
I have been waiting to make the switch from EC to Inkwell for my daily planning meals, and I also meal plan every week! I had been waffling back and forth on if I should add the Eat Well to my purchase when the time comes, it would be great to win one!
We have several favorites, but the most recent meal that my husband labeled my “best meal ever” was “Freezer Sweet and Sour Pork Chunks.” http://www.amazon.com/Freezer-Recipes-Dinners-Cooking-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00VQGZNRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440173834&sr=8-1&keywords=freezer+recipes+65+pork+make+ahead+meals+for+easy+dump+dinners
Oh, you know I LOVE freezer meals!
One of my favorite go to homemade meals that both my kids and husband love is creamy, white pasta. Made with creme fraiche, cream, bacon and parmesan cheese. Delicious and only takes about 15 minutes to make which is perfect with 2 kids under 4.
I just discovered inkwell press today and I am in love! I want one of everything! I love how you are using it!
Love this! As a single mom of 3 who works full time outside the home, this would be a great tool. Right now using a simple piece of paper is not keeping me motivated from takeout.
May I just say, you’re a rockstar?! Email me, I’ve got something for you. Really. (Use the contact page above.)
Looks like a great planner! My family loves when I make chicken enchiladas with rice and beans. It’s easy to make a big batch to eat some now and freeze some for later.
The meatballs from Pioneer Woman are my favorite! This planner looks awesome!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/comfort-meatballs-recipe.html
This planner looks great. I’m finding that I’m going back to paper again for a lot of planning. It’s easier and more flexible. Also, I absolutely love this quote from the interview. ” I feel like every time I think I’ve got things figured out, something else changes”. How absolutely true!
I just love paper planning. It’s the best.
Love these!! And with a family of 6 I NEED such a meal planner!
My favorite family meal is a roast in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots. It’s great comfort food, makes the house smell amazing and everyone eats it, including my picky 6 year old.
Yum!
Well. . .I love food, but my family is sooo picky!!! The meal that seems to please everyone in the family is Breakfast for Supper. I don’t know why, but I only make breakfast for supper every once in a while. I try to meal plan weekly. I have started a new plan with the new school year; each night 1 child has to help me make supper and the other child has to help clean the kitchen after supper. So far it is a win, win for me. The kids are learning to cook and I have some help in the kitchen.
We do this a lot!! Breakfast for dinner is so yummy! Well, we just like breakfast anytime, let’s be honest. 😉
I’ve been wanting one of these!
Meal planning ebbs and flows at my house…but things are so much less stressful when I do! 😉
Obsessed with everything planner. Love inkwell press so much and I dont even have one yet!! I have been waiting and waiting for the launch of next years planners so I can hop on it! Hoping the meal planner will get my cooking butt into gear!
Our favorite family meal is pancakes on Sunday mornings before church. The kids add fun things like sliced strawberries, mini chocolate chips, and even sprinkles sometimes (because sprinkles make everything more fun!).
I struggle with meal planning though. I use printable sheets but only on and off. I’d love to try out the hardback journal type so I could craft many weeks of meal plans and then refer back to them easily. All the meal plans I’ve done in the past end up in the trash after the week is over to keep down on clutter. But then I lose all that hard work.
Thanks for sharing your process with us!
I understand! That’s one reason why I love this planner – it ends up being a resource!
My favorite meal is French Dip sandwiches. I throw the roast in the crock pot with beef broth, french onion soup and beef consomme, let it simmer all day on low and serve on warm french rolls.
Yum!! Between that and carnitas, you’ve given me some good ideas for meals lately!
My favorite family meal would have to be homemade pizza (having it tonight!) The fact that we don’t have great pizza in our area makes it an even bigger treat. Here’s my recipe http://eatbetterspendless.com/best-homemade-pizza-planet/
Thanks for sharing about this planner. I’m always on the lookout for tools to share with my readers and I can’t wait to try this one. I’m like you in that I always revert back to paper & pen!
I have tried and failed at MANY attempts to meal plan, which is disheartening. But I love the idea of this type of planner. I also work well with simple and writing things down. Having everything broken down also seems like it would help immensely! I’ll definitely be checking this out if I don’t win the giveaway. ::fingers crossed:: 🙂