I first shared an annual meal plan way back in 2013. We’ve been meal planning this way ever since, and I don’t see us changing any time soon.
Now, don’t worry – an annual meal plan isn’t nearly as crazy to plan as you might imagine. I don’t sit down and write down exactly what we’re going to eat for the next 365 days.
But, I do work with the kids each July to plan out a solid weekly rotation style meal plan that fits our family.
In this plan, we decide what we’ll eat for:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snack
On a rotating basis each week. So every Monday, we will eat the same breakfast. Every Tuesday we will eat the same lunch. And so on.
Dinners are a bit different. We do them on a theme based rotation. So we pick a theme for each night of the week, and then select 4-5 meals for that theme. We cook a different one each week of the month.
Benefits of an Annual Meal Plan
Here are some of the benefits I’ve discovered to an annual meal plan:
- Frees up time in the kitchen – no more wondering what to cook
- Eliminates the “what’s for dinner” question – everyone knows
- Makes shopping a breeze – I make a coordinating annual shopping list to go with the plan
- I memorize many recipes, which makes cooking go so quickly
- Eliminates time spent on Pinterest looking for recipes
- The kids help make the plan, so there are way fewer food related arguments
- Saves money on groceries since I have a plan for everything I buy
Honestly, having an annual meal plan is one of the reasons I’m able to grow my home business. It frees up so much time and brain power.
Lack of Variety with an Annual Meal Plan
Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect meal plan.
One of the biggest concerns I had was that we’d get tired of eating the same things. It turns out that problem was bigger in my head than it turned out to be in reality.
We eat the same breakfast every seven days. The same with lunch. And our snack.
We eat the same dinner only once each month.
There truly is a lot of variety. Before I switched to this style of planning, we often rotated between just two or three breakfast and lunch options, not seven.
And we sure ate our favorite meals a whole lot more frequently than once a month.
The meals that are on our annual meal plan are tried and true. They’re things that I know everyone likes and that has been a good thing.
And…if I get completely bored in the kitchen I can change things up.
Instead of pancakes one morning, I might make a big oven puff pancake. It’s the same meal, but completely different. There’s always room for creativity in a meal plan. But, I really appreciate that I don’t have to be creative when life is crazy.
It’s Just a Plan – Not Carved in Stone
The biggest thing to remember about any meal plan is that it’s there to help you. It’s not set in stone.
When life happens we might change things up. If we go out to eat, we just move that planned meal to another night or the next week. You can definitely be flexible, even within a plan.
So don’t stress it too much…
The 2020-2021 Annual Meal Plan
Want to see what my family will be eating for the next year?
Here’s the plan…
Sunday
Breakfast = cereal
Lunch = crockpot or InstantPot selection (that is easy to prepare before church and let cook while we’re gone)
Snack = pretzels and peanuts
Dinner = Hot dogs (with chili being a topping choice some weeks)
Monday
Breakfast = Hotel Breakfast Bar (we’ll set out cereal, muffins, yogurt, and toaster options and let the kids fix their own like they’re in a hotel…)
Lunch = Stir fry
Snack = Fruit
Dinner = Asian
Tuesday
Breakfast = Yogurt & Toast
Lunch = Mac & Cheese
Snack = Cookies & Milk
Dinner = Nacho Night
Wednesday
Breakfast = Biscuits and gravy (I’m so excited for this one!)
Lunch = Leftovers and Make Your Own
Snack = Popcorn
Dinner = American
Thursday
Breakfast = Waffles
Lunch = Sandwiches
Snack = Smoothies
Dinner = Noodle Night
Friday
Breakfast = Pancakes
Lunch = Lunchable style (meat, cheese, crackers, etc.)
Snack = Popsicles
Dinner = Pizza
Saturday
Breakfast = Eggs, Toast, Hashbrowns & bacon or sausage
Lunch = Leftovers and Make Your Own
Snack = Popcorn
Dinner = Seafood
Add Rotations & Sides
We still need to come up with the actual rotations for dinner. I know that clam chowder will be in the seafood night. And orange chicken will be on Asian night for sure. But I haven’t sat with the kids to decide the rest.
We also still need to plan out some side dishes for each dinner theme. I try to keep those as simple as possible. We do a lot of frozen vegetables and salads. We also do a lot of bread/rolls for sides. Rice and potatoes are other good sides for our large family, as they are fairly inexpensive and filling.
So the planning isn’t yet complete, but I’m definitely excited to have this much done.
Annual Meal Plan Template
Over on my other blog, I have a free downloadable meal plan template. Once I get the rotation dishes added, I’ll be filling that out and will add it to this post so you can see.
If you’d like your own copy of the annual meal plan template, you can find it at the bottom of this post:
How to Minimize Decisions with an Annual Meal Plan
