Struggling with sticking to eating healthy all week?

I did… for years!

I found it really hard to stay on-track with eating things that made me feel good (+ helped me lose weight).

That’s because I would just grocery shop on a whim + pretty much bought what I felt like buying in the moment. Lord help me on the days I went food shopping hungry!! Bunch of junk I didn’t need.

Anyways, after the random grocery shopping run every week, I would find myself scrambling to put together meals each night.

Sometimes they ended up healthy. But, usually not so much. It took me years to realize what I really needed to do was to sit my booty down for 5-10 min + just plan my dinners in advance.

That’s where I decided to create a meal menu for my fridge [+ years later I figured out how to create a focused grocery list, like this!].

Making using a meal menu a habit was one of the first steps I took on my healthy eating journey. So, if you’re struggling with eating healthy dinners each night this post is for YOU!

Today I am sharing:

• Why I started using a weekly meal menu
• How to use my weekly meal menu
• The best hack for reusing the same menu over + over!

Weekly Meal Menu Planner

Why I Started Using a Weekly Meal Menu

I have always had pretty good willpower when it came to eating a healthy breakfast + lunch. But, by the time I came home from work around 4-5pm, that willpower was pretty much depleted each day.

Some days I was able to just throw something together last minute. But, most days it stressed me out + I would find myself needing to run to the store to grab ingredients.

This just would create stress + wasted time every day. I got sick of it.

So, about 5 years ago I created a weekly meal menu planner like THIS for my fridge to plan my dinners for the week. I have used a weekly meal menu planner almost every week since!

Seriously, I am not exaggerating when I say this was life changing for me when it came to eating healthy.

I highly recommend this weekly meal menu planner for anyone in the beginning stages of creating a healthier lifestyle because it’s a gateway healthy habit. Meaning, it will slowly encourage you to adopt other healthier eating habits as the days go on!

• Related: FREE MEAL PLAN + WORKOUT PLAN

How to Use My Weekly Meal Menu

When I Use The Planner

1. Usually about a half hour before I go grocery shopping I sit down + decide what our lunches + dinners will be for the days ahead.
2. I jot them down in my iNotes app + create a focused grocery list.
3. When I get home, I unload my groceries + complete a weekly meal menu planner so my dinners are SUPER CLEAR on my fridge.

• RELATED: HOW TO | MEAL PLAN + FOCUSED GROCERY SHOPPING

How The Meal Menu Planner Is Set Up

I divided this meal menu planner up into 3 sections:

• MON-SUN | I write out each dinner for the week [I just focus on dinner because that’s where I fall off-track with eating healthy].

• GROCERIES | I add random things I realize we need for the week ahead [usually things we eat all the time that we are low on]. Sometimes, I even add non-food items we need to buy if there is room.

• NOTES | I have used this section to write down what each of us are having for lunch for the week [we usually meal prep + have the same thing all week long for lunch]. Also, I sometimes write healthy snacks I bought for the week so I don’t forget about them in the cabinets + drawers (nuts, fruits, veggies, etc).

You can definitely add more meals into each box + write a little smaller, if you’d like to!

But, if you’re looking for a more detailed planner with more room to write [breakfast, lunch, dinner, + snacks] download THIS meal planner.

Both are great + super useful!

I just personally find this simple one much easier to stick to + was able to make it a lifelong habit.

• RELATED: 9 THINGS I DO TO EAT HEALTHY EVERY WEEK

The Best Hack

Don’t want to print one every week?

Here is a little hack I have used in the past:

1. Print THIS meal menu [do it in color so it’s pretty + you actually want to use it!].
2. Buy an 8.5×11 dollar store frame.
3. Place the printed menu inside.
4. Superglue magnets (like these) to the back.
5. Put it on your fridge + write on it with dry-erase markers each week!

OR buy THIS magnetic photo frame that you can write your dinners on + wipe off each week! I wish I knew this existed a few years ago!