A meal plan template can simplify your life, keep you organized and save you money. We offer free digital and printable meal plans in different formats so that you can find the best one to suit your unique needs.
Blank Meal Plan Template
PDF | Word | Image | Google Docs
[Includes a meal plan template, food prep, and shopping list]
Online Meal Planner Maker
Select any Border and any Template
Digital Meal Planners
Bullet Journal Version
[Bullet Journal Style]
We offer a selection of free printable meal planner templates. Each free meal planning template has a Sunday or Monday start. You can download it as a typeable PDF, Word, Google Docs, or image file. We also have an online meal plan maker with which you can customize your printable. You select the meal plan template and the border to create any customized printable to plan your meals. You can also add text and stickers.
Blank Meal Plan Template
Weekly Template
A weekly meal planner template printable will help you organize your meals for the entire week. Many of the templates include a grocery list to prepare your shopping list and ensure you don’t forget to buy anything you will need to prepare your meals. Some templates also include a meal prep section to keep you organized.
The following are weekly meal planning calendar templates but there is also a monthly meal calendar below.
Sunday Start
Editable PDF | Word | Image
Monday Start
Editable PDF | Word | Image
Sunday Start
Editable PDF | Word | Image
Monday Start
Editable PDF | Word | Image
To create a meal prep calendar, add the meals you will eat each day, and under notes, write the prep work you want to do each day for other meals that week. For example, if two meals require you to cut and fry onions, you can do that for more than one meal and save that step the next time you need fried onions. Use the notes section to remind yourself how you can save time for other meals that week.
When you plan your weekly meals spend a few minutes trying to find ways to save time and prep work.
This meal prep calendar has a section for each meal and one for meal prep. When I am really feeling organized I like to sort my meals according to the prep I will have to do. So, for example, if I have two recipes that will require me to chop onions then I make them on consecutive days so that I save one step. I chop enough for both recipes and refrigerate the second batch. If you are organized enough you can save a lot of work. Once you find a few ideal meal setups, you can repeat them every second week or so. I’ll do anything to save time!
This is a simple meal planning template with space for three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and snacks. It is available in black and white or in color.
Which format should you choose?
The editable weekly meal planner template in Word format is useful if you want to make any changes or would like to adapt the template to your needs. The PDF version is typeable, but you can only add text and cannot change the structure or format.
Monthly Template
If you prefer to plan your meals on a monthly basis, then this monthly meal planning template is for you! You can also print four or five copies of the weekly version to create a monthly meal plan calendar booklet.
The monthly meal planning calendar is available with a Sunday start or a Monday start.
Sunday Start
Editable PDF | Word | Image
Monday Start
Editable PDF | Word | Image
Planner with a Meal Planning Section
Weekly Planner with a Menu Planning Section
Many of our weekly planners include a menu planning section to plan your meals and prepare your grocery list. Here are some sample meal plan templates with a weekly planner. These planners are not dedicated to menu planning but include a meal plan among other elements of the planner.
Daily Planner with a Meal Planning Section
Instead of creating a meal plan calendar that only includes your meal plan for the week, you can print a planner that includes a section for your daily meal plan. The advantage is that you can keep track of your daily schedule, to-do list, water intake, exercise, etc all on one page.
Meal Planner for Specific Diets
If you are tracking points, carbs, calories, or any macro, then these diet planner printables are for you.
Keto
Use this template to track your carbs. It’s perfect for the Keto diet or the Francis diet. The Excel spreadsheet will automatically calculate the total number of carbs each day.
Weight Watchers
The Weight Watchers points spreadsheet will track your points and calculate your daily total.
Track Calories
Track your daily calorie intake with these templates. The Excel spreadsheet will calculate the total number of calories per day.
Intermittent Fasting Chart
Intermittent Fasting Calculator
Yearly intermittent fasting tracker
Monthly intermittent fasting chart
Weekly intermittent fasting tracker
Daily intermittent fasting schedule
Daily intermittent fasting planner
If you are trying to lose weight, then in addition to the food planner printables above, you might like to try our free weight loss tracker.
How to Make a Free Meal Plan Template
- Decide if you want a weekly or monthly format. We offer free templates for weekly meal planning or monthly meal planning.
- If you want to plan your meals weekly then select a weekly meal plan template from the selection above. If you to plan for an entire month, then select a monthly meal planner printable or print multiple copies of the weekly version. If you want to create a family meal planner and are planning to make different meals for certain family members, then you can use the Word or Google Docs version and add your family members’ names. The Word or Google Docs meal plan printables can be edited to suit your unique needs.
- Choose the menu plan template that best suits your needs. There are ones that include snacks, others include food prep, and some include a grocery list to purchase the food that you will need to prepare. If you don’t find a template that suits your specific needs then choose an editable meal plan template (such as in Word or Google Docs format). That way you can make any changes you want to.
- Choose the PDF, Word, Google Docs, or image version. The PDF version is probably the best if you want to print or fill in the meals before you print. The Google Docs or Word version gives you more flexibility to make changes to the template. The image version cannot be edited at all.
High-calorie, unhealthy, fast food is readily available everywhere. It’s quick and convenient, pretty much wherever you are. Healthy, unprocessed, and real food requires effort on your part. It requires planning and preparation. If you plan your meals when you are already hungry and ready to eat the chances are you will prefer to reach out for something ready-to-eat and unhealthy rather than spend the time preparing a healthy home-cooked meal. That is where meal plans come in handy. They encourage you to plan your meals before you are hungry. That way, you can ensure you have all the required ingredients and that the meal is ready before you lose your patience and are ready to eat pretty much anything. It is much easier to make better food choices when the choices are available when you need them.
Once you have planned your meals, make a grocery list. From experience, don’t shop when you are hungry as you will land up with a lot more groceries that might not have made it into your basket on an empty stomach.
DIY Meal Plan Maker
With the DIY meal plan maker, you can choose any free meal plan template and any background. There are hundreds of different options available. Click on the button below to get started.
If you want to print a meal plan PDF format then click on download and select the PDF option.
Bullet Journal Meal Plan
Weekly Dinner Menu
If you are tired of everyone asking “what’s for dinner” then this weekly dinner menu is the perfect solution for you! It will also make weekly meal planning easier since you will know what you are making for dinner every night.
If you don’t like any of the designs below, then click on the button above to create your own weekly dinner planner with our free meal plan maker.
This Week’s Meals
Whereas the other weekly menu plans above have space for three meals a day, these weekly menu planner templates have space for one meal a day. There are different designs available. Choose the design you like best. You might prefer a cute meal planner printable from the selection above or any of the plainer versions from other sections.
Tip: if you are going to use this blank menu template often, then have it laminated. That way you can add your dinners to your weekly menu template over and over without having to print a new copy each week. Simply use any dry-erase marker and add your new weekly menu every time it changes. If you tend to have the same dinners every week then you might be able to use it again without even laminating it.
Digital Meal Plan Templates
We offer a free 6-page meal planning template booklet for your digital planner. You can also use it on your computer (it’s typeable).
You can use any of the meal planning template PDFs on this page on your tablet. You can also type on any of the PDFs on your computer. You will need a PDF reader (it is installed on most computers). You don’t need any special software to type on the PDFs.
The free 6-page weekly meal planning template booklet includes a weekly meal planning template, a shopping list, a grocery list, a pantry inventory, and a water tracker.
6 Page PDFMeal Planning Template
Why plan your meals?
Creating a weekly menu plan will provide the following benefits:
Save Money
You will save money on meals when you plan ahead. Cooking at home is always cheaper than eating out. You will usually have leftovers that can be eaten the next day or frozen for another day.
When you plan your meals you will ensure that you have all ingredients ready when you cook. That way you don’t realize halfway through a recipe that you are short of one of the ingredients (does that only happen to me?). It also saves trips to the grocery store when you prepare a weekly meal plan. Once you know what you will be eating all week you can buy enough groceries for all meals that week instead of making more trips to the store. Each trip you make will both waste time and probably result in impulsive buying and unplanned purchases as a result.
Save Time
Save time by doubling up recipes. Whenever a recipe can be frozen, I double it up and freeze the second portion. Making one batch or two usually takes pretty much the same time and often doesn’t cost that much more since not all recipes use all ingredients purchased. This is so handy for those days when I don’t feel like cooking or simply don’t have the time. Some items freeze really well and I often make 6 or 8 portions. For example, my kids love lasagna. When I make it, then I make about 8 trays and freeze 7.
When you plan your meals, you can plan meals that will require similar prep. For example, if you need to fry onions for one recipe, then the next day plan a meal that will also require fried onions. Double the quantity and store half the fried onions in the fridge for the next day. You will then save time and dirty dishes the next day.
If you have days or weeks when you don’t have much time to cook, then plan an easy weekly meal plan for those weeks. Schedule meals that require more prep work on the days you have time and leftovers, frozen meals, or takeouts on the days you don’t have time.
Eat Healthy Food
When we plan, we increase our chances of eating healthy meals. When we don’t plan, we often land up eating food that is more accessible and it’s often processed, unhealthy, and fattening.
Vary your Meals
When you plan your meals you can ensure you vary your diet. This makes meals more interesting and well-balanced. When we don’t plan ahead, we often land up making the same meals over and over.
When you create a weekly family meal plan you can be sure your children eat balanced meals throughout the week.
Reduce Stress
When you plan your meals, you avoid last-minute decisions about what to eat. It’s less stressful when you know dinner is planned or even prepared. You know you have the ingredients and you don’t have to think about what to make.
Be More Organized
When you plan your meals, you can ensure you have the necessary ingredients or produce you will need to cook. Choose a weekly meal planner with a grocery list to create a shopping list. When you plan your meals, check you have all the ingredients. If you don’t, add them to your grocery list.
Other printables that might interest you:
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