What’s on the Planner (and Why Each Section Matters)
This is my favorite section, obviously. I bake bread every week, and having a dedicated spot to write it down keeps me from forgetting to pull my starter or plan for the bake time. Even if you’re not a bread baker, this is a great place to note muffins, banana bread, or anything you’re prepping for breakfasts or snacks that week.
The section I didn’t know I needed until I had it. When snacks are planned and prepped, my kids aren’t raiding the pantry for junk at 3pm and I’m not scrambling. I use this for things like cut veggies, washed fruit, cheese portions, or a batch of homemade granola bars.
This is where the week really comes together. I don’t plan full dinners here, I plan the components. Roasted veggies. Meat grilled up. A sauce that can go a few different ways. When these pieces are ready, throwing together a weeknight dinner takes 15 minutes instead of 45.
I pick one or two proteins on Sunday and cook them in bulk. Shredded chicken, ground beef, hard-boiled eggs, whatever we need that week. This one habit alone has cut my weeknight stress in half.
If breakfast isn’t planned, my family is eating cereal and I’m feeling guilty about it. Writing it down the night before (or Sunday for the week) means we actually eat something real in the morning. Overnight oats, egg muffins, a frittata, whatever I can grab and go.
I plan my kids’ lunches for the week right here. Not every detail, but enough to know what I need to have on hand. It saves me from the Sunday night “what are they eating tomorrow?!” panic completely.
Are you adding to your freezer or pulling from it this week? This section helps me be intentional about building my freezer meals stockpile over time. Even if it’s just doubling a batch of soup, it adds up fast.
A good sauce or soup base changes everything. A pot of marinara, a big batch of chicken broth, a creamy soup, things that can pull double or triple duty across the week go right here.
The Right Side of the Planner
Before I do anything else, I pick my three most important prep tasks. If nothing else gets done, those three things will. This keeps me focused and prevents me from trying to do everything and burning out by noon.
Sometimes the focus is building the freezer. Sometimes it’s back-to-school lunches. Sometimes it’s just surviving a busy week with minimal effort dinners. Writing it down gives the whole session a purpose.
As I fill out the planner, I write down anything I don’t already have. By the time I’m done planning, my shopping list is basically done too. It’s one of my favorite little efficiencies.
That random stuff that always slips through the cracks. Defrost the chicken. Soak the beans. Pull the starter. Whatever your week needs.
Any extra thoughts, meal ideas, or things I want to remember go here.
How My Sunday Prep Session Actually Goes
I sit down with my planner, usually on a Friday or Saturday and I look at the week ahead, what nights are busy, what we have going on, and I fill in the planner from there. Then I go to the store with my list, come home, and get to work.
I’m not in the kitchen all day. I’m usually done in 4 hours or less, and I spend the rest of Sunday actually resting and enjoying my family, because the week is handled.
That’s the goal. A little prep today, a lot less stress tomorrow. And if Sunday doesn’t work for you pick a day that does.
