Which Type of Meal Planning Method that Will Work Best For You

There are many different types of meal planning, and it can be overwhelming to know which one to try.  Find out which type of meal planning method will work best for you!

Which meal planning method is best for you? There are so many different options to choose from, depending on your personality type and life season.

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When you’re first figuring out how to meal plan, the options can seem a little overwhelming.  How will you know which one to try? 

Maybe a friend meal plans one way, a coworker does it another way, and your head is beginning to spin from all of the choices.

Or, maybe you’ve tried meal planning in the past, but you were never able to stick with it.

Whatever the case may be, I have good news for you!

There’s more than one way to meal plan.

Your Guide to Figuring Out Which Type of Meal Planning is Best

In short, the best meal planning method is the one that you’ll actually use. 

Because if you won’t create the plan, it won’t work.  And even if you create the plan, but you don’t actually stick to it, it does you no good.

In the 10 years or so that I’ve been meal planning, I’ve used multiple methods, and I think they all have benefits worth considering.

Some lend themselves more to different personality types and different seasons of life. Maybe you’re trying to meal plan for fussy eaters or maybe just planning meals for two.  Perhaps you work long hours at the office or maybe you’re at home chasing little ones during the day. 

Whatever the case, different types of meal planning often work better for different situations.

Finding a meal planning method that fits your needs is ultimately what’s most important when it comes to meal planning success!

While there are countless methods, I’ve broken them down into five main types of meal planning, so you can easily find the option that suits you the most!

I have used all of these types of meal plans at some point or another, and I think they each have a lot of benefits!

1. The “Bare Bones” Basic Meal Planning Method

This method, which I outline in detail in How to Successfully Meal Plan in 7 Quick and Easy Steps, is the most basic form of meal planning. 

It simply involves writing down what meals you’re going to have each night. 

Typically, this also involves checking your pantry and refrigerator to determine what food items you already have on hand, possibly perusing the sales circulars to determine what items are on sale, and planning your menu around those. 

But aside from that, there are no hard and fast rules or structure–it’s just a simple plan for what you’ll eat.

Who This Plan is Great For:

If you’re a planner by nature, you’re fairly organized, and you don’t typically have trouble coming up with meal ideas, this is a great option.

Who It Might Not Be the Best Fit For:

If you have trouble coming up with meal ideas, or you don’t enjoy trying to build meals around what’s on sale or what’s in your pantry, you may benefit from a different type of planning.

Want to try this method? Click here for a free printable meal planner worksheet!

2. The Online Recipe Meal Planning Method

This method is perfect for those who love to search online or peruse Pinterest for new recipes to try.

Plan to Eat is an online meal planning service that allows you to save recipes that you find online to your Plan to Eat account, then you can drag and drop those recipes into the day of the week when you want to serve it, creating a digital meal plan.

Not only that, but you can generate a grocery list that includes ingredients for the meals you planned!

One of the best parts?  Once you’ve added recipes to your account, you essentially have a bank of dinner ideas ready for you each week when you sit down to plan your meals!

If you want to learn more about this meal planning option, I’ve written a full review of Plan to Eat, including screen shots of what it looks like.

Who This Plan is Great For:

If you love looking for recipes online, Plan to Eat can save you a lot of time.

Or if you pin hundreds of dinner recipes but then never make any of them because you can’t find the one you were looking for, this process will keep you organized. 

If you are able to find ideas, but struggle with implementing them, this digital meal plan takes you from point A to point B really easily.

Who It Might Not Be the Best For:

If most of your recipes are in your head or are printed out in cookbooks or a recipe binder, this is probably not the best fit for you. 

While you can manually add in “non-digital” recipes to your Plan to Eat account, it’s time-consuming to do that with all of your recipes. 

I think the biggest benefit for this service is for people who use a lot of online recipes, with the occasional manually-entered recipe if needed.

3. The “Done for You” Meal Plan Method

Maybe you just want someone else to make your meal plan for you.  If so, this is the best option for you!

The reality is, many people struggle to find time for meal planning. 

Maybe you’ve tried meal planning in the past, but it hasn’t worked well for you. 

Maybe you have a hard time coming up with ideas, and you certainly don’t have time to fall down the Pinterest rabbit hole looking for recipes.

Enter the “Done For You” Meal Plans.  In this case, someone else creates a meal plan and sends it to you.  All you have to do is buy the groceries and prepare the meals.  The planning part is taken out of the equation.

I’ve researched a handful of different options, because there are many.  But BY FAR my favorite option is Eat at Home Meal Plans. Let me tell you why.

First of all, each month, Eat at Home Meal Plans gives you not one meal plan, but 4 different meal plan options for each and every week of the month. 

There is a Traditional Meal Plan, a Slow Cooker Meal Plan (which often includes pressure cooker adaptations as well), a Wholesome Traditional Meal Plan, and a No Flour No Sugar Meal Plan. 

The best part?  You don’t have to choose only one meal plan to receive–you get ALL FOUR meal plans, so you can use the option that suits you best on a particular week. 

I have been really impressed with the service over the last couple of years that I’ve been a paying member. 

The recipes are easy (no complicated preparation with a bunch of random ingredients) and tasty. And, it makes meal planning one less thing to think about.

So if you’re trying to eat healthier but don’t have time to research recipes?  Use the Wholesome Traditional or No Flour No Sugar plan.

If you work long hours and have very little time for meal prep?  Use the Slow Cooker plan.

Or, mix and match.  Use as much or as little of the plan as you need.

Not only do you get four meal plans for each week of the month, but they also provide grocery lists for the meal plan {and all the angels sing}!

When you consider the amount of time you’ll save, plus the amount of money you’ll save by eating out less, these meal plans are a steal!

Or, if you prefer to pick and choose your meals, I’d recommend checking out eMeals. You can choose your meals and then send your shopping list to your online grocery shopping location! You can get a free trial here!

Who This Plan is Great For:

If you find the thought of meal planning overwhelming, if you give up before you even start, if you don’t have time to look for recipes or think of meals, then this plan is for you. 

If you need quick and easy meals, want healthy options, or just want someone else to do the work for you, this will be your jam!

Who it Might Not Be the Best For:

If you like to get creative and want to have more control over your meal plan, you may not do well with a meal plan that is sent to you. 

While I have found the meals to be things that most people would like, if you’re a really picky eater, there’s a chance that the meals on the meal plan may not fit your preferences.

4. The Thematic Meal Planning Method

With the thematic meal planning method, you simply plan dinner theme nights for the week.  Think Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Slow Cooker Sunday, etc. 

The theme possibilities are endless!

Then those themes provide a framework for your meal plan, so it’s easier to come up with meal ideas. 

You can rotate your theme nights as often as you want, and you can choose as much or as little variety as you want within the individual themes.

Who This Plan is Great For:

If you actually kind of like the idea of meal planning, but don’t want to spend a lot of time coming up with meal ideas, this type of planning could be just the thing you need! 

If you like having some structure and predictability, planning according to theme nights could be really helpful.

Who it Might Not Be the Best For:

If you prefer to not have routine or structure, this might not be the best fit for you. 

If you just want to plan whatever you’re in the mood for, rather than trying to plan according to a theme, this is probably not your best option.

If you want to give this method a try, you can get a free Themed Menu Planning Starter Kit by signing up below!

5. The Entirely Hands Off Meal Planning Method

With this approach, you don’t have to do any meal planning at all, and you don’t even need to do the shopping.  In some cases, you don’t even need to do the cooking!

There are several companies that will send the ingredients for your meals directly to your door, or even send the prepared meals to your door!  This takes any and all leg-work out of the process for you.

Freshly is one such company that I have personally used and enjoyed.  They deliver meals to your door that have already been prepared.  All you have to do is heat them up! 

These meals are typically fairly healthy, and I was honestly surprised at how tasty they were!  It is the ultimate convenience.

You get to choose which meals they send and you can skip weeks if you’re going to be out of town or won’t need meals delivered for whatever reason.   So in a sense, you still have control over your meal plan, but you don’t have to do any of the work.

While this is not necessarily the most budget-friendly option, it is generally very convenient and can make sense in certain situations (And if you want to try it, you can get $40 off your Freshly order here).

There are other meal prep services as well, which will send you ingredients and recipes, so you do still need to do the cooking. 

I have used and enjoyed Home Chef, and they often have great deals. You can read my Home Chef review to see how I liked it.

Who This Plan is Great For:

If you are too busy for (or have no interest in) cooking, or need a break from the kitchen during a big life adjustment, this can be a great option.

Likewise, if you’re trying to eat healthier but feel overwhelmed by the idea of learning how to make new meals, or if you’re in a season where life is just really hectic, this method could be a great fit for you.

Who it Might Not Be the Best For:

If you are on a tight budget and trying to cut costs, this is not the most frugal option. 

If you’re used to eating out a lot, this method could still help you save money, as it’s less expensive than the typical restaurant meal. But it’s not as frugal as cooking your own meals at home. 

If you enjoy cooking, you may not prefer this method long-term, since it decreases food preparation.

Different Types of Meal Planning for Different Situations

As you can see, there are different types of meal planning, but they all achieve the same goal of helping you have a plan for dinner.

Different situations or seasons of life may call for a different type of meal planning, and that’s totally okay! 

As I mentioned, I personally have switched methods at different times over the years.  There were seasons where I could be more hands-on and seasons where I needed a little extra help. 

There’s wisdom in knowing your personality type, your preferences, and your situation well enough to shift gears when needed.

If you’ve tried meal planning in the past and it hasn’t worked for you, try a different method!  It may take a bit of trial and error, but you’ll find what fits your needs. 

And having the dinnertime dilemma solved is SO worth it!