How Do You Decide What To Make Every Week?

Hi, and welcome to the #1 question I get asked about meal prep!  How do I decide what to make every week?

Let me begin by saying I’ve been doing this for several years, so I’ve been able to streamline my process and deciding what to eat has gotten easier and easier as time goes on but here are some things I like to take into consideration when planning a week of meals.

ASK SOMEONE ELSE:

I’m just cooking for me and my husband, so I ask him what he wants to eat.  More often than not, he’ll come up with one or two ideas and I’ll fill out the rest.  Whether it’s a partner or a kid or whoever you’re feeding, see if there’s anything they’re dying to eat.

The perk of doing this is that they will usually only choose options that they’ve had before, which means you already have a recipe.

FIGURE OUT HOW MANY DISHES YOU WANT TO MAKE:

At my house, four seems to be the magic number.  It’s enough to give us some variety and also makes just about enough food for two people to eat all week.  Maybe at your house, three is enough, or maybe you need five.  Knowing how many different thing you need to make is paramount to the planning process.

CHECK THE WEATHER FORECAST:

If it’s cold and dreary, opt for soups, pastas, and casseroles.  If it’s hot, lean into salads and wraps.

TAKE VARIETY INTO CONSIDERATION:

If my husband wants chicken parmesan, then I don’t really want to eat another chicken dish or another Italian dish all week.  So, I consider different proteins, carbs, and types of food.  I usually like to make at least one vegetarian dish every week.  So if he wants chicken parm, maybe I’ll also make a Thai curry with beef, a burrito with sausage, and some kind of salad.

THINK ABOUT YOUR COOKWARE:

This is one I have learned the hard way many times over.  If I need my crock pot for two dishes, that’s going to be an absolute nightmare.  So, I have to think it through a little bit about what pots and pans I’ll be using for everything because as you get further into the meal prep vortex, you’ll start getting two or three things cooking at once and if you have to wait to start a dish because you need the pan, it slows you down.

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT:

You’re doing all the work, that means you get to make something that you’re craving.  Simple as that.

WHAT’S IN SEASON / WHAT’S ON SALE?:

When you go grocery shopping, take a little mental note about what vegetables are looking great that you can incorporate into next week’s menu.  If it’s springtime and the asparagus is looking badass, maybe you do a creamy chicken pasta with peas and asparagus.  If it’s late summer and there’s a great deal on tomatoes, then next week you make grilled cheese and tomato soup or a killer spaghetti or even gazpacho.

If you notice that they have pork roast on sale, just buy it and throw it in your freezer.  The next week you can use it to make chile verde burritos or BBQ sliders or something.

WHAT’S IN MY FREEZER?:

When I have leftover sauces or purees, I throw that shit in my freezer then thaw it out and use it in the future.  It’s a HUGE time-saver, especially for sauces that you make frequently…just make a huge batch and save some for later.  At my house, it’s my roasted green pepper sauce that gets the most action.

IS THERE A RECIPE I WANT TO TRY?:

Got a new recipe you want to test out?  There’s no better time to do it then when you’ll already be in the kitchen all day.  If I have a recipe I want to try, that’s where I start, THEN I ask my husband what he wants.  If I’m doing the work, what I want to try or eat comes first…full stop.

I want to be clear that I don’t take ALL of these things into consideration every week when I’m prepping, these are just some thought starters to get the ball rolling.

If you’re a meal prepper, what goes through your head when deciding what to cook?  I’d love to hear what other people are doing!