Why Meal Plan?
Meal planning is the practice of deciding your meals in advance, usually for a week at a time. It’s a practical way to reduce daily decision-making, save money, and ensure you have nutritious meals ready when you need them.
What meal planning is
At its core, meal planning means thinking ahead about what you’ll eat. This could be as simple as deciding on three dinners for the week and making a shopping list, or as detailed as planning every meal and batch cooking on weekends.
The goal isn’t to create a rigid schedule you must follow perfectly. Instead, it’s about having a plan that reduces the daily question of “what’s for dinner?” and helps you shop more efficiently. A good meal plan is flexible enough to accommodate changes while still providing structure.
Why people struggle with it
Meal planning sounds simple, but many people find it challenging for several reasons:
- Time constraints. Planning and shopping can feel like extra work when you’re already busy.
- Cost concerns. It’s hard to know if planning will actually save money or just create more waste.
- Decision fatigue. Choosing meals for the whole week can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to balance nutrition, taste, and budget.
- Lack of energy. After a long day, the last thing you want to do is think about next week’s meals.
- Fear of boredom. Worrying that planned meals will become repetitive or unappealing.
These are all valid concerns. The key is finding a meal planning approach that addresses them rather than ignoring them.
What a simple 7-day approach looks like
A practical 7-day meal plan doesn’t require cooking something new every day. Instead, it focuses on efficiency and variety within a manageable structure.
Start by choosing 3-4 main meals you enjoy and can prepare in larger quantities. These might be a vegetable chilli, a chicken and rice dish, a pasta meal, and a simple stir-fry. Cook these in batches on a day when you have more time—often Sunday works well.
Plan to eat each meal 2-3 times during the week, either as leftovers or with slight variations. For example, leftover chilli can become a wrap filling for lunch, or you might add different vegetables to the same base recipe.
Include some flexibility. Leave 1-2 nights unplanned so you can eat out, order in, or use up whatever’s left in the fridge. This prevents the plan from feeling too restrictive.
Budget and supermarket considerations
Meal planning can save money, but it requires smart shopping. In the UK, this means taking advantage of supermarket own-brand products, buying in bulk when items are on offer, and choosing ingredients that work across multiple meals.
Focus on versatile staples: rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, beans, and frozen vegetables. These form the base of many meals and keep well, reducing waste. Plan meals that share ingredients—if you buy a pack of chicken, plan 2-3 chicken-based meals that week.
Consider shopping at budget supermarkets like Aldi or Lidl for basics, then supplementing with specific items from larger stores if needed. Many people find that planning reduces impulse purchases and food waste, which saves money even if individual ingredients aren’t always the cheapest option.
How Milo fits
Milo simplifies meal planning by generating weekly plans based on your preferences and dietary needs. It creates shopping lists that work with UK supermarkets and helps you batch cook efficiently.
The app removes the mental work of deciding what to cook, calculating portions, and creating shopping lists. Instead of spending time planning, you get a ready-made structure that you can follow or adapt as needed. This makes meal planning feel less like a chore and more like a helpful tool.
Meal planning guides
Specific meal planning examples and guides will be linked here.