Meal Plan Template

We offer a selection of free printable meal planner templates. Each template has a Sunday or Monday start and can be downloaded as an editable PDF, Word, or image file. We also have a 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. 

Blank Meal Plan Template

Printable Weekly Meal Planner 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.

The editable weekly meal planner template 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.

The following are weekly meal planning calendar templates but there is also a monthly meal calendar below.

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. 

Sunday Start

Editable PDF | Word 

Monday Start

Editable PDF | Word  

Editable PDF | Word | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Editable PDF | Word | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Printable Monthly Meal Planner Template

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 it among other elements of the planner.

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel

Daily Planner with a Meal Planning Section

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel

This daily calendar template has a monthly calendar on the top of the page. Go to monthly calendars to select the month you need.

Meal Planner for Specific Diets

If you are tracking points, carbs, calories, or any macro then these are the meal plans for you. 

Keto Meal Plan Template

Use this template to track your carbs. The Excel spreadsheet will automatically calculate the total number of carbs each day.

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Weight Watchers

The Weight Watchers points spreadsheet will track your points and calculate your daily total.

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Track Calories

Track your daily calorie intake with these templates.

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

Word | Editable PDF | Image | Excel Spreadsheet

How to Make a Meal Plan Template

Decide if you want a weekly or monthly format.

Select a template from the selection above. Choose the one 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.

Choose the PDF, Word, or image version. The PDF version is probably the best is you want to print or fill in the meals before you print. The Word version gives you more flexibility to make changes to the template. The image version cannot be edited at all.

Customize & Print

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.

Customize & Print

DIY Meal Plan Maker

With the DIY meal plan maker, you can choose any meal plan template and any background. There are hundreds of different options available but here are a few samples. Click on the button below to get started.

Customize & Print

Horizontal Meal Plan Template

Bullet Journal Meal Plan

If you want to print a meal plan PDF format then click on download and select the PDF option.

Customize & Print

Why plan your meals?

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. 

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.

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.

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