Let me start with a confession:
​I’m a bit Type A about dinner.

Not in the “color-coded spreadsheets for every meal” way (okay, fine, a little), but in the “I have two kids, I’m self-employed, and if I have to answer What’s for dinner? one more time at 4:37 p.m., I may simply walk into the ocean” way.

But I also like cooking and want to eat well!

So a few months ago, I did what any reasonable, slightly unhinged person would do:
I decided to make all of my dinner decisions for the entire month at once.

Here are all the details about that system.

It’s not aesthetic. It is practical, mildly crazy, and, most importantly, effective.

Why I Stopped Planning Dinner Weekly

Dinner is relentless.

You don’t just have to cook. You also have to:

  • decide what to cook
  • make sure you have the ingredients
  • thaw a protein
  • account for leftovers
  • work around nights when you’re exhausted or ordering takeout anyway

When you’re parenting young kids and working, that daily decision-making adds up fast. I needed to be making fewer choices.

So instead of asking myself, “What should we eat this week?” over and over again, I asked:

What if I made all of these decisions on one day… and then never thought about it again?

The High-Level System (aka: How This Actually Works)

Here’s the structure I landed on, after some trial and error.

Each month:

  • I plan 16 dinners total
  • That’s 4 meals per week
  • The other 3 nights are intentionally left open for:
    • leftovers
    • takeout
    • spontaneous “we’re all tired” meals, requests, or cravings

This alone was a mindset shift. It works better if dinner isn’t planned every night.

The Protein Rule (This Is the Whole Thing)

Each month revolves around three proteins.

That’s it.

Chicken breasts, steak, and pork shoulder.
Or chicken thighs, sausages, shrimp.
Or whatever makes sense that month.

Why?

  • I can buy meat in bulk
  • I can prep it once
  • My grocery list gets dramatically simpler
  • My freezer isn’t overflowing with odds and ends

All 16 meals pull from those same three proteins, just cooked in different ways.

The Post-It System (Yes, There Are Post-Its)

Every planned meal gets written on a Post-it note.

Those 16 Post-its live on my fridge.

I have an acrylic board with the days of the week on it, and at the beginning of each week, I choose which four meals I feel like cooking that week and move them onto specific days.

A clear acrylic weekly meal-planning board mounted on a fridge, with days of the week listed vertically from Sunday to Saturday. Handwritten Post-it notes label planned dinners: Sunday says “meat sauce pasta,” Monday “pork & bean stew,” Wednesday “baked potato soup,” and Saturday “homemade pizza.” Tuesday and Friday are written directly on the board as “leftovers” and “easy leftovers/takeout,” and Thursday reads “TURKEY DAY!” in large handwriting. A faint laundry to-do list is visible on a separate section of the board to the right.

Important detail:
👉 I do not assign meals to specific dates at the beginning of the month.

This keeps the plan flexible. If I’m tired, I pick the easiest meal. If I’m feeling ambitious, I grab something a little more involved. The decisions are already made — I’m just choosing the order.

The Recipe Database (The Organized Part)

Behind the scenes, I keep a spreadsheet that acts as my personal recipe database.

Each recipe includes:

  • the protein
  • where to find it (blog link, cookbook + page number, or “this thing we always make”)
  • sides that pair well
  • notes
  • a monthly shopping list
  • a weekly fresh ingredient list
A screenshot of a spreadsheet-style database titled “Monthly Meal Planning.” Recipes are grouped by protein, with section headers showing “Chuck Roast” (count 3) and “Chicken Breast” (count 4). Under Chuck Roast are entries like “Mississippi Pot Roast,” “Barbacoa Tacos,” and “Barbacoa Rice Bowls,” each tagged with a blue “Chuck Roast” label. Columns include Protein, Recipe Info (with some links visible), and Sides. The layout emphasizes organizing meals by protein for planning and shopping.

This is what makes monthly planning repeatable instead of exhausting. Once a recipe is in the system, it’s done forever.

The Binder (Because I Am Who I Am)

An open three-ring binder lying on carpet, showing a page labeled “GROUND TURKEY” at the top in large handwriting. Several small handwritten Post-it notes are arranged across the page, listing meal ideas: “lasagna soup,” “ground turkey tacos,” “sloppy joe stuffed potatoes,” and “ground turkey peanut sauce bowls.” The page is inside a clear sheet protector, with the binder rings visible on the left.

I also keep a physical binder with sheet protectors.

Each protein has its own page, and the Post-its live there when they’re not on the fridge. When it’s time to plan a new month, I’m not starting from scratch — I’m just pulling from a library of meals we already like.

The Newsletter Series

In my newsletter, I’ll be sharing:

  • my actual monthly meal plans
  • which proteins I chose and why
  • how I structure my big monthly grocery shop
  • what worked, what didn’t, and what I swapped mid-month

If you love systems, hate daily dinner decisions, or just want a realistic way to feed your family without losing your mind, sign up here: