How to Plan Dinners Around Busy Nights

Do you struggle with cooking dinner on busy nights? Here’s how to check your calendar before you even start meal planning!

One of the biggest mistakes people make with meal planning is choosing meals before looking at their schedule.

I’ve done this MANY times in the past. I’ll spend a whole day away from home and expect to have the energy to make a dinner that takes an hour to cook and has a million ingredients.

It took me awhile to understand why I kept doing this to myself, but it became obvious: I have to plan meals around my life schedule!

And it starts with checking next week’s calendar before I start my meal planning.

Why Dinner Plans Fail Without Checking Your Calendar

When you don’t check your calendar first, you miss out on those sports practices or nights that you come home late from work.

And you’ll end up planning meals that don’t match your energy or time, so you either rush dinner and mess it up, or you go through the drive thru.

I volunteer a lot at my daughter’s school, and I’m regularly there from 9:00 to 3:00. It zaps my energy completely; so if I plan a complicated dinner on those nights, it just spells trouble.

Look at Your Calendar Before Choosing Meals

This is honestly a 2-minute task you do when you sit down to meal plan.

Whether you use Google Calendar or a paper planner, take a look at the next week and note any busy nights, or days that will zap your energy:

• Sports practices
• Late meetings
• Church nights
• School events
• Days with multiple commitments

Don’t overthink it! Just write them down and go on with your planning.

My 3 Types of Weeknight Dinners

In addition to noting my schedule for the next week, I plan 3 different kinds of dinners to work around those events:

Quick dinners

These meals take 15 minutes or less and require very little energy. These are for days where I have no energy in the evenings and just need something fast.

Think:

• Pasta and sauce
• Frozen pizza
• Grilled cheese/ tuna melts

Slow cooker dinners

These meals take a long time to cook, but you start it right before you leave for work/your daily activity.

Then when you come home, dinner is ready to be served!

These are great for the nights when we have to be at church at 5:30 but I still want a home-cooked meal.

The only dishes we’ll have to wash that night are the slow cooker and whatever we ate from, and it makes for a stress-free night!

Examples:

• Soup
• Salsa chicken
• Pork loin

“Regular” dinners

These meals will take 30+ minutes and usually have more complicated steps. Chopping vegetables, cooking something on the stovetop and then finishing it in the oven, etc.

These are reserved for nights when I have nothing going on, and I know I’ll have energy for all those extra steps.

And to be honest, I probably only do one, maybe two, of these per week.

Examples:

• Salsa Chicken Casserole
• Lasagna
• Pesto Stuffed Peppers

An Example Weekly Meal Plan

Here’s what a week could look like in my house:

• Monday: Volunteer at school = Quick dinner
• Tuesday: Volunteer at school = Quick dinner
• Wednesday: Church night = Slow cooker dinner
• Thursday: Free night = Regular dinner
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Pancakes
• Sunday: Small group = Regular dinner

As you can see, I know exactly what’s happening that week. And from there, I can plan one of those three types of meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my schedule changes after I plan these meals?

No biggie! If you need to swap meals, you totally can.

Or you can plan to have some backup meals that you can quickly throw together. I cover this in Step 7!

What if every night feels busy?

I feel that, I really do.

Can you double a dinner on a night you have more energy? That way you have enough to eat leftovers that night.

Or plan more slow cooker dinners so that you can dump everything in before you leave for work.

What if I don’t have a set schedule?

This is hard for people that don’t know their schedule a week in advance. Just like above, I suggest doubling dinners on the nights you have nothing going on. You can freeze portions of them so you always have something available.

What if I forget to check my calendar?

You can get back into the groove next week! I’ve done this before and it’s a bummer when you plan lots of high-energy meals.

Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just do what you can this week and set a reminder for the next time you meal plan.

How many “easy nights” should I plan?

I honestly recommend 2-3 quick dinners, especially if you’re on-the-go a lot. You can take plenty of shortcuts, like buying salad kits and pre-chopped vegetables, to save time.

Try This for 4 Weeks

Doing a habit multiple times is a good way to make it stick.

When you meal plan for the week, be sure to check next week’s calendar first. You’ll be amazed at how the stress levels suddenly go down, and how much easier it’ll be to cook dinner.

5-Dinner Meal Planner (Free Download)

Want an easy way to keep track of your meal plan? This 5-Dinner Meal Planner uses the steps I take each week to plan my meals and keep track of what’s going on the next week. Download it below!