How to Meal Plan from your Food Inventory

Last week we talked about food inventories and why they are important to keep, especially in current times, I thought it would be good to go through how to create a meal plan from your food inventory.

Several years ago, I tried to start meal planning, however, I was (and still am!) horrible at it.  The reason was that I enjoyed cooking so much that I never wanted to make what I had on my list for the day – or the week for that matter!  I needed more flexibility than a weekly meal plan.  This was also a point in time where we were trying to save money, so making a meal plan from your food inventory seemed like the smartest option.

What is a Meal Plan from your Food Inventory?

When I say a “meal plan,” what I really mean is a meal list.  Therefore, a meal plan from your food inventory is essentially a list of all the meals you can make with the food that you currently have on hand. 

Hopefully, this is also food that your family actually enjoys eating.  It doesn’t make sense to keep food in your pantry if your family isn’t going to eat it.  In fact, that will cost you more money in the long run because you will end up throwing that food away.

Ideally, you will come up with a list of 14 meals that you can make from pantry ingredients, adding a different protein or switching out some type of vegetable as you use what you have on hand.  Then, at any time, you are able to go to your meal plan from your food inventory and choose whatever sounds the best to you in the moment.

How do I know what meals I can make?

Figuring out a meal plan from your food inventory is going to take a little bit of work at first.  However, I think that once you start making your list, you will find that it isn’t that difficult.  I want you to think about the meals that you normally make.  What types of meals does your family eat on a regular basis?  Do you have a taco Tuesday?  Do you make pizza every Friday?

If you make a different meal every night of the week and are constantly using new recipes, this type of meal planning will be difficult.  Although, in difficult times, we tend to make do with what we have, so it might be a good idea to know what a meal plan from your food inventory list might look like.

Typically, the food that you keep in your pantry is pretty much the same day over day, month over month.  When you run out of one thing, you go to the store and get another of the same thing.  Because of that, you should be able to come up with at least a few regular meals that you make from pantry ingredients.

Grab your FREE Food Inventory Printable by entering your e-mail below!

Creating your List

When you make your meal plan from your food inventory, the first thing you will want to do is list the meal.  Seems pretty easy, right?  Then, directly below the meal, you will write out the ingredients that you need to make that meal.

For example, one of my go-to meals is chili.  My kids love it, my husband loves it, it is cheap, and we almost always have all the ingredients on hand.  Therefore, on the meal list it would look something like this:

Chili

• Black beans/pinto beans
• Crushed tomatoes
• Red pepper flakes
• Chili powder
• Garlic powder
• Cumin
• Brown Sugar

That is my very basic vegetarian chili recipe.  Now, to that, I can add ground beef or turkey if I have it.  I can add frozen corn and frozen peppers and onions if I have it.  I can adjust the recipe as I need to with what I have on hand.  But, and here is the key, the ingredients that I listed, I always have in my pantry.  I always have dry beans, and I always have crushed tomatoes and spices.

So, when you make your meal plan from your food inventory, you will want to focus on the very basic ingredients needed to make that meal.  Then, you can add in something different if you would like and it is available.

Another Example

This post includes affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and make a subsequent purchase I may receive a commission. Read Disclosure.

When I look at my basic chili recipe above, I also know that I can make chicken tacos from that as well.  You would just switch out the beans for chicken breast.  I still cook it the same way (in the crockpot in case you were wondering), but it is a completely different meal.

This is why a meal plan from your food inventory works so well.  You start with a very basic recipe that you can then switch out ingredients depending on what you have available to you.

Now it is Your Turn

1. Take a look at your food inventory printable.  What items stand out to you?  What do you tend to grab for when you make a meal?
2. Think about the types of meals that you make regularly.  Which ingredients do you have on your food inventory printable that will make up those meals?  What are you missing?
3. Can you easily swap out protein for your meals?  Frozen vegetables for fresh?
4. Will your family eat it?  This may be the most important question of all.  It doesn’t make sense to put it on your meal plan if no one will eat it (although there is a case to be made for new meals and expanding everyone’s palates).

How does creating a meal plan from your food inventory Cultivate Simplicity?

Creating a meal plan from your food inventory is going to decrease the amount of stress you have around food.  I know it may sound silly, but the constant cycle of figuring out what to make for dinner is a stressful one.  Especially if you aren’t used to cooking as many meals at home as you are doing right now.

The meal list is so very basic that you still are able to adjust your meals, to change them up, so you don’t get bored with your meal plan.  Remember, the goal is to come up with 14 meals so that you are only repeating meals a couple of times each month.  If you are able to come up with more, that is OK.

When you know that you have the ingredients in your pantry for a very basic meal, then you will feel less stress.  There will be less chaos in the kitchen when you are trying to prepare dinner.  And you will know that you have healthy and nutritious meals available to you just by looking at your list.

The Bottom Line

You will want to keep the meal plan from your food inventory quite basic.  This will help you make the most of your pantry ingredients, and give you the option of being creative by switching out some spices or protein or adding different vegetables to the mix.

This strategy of meal planning will also save you money because you are first using what you have available in your pantry.  Oftentimes when you meal plan, you look through a great looking cookbook for new recipes, you have to go out and purchase all kinds of ingredients that you don’t normally have on hand, and then you may not even like the meal once you make it.

Keeping a list of family favorites, that are easily made from ingredients you already have on hand will help you to de-stress, make nutritious meals, and save money.

What is your favorite pantry meal?  Have you thought about keeping a list of meals that you can easily make?