How I Keep Track of My Favorite Recipes and Create My Weekly Meal Plan and Grocery List in Evernote

I am honestly so happy that doing Whole30 last year lead me to create a meal plan and grocery list system that really works. I remember the days when I would go to the grocery store and aimlessly walk up and down each aisle placing things in my cart without a clear vision of what I was going to make or eat. I'm pretty sure most of the items making it into my cart weren't the healthiest, think frozen pizza and chicken nuggets... I am a literal face palm emoji just thinking of how bad my diet used to be! Not everything I would eat was bad, but it was pretty simple. I opted for simple meals since Steven was the cook in our relationship. Doing Whole30 last year during Steven's busiest work time forced me to roll up my sleeves and learn how to cook. Whole30 also forced me to create a meal plan system in order to keep track of all the compliant meals I was having to cook. While we completed Whole30 in April 2018, the system I developed during that time has stuck around.

For my meal plan and grocery list I use a notebook in Evernote to keep track of everything. If you are recreating this system it isn't necessary to have Evernote, but it does make it a lot easier when it comes to accessing your meal plan and grocery list on the go!

My Evernote Notebook Set Up 

In Evernote I created a stack titled Food in which I have two notebooks: Recipes and Meal Plans . I keep the notebooks separate to make it easier to find exactly what I am looking for.

In the Recipe notebook I have one Template note:

1. Recipe Layout Template 

In the Meal Plan notebook I have two Template notes that I use week after week:

1. Meal Plan Template
2. Grocery List Template 

Recipe Layout Template 

For each recipe, I keep track of a few specific details that make it easier for me to meal plan. These details are:

• Recipe Title: When I title my recipe I preface it with the category that the recipe is in. The categories I use are: Breakfast, Beef, Poultry, Pork, Seafood, and Side Dishes. As I build out my recipe catalog I will include more categories. 
• Link to Original Recipe: A majority of the recipes I make have been created by someone else and can be found online. I like to keep track of where I got the recipe from incase I want to reference the original recipe since I do make modifications and change the ingredients list and instructions on my own copy of the recipe. 
• Cooking Information: This includes prep time, cook time, total time, and serving size. 
• Ingredients List: Because this is the section that I copy and paste into my meal plan template I use the recipe title again and include a link back to the recipe note with the ingredients listed below. Linking the title makes it easy for me to access the recipe from my Meal Plan for the week. 
• Instructions: I list step by step cooking instructions here. 

Meal Plan Template 

When creating my meal plan I like to be able to collect all the information I need in one place. I've created a table where I track the day of the week, date, each meal of the day, and what needs to be prepped on that day. Below that is where I paste a copy of the Ingredients List from my recipe note for each recipe that I will be making that week. Since I've linked the title of the Ingredients List back to the Recipe note, I can easily go from my Meal Plan for the week to the Recipe that I will be cooking. This eliminates having to search for the recipe saving a little bit of time. 

Once I have all my meals planned and the ingredients list for each recipe, I start working on my grocery list. The first step is to check off the ingredients that I already have in my fridge or pantry so that I am not buying more of the same and wasting food. 

Grocery List Template

Once I have completed my meal plan, I write up my grocery list for the week. Since I shop at different stores for different things, I have my grocery list broken down by store and by section. The stores I shop at are: HEB, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Costco. A majority of my groceries will be from HEB, but I do occasionally go to the other stores for specific items.

Under HEB I have a list of categories that correspond to different sections of the store. I do this so that I can get everything from that section before moving on to another part of the store. This has made my grocery trips a lot faster than they used to be. The categories I use are:

• Produce 
• Proteins & Meats 
• Dairy & Cold items 
• Snacks 
• Spices 
• Canned / Dry Goods 
• Drinks 
• Frozen
• Other 

These categories work for me because it is the route I take around my store. If you are recreating it you can organize your list in a way to works for you and the store that you shop at. 

Conclusion

I've loved using this system to keep track of all my favorite recipes and to create my weekly meal plans and grocery lists especially because I can share the notebooks with my husband and we both have access to the information. I hope this helps you create your own Meal Plan/ Grocery List system! Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.