Meal Planners

A digital meal planner takes the stress out of “what’s for dinner”: weekly menus, grocery lists, meal prep pages and recipe cards. Meal planner templates for iPad open in GoodNotes or Notability, so the week’s menu and shopping list are always at hand, in the kitchen and at the store.

Digital Meal Planner Templates for a Calmer Week of Dinners

The question "what's for dinner?" is easier at noon on Sunday than at six on a Tuesday. A digital meal planner on the iPad gives that question one home: a weekly menu, a grocery list and a few recipe pages in GoodNotes or Notability. Here I collect my roundups of meal planning templates, meal prep planners and digital recipe books.

Weekly menu, monthly menu or meal prep

A weekly meal planner suits most households because groceries are bought weekly too. Monthly layouts help if you rotate a set of family favorites. Meal prep pages are built around cooking in batches, with space for portions and storage notes.

Recipe pages worth having

A recipe book template keeps ingredients, steps and notes in one format, so every family recipe looks the same. Look for an index page with links, since a long recipe file gets hard to scroll.

Who it suits

Families planning for several people, students cooking on a budget and anyone trying to waste less food tend to get the most out of a menu template.

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Meal Planning Questions

Does a meal planner template make the grocery list for me?

No, you write the list yourself. Most templates place the list next to the weekly menu, so copying items over takes little effort.

Can I reuse a weekly meal plan?

Yes. In GoodNotes you can duplicate a finished page and change only the days that differ.

Should I ask a professional about my meal plan?

If you have allergies, a health condition or a specific diet goal, a doctor or registered dietitian can help you plan safely. The template only holds the plan.