• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sweet Peas and Saffron

meal prep recipes for busy people

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Meal Type
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Lunch
      • Salad
      • Sides
      • Soups & Stews
    • Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Grill
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pot Meals
      • Oven
      • Slow Cooker
    • Diet
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Carb
      • Nut Free
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Main Ingredient
      • Beans
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Eggs
      • Lentils
      • Pork
      • Seafood
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Meal Prep
  • Meal Prep
    • How to Meal Prep
    • Vegetarian
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Breakfast
  • Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot 101
    • Chicken
    • Side Dishes
    • Vegetarian
  • Dinner
    • 30 Minutes
    • One Pot Meals
    • Salad
    • Soups & Stews
    • Casseroles
    • Instant Pot
    • Slow Cooker
  • Freezer
    • Vegetarian
    • Chicken
    • Casserole
    • Crockpot Freezer Meals
    • Chicken Marinades
    • Freezer Meal Do's & Don'ts
  • Shop
  • Start Here
    • Start Here
    • Denise Bustard of Sweet Peas & Saffron
    • Contact
go to homepage
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Meal Prep
  • Instant Pot
  • Dinner
  • Freezer
  • Shop
  • Start Here
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    5 Free Meal Planning Apps To Get You Organized

    July 16, 2016 by Denise Bustard 20 Comments

    Home / Recipes / Life / 5 Free Meal Planning Apps To Get You Organized

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them.

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    Do you meal plan? While I've admitted in the past that planning and organization can be my Achilles heal, I've really made meal planning a priority this year, and am surprised at what little time it takes and what a huge change it has had on dinner time at our house.

    If you're on the fence about meal planning, I can't recommend it enough! Meal planning has so many benefits, including:

    • saving you time (no more last-minute trips to the grocery store, or madly trying to thaw food at 5-pm)
    • saving you money (less food wastage, and you're less likely to order take-out)
    • reducing your stress levels (trying to figure out dinner in a panic is stressful)
    • it's better for your health (you can jump into action as soon as you're home from work rather than diving into that bag of tortilla chips)
    • it's actually fun (for real)! I get really inspired thinking about what we are going to eat for dinner, and it's fun to look forward to it throughout the day

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    Try meal planning apps to keep you organized!

    I always thought that meal planning was going to require a ton of time and energy to get into. But the truth is, all it takes is a small commitment of 15 minutes or less once a week. You can use old fashioned pen and paper, or a personal organizer.

    But what I've found really works for me are the meal planning apps on my phone, so I thought it would be useful to share the ones I use most often with you!

    1. How to use Pinterest for meal planning

    Yes. Pinterest. I'm sure you've heard of her?

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. You might not think of Pinterest as a meal planning app, but it's absolutely awesome way to gather mealtime inspiration and organize your recipes.

    In case you're not familiar with Pinterest, it allows you to 'clip' images from any website using a browser extension, and collect them on 'boards' in your account. You can pin your pins onto differently categorized 'boards', and because you have an image, it is a great way to remind you of a recipe you had saved for later.

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. I love saving recipes by course (dinner, snacks & sides, dessert), by protein source (vegetarian, chicken, seafood), and by the type of meal (work lunch, 30 minute dinners, slow cooker, make-ahead meals).Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    And there you have it! A whole lotta easily accessible (and very visual) recipe inspiration at your finger tips!

    purple line

    2. How to use Yummly for meal planning

    Yummly is similar to Pinterest in that it is a visual recipe box. Hit the 'yum' button and you have stored the recipe in you recipe box.

    Where Yummly differs from Pinterest is in its ability to learn your taste preferences, with the ability to recommend new recipes with similar flavor profiles to you.

    Another awesome feature of Yummly is their custom search bar which allows you to search for recipes by dietary constraints, allergies, cooking level, and cuisine.

    And possibly the best part of the Yummly website/app, and the part that makes it an amazing meal planning app: the ability to build customized shopping lists from recipes you've collected. And you guys: you can send yourself this list by text message or by e-mail!

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    purple line

    3. How to use Evernote for meal planning

    My favorite!! I don't know what I'd do without this app!

    Evernote is not specifically a meal planning app, but rather a general note taking/organization app that you can access from computer, tablet or phone. I use it to keep track of all the crazy ideas I have for this site, but also for planning my weekly grocery list...It is SO easy to type up a grocery list on your computer, which syncs to your phone (no more drop-box or e-mailing to yourself!!)

    Another feature of Evernote, which makes it suitable  is a function as a meal planning app is the ability to clip recipes or articles from the web using a browser extension. Some people use this to store recipes into different 'notebooks' based on recipe type. You could also add your own notes and comments to the recipes as you make them. I don't personally use this feature as I find it quite 'clunky', the app pulls the entire article and displays 'featured images' that are not related to the recipe. I prefer Pinterest as a meal planning app for its aesthetics and image quality.

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    Evernote has a ton of other features including the ability to store photos and audio, an AWESOME search tool that will find any word within the document (and even words within a photo!), and the ability to set reminders. I can't say enough about this app!

    purple line

    4. How to use Wunderlist for meal planning

    Guys, there are a TON of grocery list apps out there. And I think I tried them all. Kidding! But I did try quite a few, and none of them were as simple and easy as Wunderlist.

    Again, not meal planning specific just a bare-bones, simple as it gets list-making app that you can access from multiple devices. If you want something really user-friendly, this is the one for you.

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    purple line

    5. How to use Google Calendar for meal planning

    When I finally started inputting my meal plan into my Google Calendar, that's when I really got organized. I LOVE being able to see a visual outline of our meal plan while I'm on the go.

    Plus, using the alarm feature is awesome for remembering to do the tasks you might otherwise forget. Set alarms to take frozen food out of the freezer to thaw, or to get that chicken in the marinade. Or to turn the crockpot on.

    google calendar step 11. The first step to using your Google Calendar as a meal planning app is to create a new calendar. Find the 'create new calendar' button from the drop down arrow on the left-hand side of your desktop Google Calendar.

    Give your calendar a name and color, and share with other family members if desired.

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    2. Enter your meal plan, recipe by recipe, filling in whichever fields apply. In this case I set a time for the meal, and entered the link to the recipe for easy access.

    I also set a notification to remind me to turn on the crockpot 6 hours before dinner. This way I will receive a little pop-up notification on my phone at 11:30 am telling me to turn on the crockpot. So much easier to stay organized!

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    Important: if you are setting notifications, make sure that your phone is set to receive notifications from your Google Calendar!

    Meal Planning Apps that are 100% free and will get you organized in the kitchen. Detailed instructions with photos show exactly how to get started using them. 

    3. Voila!  A whole week of recipes planned out, accessible from your desktop, tablet and phone, and shareable with other family members!

    purple line

    That's a wrap

    While this list of meal planning apps is by no means complete, these are the 100% free meal planning apps that make organization so so SO much easier for me. I'd love to hear what tools or apps you use to stay organized! Let me know!

    purple line

    And. If you are interested in meal planning and once-a-week meal prep but don't know where to start, consider joining our FREE Meal Prep Challenge, where we commit to spending one hour on the weekend preparing our breakfasts or lunches for the week! For more information on the next meal prep challenge, check out this page.

    It's the perfect way to ease into meal planning and once-a-week meal prep, and we're all in it together to keep each other accountable.

     

    About Denise Bustard

    Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

    Previous Post: « Grilled Fish Tacos with Kiwi Jalapeño Salsa
    Next Post: Turkey Sausage & Sweet Potato Lunch Bowls »

    Primary Sidebar

    https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/about

    Hi, I'm Denise

    Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too!

    Read more about it here!

    POPULAR

    overhead shot of 7 easy stir fry sauces on gray background

    7 Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipes

    freezer bags labeled and filled with chicken and seven different chicken marinades

    7 Chicken Marinade Recipes You Can Freeze

    overhead shot of sweet potatoes lined up with text showing number of minutes to cook each

    PERFECT Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

    overhead shot of blue mason jar filled with crispy chickpeas

    ULTRA Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas

    pile or air fryer chicken breasts with one sliced

    20 Minute Air Fryer Chicken Breast

    collage image that says 33 healthy lunch ideas for work

    33 Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work

    FREE EMAIL COURSE

    Meal Prep Quick Start Guide

    Tips & strategies to get you prepping...fast!

    In Season

    overhead view of spiralized pasta with egg in bowl

    Spiralized Pasta with Egg and Asparagus

    fork taking a bite out of the lemon pepper salmon

    Lemon Pepper Salmon Sheet Pan

    overhead shot of farro arugula salad with a soft boiled egg in glass meal prep container

    Farro Arugula Salad (Meal Prep)

    Close up shot of multiple healthy rhubarb muffins

    Healthy Rhubarb Muffins

    Pile of sauteed green beans with garlic butter on gray plate

    Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic Butter

    close up shot of a bowl of instant pot carrots with honey glaze

    Instant Pot Carrots with Honey Glaze

    Footer

    logos

    · Copyright © 2012 - 2020 Sweet Peas & Saffron · Nutritional Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Comment and Copyright Policy | Implemented by WPopt