How to Create a Weekly Meal Plan — in 4 Simple Steps

Sound familiar? It's Tuesday evening, the fridge is half empty, and nobody knows what's for dinner. So you dash to Migros or Coop, wander aimlessly through the aisles, and end up with far too much in the trolley — or exactly the wrong things.

The solution: a weekly meal plan. It sounds like a lot of effort, but it really isn't. With a simple four-step method, you can plan your entire week — and save money and time in the process. According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Swiss families spend an average of CHF 600–800 per month on food. Shopping without a plan means paying roughly 15–20% more than necessary.

In this article, I'll show you exactly how to create a meal plan for the week — whether on paper or digitally. Step by step, no expertise needed, and tailored specifically to Swiss families.

Step 1 — Collect Recipes Your Family Loves

Before you plan anything, you need a small repertoire of recipes. Don't worry: you don't need 50 dishes ready to go. 10–15 tried-and-tested family recipes are plenty to start with.

Where do the recipes come from? Everywhere:

• Cookbooks: Flip through your favourites and bookmark the recipes your family enjoys. Tip: you can simply snap a photo of the page and have the recipe captured automatically — for example with TellerPlan.
• Cookidoo: If you have a Thermomix, you know Cookidoo. Recipes can be imported directly via link.
• Family and friends: Ask around — grandparents, neighbours, and friends often have brilliant everyday recipes that have never been written down.
• Online inspiration: Swissmilk, Betty Bossi, or simply Google. The key is to collect recipes in one place rather than scattering them across ten different bits of paper.

Next to each recipe, jot down roughly how long it takes and whether it goes down well with the children. You'll need this information in the next step. If you need inspiration, our article on weekly meal plans for families includes a concrete example plan with family-friendly dishes.

Step 2 — Plan the Week (with a Template)

Now it gets practical. Set aside 15–20 minutes at the weekend and plan the coming week. Sounds like very little? It's perfectly enough when you have your recipes to hand.

Here's how to go about it:

1. Check the calendar: Which days are hectic? Kids' sports, parents' evening, long day at the office? On those days, plan something quick or leftovers.
2. Assign recipes to days: Something easy on Monday (the week has only just begun), an oven dish on Wednesday, something special on Friday. Adapt it to your family's rhythm.
3. Plan a leftovers day: Ideally Thursday or Friday. On this day you use up what's left from the week. It saves a shopping trip and reduces food waste.
4. Think about variety: Not five pasta dishes in a row. Alternate between meat, fish, vegetarian, and different sides.

You can absolutely do your meal plan on paper — there are lovely printable templates available. Or you can use a digital solution like TellerPlan that links your plan directly to a shopping list. More on that later.

Step 3 — Create the Shopping List

This is where the magic happens: you turn your weekly plan into a shopping list. Go through each recipe and write down all the ingredients — but only what you actually need to buy.

Before you start writing:

• Check the fridge and the pantry. What's already there?
• Cross off ingredients you already have (oil, spices, flour, etc.).
• Combine identical ingredients: if two recipes need onions, write down the total amount.
• Group by section: vegetables, meat/fish, dairy, frozen, pantry. You'll be faster in the shop.

On paper, adding up ingredients is the most tedious part. This is exactly where a shopping list app like TellerPlan makes a huge difference: you select your recipes and the shopping list is generated automatically — with combined quantities and ingredient names in German, just as you'd find them at Migros or Coop.

Step 4 — Shop and Get Going

With your shopping list in hand (or on your phone), it's time to hit the shop. And you'll notice the difference straight away: instead of wandering aimlessly through the aisles, you have a clear plan.

A few shopping tips:

• Don't shop hungry: It sounds obvious, but it makes a huge difference. When you're hungry, you buy more and less healthily.
• Stick to the list: Impulse buys are the biggest budget killer. The one exception: seasonal deals you can work into your plan.
• Use promotions wisely: Both Migros and Coop run weekly offers. If you're flexible, you can tweak your plan slightly and save.
• Buy staples in larger quantities: Rice, pasta, passata, spices — it saves money over time.

Once you're home and everything is put away, I recommend one more small step: prep what you can. Wash and chop vegetables, pre-cook sauces, marinate meat. This 'light meal prep' saves you even more time during the week.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Many people start their weekly plan full of motivation — and give up after a fortnight. To make sure that doesn't happen to you, here are the most common mistakes:

1. Too much at once: Don't plan all 7 days straight away. Start with 3–4 days and build up. That way you'll stick with it without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Overly complex recipes: Not every evening needs to be a three-course meal. Simple dishes like omelettes, bakes, or pasta with pesto are perfectly fine — and often what the family enjoys most.
3. No flexibility: The plan is a guide, not a rigid timetable. If you don't fancy Wednesday's dish, swap it with another day. That's perfectly fine.
4. Not involving the family: Let everyone have a say — especially the children. If each family member gets to suggest one meal per week, buy-in goes through the roof.
5. Ignoring the fridge: Always check what you already have before planning new recipes. This stops food from going off.

According to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), roughly 2.8 million tonnes of food waste are generated in Switzerland each year. Nearly a third comes from private households. A weekly meal plan is one of the simplest levers to reduce your own contribution.

Digital Instead of Paper: Meal Planning with an App

Printable meal plan templates are a fine starting point — they hang on the fridge and everyone can see what's on for the week. But they have their limits: you have to write the shopping list by hand, adding up quantities is fiddly, and when the plan changes, it quickly gets messy.

That's exactly why we built TellerPlan. The app works the way you'd want it to:

• Collect recipes: Import recipes directly from Cookidoo via link, or snap a photo of a cookbook page — the ingredients are captured automatically.
• Create your weekly plan: Simply drag recipes onto the days you want. Done.
• Generate the shopping list: One tap and all ingredients from your meal plan are combined — in German, with the right quantities.
• Share: Your partner sees the same list on their phone. No more 'Did you already get milk?' messages.

TellerPlan was built specifically for Switzerland. Ingredients are named the way you'd find them on the shelves at Migros and Coop — not in American English or standard German, but the way we actually shop here.