4-Week Meal Planning Challenge: January 2021

By: Danielle4 Comments Posted: 12/02/2020 Updated: 11/29/2021

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This round of the 4-Week Meal Planning Challenge
starts on January 4th, 2021!

Do you find yourself starting from zero on dinner every night? Are you getting tired of near daily trips to the store for ingredients you forgot? Or are you simply trying to reduce your food waste by planning ahead?

I have a solution. It’s called meal planning! Whether you’re a beginner who wants some incentive and support to gain a new habit, or an experienced meal planner who wants to jump back in, this challenge is for you!

Best part: be entered to win weekly prizes just by sharing your meal plan!

I challenge you to plan each week’s meals
ahead of time for four weeks in a row.

Who should participate in this Meal Planning Challenge?

anyone who wants to save time and money
meal planning beginners
experienced meal planners who want get back into the swing
anyone who has questions about meal planning
home cooks who need meal ideas
anyone who wants to see how other people plan their meals

Why participate in this Meal Planning Challenge?

Meal planning can help you save time, reduce your grocery bill, make more appropriate food choices, and more.

But don’t just take it from me! Here are things past challenge participants liked about meal planning:

“Less stress during the week and a reminder to defrost the night before.” – Martine
“My family doesn’t ask me what’s for dinner!” – Rosey
“Less stress around meal time.” – Nicki
“Saving money and healthy eating.” – Tamara
“Not having to make a decision every single day about what to eat.” – Gayle

This challenge is over, but sign up for updates on future challenges:

How to participate in the 4-week challenge:

Sign up for the Project Meal Plan Newsletter. This is how you will receive updates about the challenge.
Join the Project Meal Plan Facebook Group. This is where you will share your weekly meal plans each week.
Every Monday during the challenge, I will send you an email with a reminder to share your weekly meal plan in the Facebook Group. The Week 1 email will arrive Monday, January 4th, 2021.
Weekly meal plans can be posted in the Facebook group from Monday, when you receive the email, to the following Saturday at 11:59PM PST. Your meal plan can be any days of the week – it does not have to be M-F. Plan according to your own schedule!
Your meal plan post will count as your entry to the weekly prize drawing. After each week is over, I will randomly select a winner from everyone that posted their meal plan.

What does my meal plan have to look like?

I am very flexible on the requirements of your meal plan – the point is to do what will help you the most. You can always use my Weekly Meal Planner template, but it’s not a requirement. Here are some basic guidelines/suggestions for what your meal plan should look like:

any format: pen/paper, spreadsheet, photo of fridge meal plan, screenshot of a note on your phone – whatever works best for you!
plan three meals a day for at least five days of the week
specific days of the week do not matter – plan according to your schedule (Sunday-Thursday; Tuesday-Saturday, etc.)
any style: arrows, stars, different colors, super detailed, just basic info, anything goes as long as there is some kind of food written

RULES to enter the weekly prize drawings:

You do not have to participate every week, though the best way to build a new habit is to be consistent!
You can jump into the challenge during the middle! Again, no need to participate every week if it’s not possible for you.
Do not post the same EXACT picture of the same meal plan every week. The point of this challenge is to build a new habit. To do that, you’ll actually have to put in a little time every week to write your meal plan!
Sorry, the weekly prize drawings are only open to residents in the U.S. and Canada, but anyone can join the group and participate in the challenge.
To stay in the spirit of the challenge, I encourage you to do your best to follow the meal plan you create for yourself. While this isn’t required for entry into the drawing, it will really help you see the benefits of meal planning!

Important dates during the challenge:

You don’t have to remember these, just use this as a reference! One prize drawing will take place each week during the four week challenge. Here are the dates for each week and approximate dates for the prize drawings for the January 2021 Meal Planning challenge:

January 4th: Start of meal planning challenge; Start of Week 1
January 9th: End of Week 1
January 11th: Week 1 Prize Drawing; Start of Week 2
January 16th: End of Week 2
January 18th: Week 2 Prize Drawing; Start of Week 3
January 23rd: End of Week 3
January 25th: Week 3 Prize Drawing; Start of Week 4
January 30th: End of Week 4; End of meal planning challenge
February 1st: Week 4 Prize Drawing

This challenge is over, but sign up for updates on future challenges:

(This is how you will receive Weekly Challenge Updates!)

So what are the prizes going to be??

This time around, I’m giving away a prize EVERY WEEK. These prizes were super popular last time around, so we’re doing it again!!

I’m keeping the exact prize schedule a secret until each week arrives, but here are the four prize possibilities (affiliate links to Amazon – all prizes will be shipped from there):

My favorite 2-Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers that are perfect for any meal prep meals! People always ask where I get mine!
Snapware 24-piece Glass Container Food Storage Set because glass containers are useful to store any kind of leftovers, whether they stay home or go to work with you.
Set of 2 Cookbooks: Skinnytaste Meal Prep: Healthy Make-Ahead Meals & Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men & Women by Kevin Curry; because we all need more meal prep ideas!
And finally, YOUR CHOICE of a 6-quart Instant Pot OR a Cosori XL Air Fryer!! because Instant Pots are one of the best all in one meal prep tools out there!

If you still aren’t convinced…

100% of individuals who took my post-challenge survey said this meal planning challenge motivated them to plan their meals!

Here’s a few things people liked about the last meal planning challenge:

“I liked the time frame- enough to make it a routine (habit) just not a daunting lengthy commitment.” – Terry
“I had fallen off the meal planning wagon and was grateful for the challenge getting me back into the habit.” – Martine
“I think the way this challenge was organized was perfect. It was a great way for first timers like me.” – Brittani
“Seeing other people as excited about meal planning as I am! Also love all of Danielle’s tips and recipes.” – Jen

I’ll be meal planning with you every week!

Newsletter subscribers already see my weekly meal plan along with a few meal plan recipes ideas every week. But during the challenge, I’m doubling down on the ideas and meal discussions. This time, look for more recipe ideas in the challenge emails, and weekly meal idea discussions in the Facebook Group.

If you have any questions, simply respond to any of my emails, leave a comment here, or head to the Facebook group!

If you were around for the last meal planning challenge, you may notice this one is quite similar! Can’t wait to jump in and see how meal planning helps you!

Get started with my best meal planning resources: