Meal planning is touted as a direct route to eating more healthfully, spending less money and saving some time – and it certainly can be. But for many us, it’s more of an annoying chore than a helpful activity. That’s because in addition to being time-consuming, “meal planning” just sounds strict. It doesn’t seem to leave room for creativity and spontaneity – especially when you’re also attempting to craft meals that are nutritionally sound and budget-friendly.

But there’s another way to meal plan that doesn’t involve preparing stacks of identical Tupperware containers for the week ahead. I’ve been doing it for years without even realizing it. After raising three boys and figuring out how to stock my bustling household, I had to keep in mind what was going on that week. Was I having company? How many nights were we eating out? What meals could I cook once and then repurpose the leftovers? So while I don’t follow a specific recipe, I do picture how individual ingredients will morph into meals. In other words, I picture how the ingredients will work together to create delicious meals without much waste.

I’m not the only one who meal plans without planning. Here are 10 tips from my dietitian nutritionist friends on how to turn a time-intensive chore into a time-saving (and almost fun) weekly activity:

1. Start with a theme.

The hardest part of planning a meal is figuring out what the heck to make. That’s why registered dietitian nutritionist and culinary nutrition expert Jessica Levinson says it’s important to make that part fun. “Plan theme nights, like meatless Monday, taco Tuesday and fish Friday,” she says. “This is fun, especially for the kids, and it makes planning a menu easier because you know exactly what kind of recipe you need for every night.”

To make theme nights even easier, registered dietitian nutritionist Karen Ehrens recommends making a basic veggie saute on Sunday with things like carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, peas and broccoli. That way, every night you can reheat it and add a different herb, spice or sauce. “The idea is that you can change up the flavor to Asian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Moroccan or Mexican, depending on the night’s theme,” she says.

2. Think of your refrigerator as a salad bar.

You know there’s a health revolution in the works when salad bar chains are becoming as popular as Starbucks. Now there’s a new place to get a healthy meal-in-a-bowl: your fridge. Here, you don’t have to meal prep, you just have to ingredient prep. “If you take 40 minutes on a Sunday to prep all the vegetables you need for a salad like shredded carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, romaine lettuce, celery, green onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini noodles, and store them in separate containers, you’ll save time during the week because the food is all set up and ready to eat. All you have to do is throw it together,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Jen Haugen, a director and kitchen consultant with Pampered Chef and owner of JenHaugen.com.