Meal Planning Made Easy

You’re busy and the thought of having to plan out meals may feel like just one more chore to add to your already long list of things to do.  I know!  What I found, though, is that taking time to plan for meals each week – and writing out a grocery list – means that I ultimately save TIME. It saves MONEY. It means fewer less-desirable CALORIES. It means less STRESS. 

Menu planning saves time because first you know “what’s for dinner” and you won’t have to run to the grocery store as frequently. It saves money because eating out is so much more expensive than preparing meals at home.  It also means less food waste because you’ve only bought the items you need to prepare your meals.

You can save in calories too, because many times, we impulse buy, and end up choosing convenience or processed foods. Or, if you go out to eat, you order items that look healthy, like a salad, only to discover that your meal contains 1,000 or more calories.  Finally, planning meals reduces stress because you have a solid plan for your week, and you won’t have to rack your brain at the last minute to figure out the age-old question “what’s for dinner?” 

Quality Control

Choosing ingredients from the grocery store gives you more control over quality.  More supermarkets are offering more organic options and a wide variety of foods and brands from which to choose.  When we eat out, the food usually contains higher sodium levels than what we make at home. And restaurant prepared food typically uses lower quality oils like soybean, GMOs foods are used as the norm and MSG is often added or hidden, along with other controversial ingredients. 

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy eating out, but when you select and prepare your own food knowing exactly what is included in the dishes you make, you’re able to better control the quality and nutritional value of your meals.

This is a huge help with weight loss and weight maintenance since YOU are in control of the food, and you know what’s in it. And you’re likely to have more nutrient rich food.

Get Organized

Pick a day to be your menu-planning day. For me, that means Saturday or Sunday, but choose the day that works best for you.  Consider which day of the week you can best make time to sit down and figure out what to have for dinner during the week. Will this be the same day you do the grocery shopping? Or will you plan the night before and shop the next morning?  Sometimes I like to plan the menu on Saturday and then do the shopping on Sunday.  Before I start, I like to ask for input from my family to see what they want for dinner during the upcoming week.

How do you like to plan your meals?

What works for you?  Do you prefer to look through cookbooks, existing recipe cards, or find recipes online or maybe a combination of all three? Does your family have a favorite meal that they like to have each week?

Start with what you know so you don’t feel overwhelmed.  If you already have a recipe box with a lot of recipes, start there.   Find 5 or 6 you want to make for the week and go with that.  You can add to the repertoire little by little.  If you typically eat out most nights, maybe start with planning just three dinners this week and increase your menu planning from there.

Consider the nights that may be typically hectic with kids’ activities, meetings, or any other obligations you may have.  Then think about what the easiest meals would be to make on those nights. For me, that means something in the handy dandy slow cooker once or twice a week. Or you may want to double a recipe and have it ready to reheat on a second night.  Another option is to double up your chicken for one dish and set half aside to add to a salad as your main meal on another night.  Choose quick and easy meals when you know you won’t have much time to cook or maybe plan on those being your crock-pot nights. 

After you’ve figured out your meals for the week, it’s time to create your grocery list.  Be sure to check your fridge and pantry first to see what you already have and then make the list of what you need. 

Okay, so you’ve figured out which nights are busy, you have your menus for the week, and you have your grocery shopping list all set.  You’ll want to be sure to write down your menu plan for the week, so you and your family remember what you’re having each night. Here is a Weekly Menu Planner you can download. Post it on the fridge or somewhere else you can see it easily. 

BONUS TIPS

• Cook once, eat twice.  Plan to make double or triple what you would normally make for dinner, so you have leftovers for lunches (for adults as well as kids) and/or another dinner. You also have the option to freeze some of the leftovers to use the following week if you prefer.
• Cook grains, like rice, ahead of time for the week, then refrigerate and use them later in the week (add a little water when reheating). Most grains will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge.
• Be sure to have food defrosted if you’re using any frozen items like meat, chicken, fish, etc. Check what you need for the next day, the night before.
• Chop your veggies on the weekend or the night before to prep ahead of time and place in storage containers in the fridge.  Also, decide which frozen veggies you can use instead of fresh (especially for stews, soups, and some crock pot meals).
• Make any marinades, dressings, spice mixes or sauces in advance to save time on those busier nights.

If you typically eat dinner out twice a week, and you have 20 recipes to prepare at home, that’s about four weeks’ worth of meals without repeating a meal – not bad!  You can add more to the list as you go to expand your base of options. 

Even if you start out just planning THREE of your meals each week, it will make a difference. I feel so much less stressed when I know I’m ready for the week and I have what I need to make healthy meals.  Taking 30 minutes to plan your meals will save you much more time and energy than that in the long run.

I’ll be honest – I fought it for a long time because it just seemed too time consuming, but now that I do it on a regular basis, it’s so much faster and easier. 

Once you start implementing a weekly meal plan, you’ll notice you feel less stressed over the dinnertime rush, and you may just have a better answer to the question “What’s for dinner?”  

Download my Quick n’ Easy Meal Plan to help get you started.

You and your family get to enjoy more nutritious, home-cooked meals and stress less!