Meal planning is one of the best tools you can use to make healthier food choices, save time and minimize cooking stress. But, if you’re a meal planning newbie, you might be finding it challenging. Fear not! Here are some simple tricks and tips to get you started on your path to creating a meal planning routine. Read on!
Why Plan Your Meals?
Having a plan allows you to decide what you will eat, instead of grabbing something unhealthy because you’re in a rush. It helps you eat well-rounded meals all week long. You’ll save money by not making extra grocery runs, you’ll save money by not throwing away food that has gone bad and you’ll save yourself from the daily “what’s for dinner?” panic. Understanding these benefits can help someone new to planning stay on track and feel less anxiety about planning.
I. Introduction A. Setting goals and priorities are two of the most important steps in achieving success in any area of life. Whether it’s related to business, education, sports, or personal development, having clear goals and priorities help individuals focus on what needs to be accomplished and allocate their time and resources accordingly. B. In this article, we will discuss the importance of setting goals and priorities, provide a step-by-step guide on how to set smart goals, and give tips on how to prioritize tasks effectively.
Your first step should be determining your objectives. What is your purpose for meal planning? Are you looking to eat healthier, lose weight, or free up some of your time on weekdays? Perhaps there are dietary restrictions you should take into account, or maybe you need to consider other members of your family. Having specific objectives will help you determine which recipes you want to use, how much food you should make, and the ingredients you should use. If you are new to meal planning, you might want to start with a day or two and gradually increase to a week once you get the hang of it.
Designing a Balanced Week
A balanced meal plan includes proteins, grains, veggies, fruits, and fats. Start with breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas and then add snack and/or sides if you need to. Consider recipes that use similar ingredients to reduce waste and shopping needs. New cooks can cycle a few tried-and-true recipes each week and add new recipes each week to learn more.
Shopping for Groceries in a Smart Manner
Once you have your meal plan, make a grocery list that’s organized by section (for quicker shopping and to avoid running back and forth between aisles). It’s also a good idea to keep pantry staples such as rice, quinoa, canned beans, frozen vegetables, and nuts and seeds on hand. This will give you a few quick go-to options on busy days, and, for a beginner, making a list ahead of time will help you shop the sales and avoid those “unhealthy” impulse purchases.
The first step is to start batch cooking and prepping. This means making a bunch of food for the week ahead. A good rule of thumb is to prepare 2-3 meals per day for each member of the family. Since I’m the one doing the cooking, that means I need to make 6-9 meals per day. I often do this over the weekend for the upcoming week, but if you can’t do it all at once, try setting aside an hour each day to get some prep work done. I also like to prep healthy snacks like fruits and veggies to have on hand.
Take advantage of batch cooking and meal prep: Set aside time to prepare grains, proteins, or roasted vegetables, which you can combine to make meals fast. Chop up fruits and vegetables, portion ingredients into containers, or divide snacks to shorten preparation time. If you are a beginner, it is best to look up how to store your meal prepped ingredients for maximum freshness and flavor.
Simple Recipe Selection
Find recipes that use fewer ingredients and fewer steps. Think recipes that can be easily adapted depending on what fruits and vegetables are available or what’s already in your pantry. Recipes for sheet pan meals, stir-fries, soups, grain bowls, and salads with a protein are great for those starting out. Simple recipes can help you feel more relaxed, confident, and also lead to more reliable outcomes.
Hacks to Save You Time
Repurpose leftovers in salads, wraps, or bowls.
Create meals that can double up as something else, for example use the same roasted vegetables for dinner and lunch.
You can also make sauces, dressings, or marinades ahead of time for a flavor boost.
Store your most-used cooking utensils in easy-to-reach places.
Monitoring and Modification
Remember that meal planning isn’t set in stone. Take note of any meals that you enjoyed or disliked, ingredients that you used too much of or too little of, and make any necessary changes to serving sizes, tastes, or cooking techniques for the next time. If you’re just starting out, you’ll find that the process of planning becomes simpler and more efficient once you’ve had some time to reflect on your previous meals and implement small changes.
How do you make meal planning a habit? Here’s a good starting point: every weekend, take 30 minutes or an hour to plan out your meals for the week. You don’t have to be overly meticulous about it. Even loosely deciding what you want to eat each day and writing down some ingredients can be helpful. Then, once you have your list, you can either order those ingredients online or pick them up from the grocery store. If you do this every week, it starts to become a routine. It’s like brushing your teeth – you just do it. It’s not that hard once it becomes ingrained in your routine. Now, the key here is to start slow. You don’t need to plan meals for every single day. Start with maybe two or three days a week and see how it goes. If it works out, you can expand to more days. But begin with something manageable. Don’t try to plan all seven days because that might be too much, and you could end up not doing it at all. So, begin with a couple of days, and as you get comfortable with it, you can gradually increase the number of days you plan for.
Meal planning works best when it’s routine. If you’re a novice, begin with a tiny plan and build up. Meal planning decreases decision fatigue in the long run, helps you eat better, and increases the sense of control you have in your kitchen. It helps new cooks build simple systems to make weeknight meals less painful and more enjoyable.
Having Fun Along the Way
The beauty of meal planning, is that it puts you in the driver’s seat of your own nutrition. It can be fun and fulfilling to prepare healthy meals for yourself and your family. With these tips and tricks, meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming, even for a beginner. With practice, meal planning will help you stay healthy, save time, and enjoy cooking at home daily.