Simple Meal Planning Tips
The best meal planning tip I can give you is to
“plan what you eat, buy what you plan, and eat what you buy”.
Plan what you eat
Planning
1. Give yourself time to make a plan. A quiet-ish place and time to focus.
2. Consider using a meal schedule. Think, Taco Tuesday and Pizza Friday.
2. Look at the calendar for the week. What meals need to be quick or bigger or already prepared or on-the-go?
3. Have a backup plan. Dinner got burned or you just don't feel like cooking. Have a backup plan either in the freezer, pantry, or phone.
4. Be flexible. Meal planning should free you up to enjoy your week not cause you stress - another reason for a backup meal. So you may have a list that you choose from for the week instead of an exact meal on an exact day.
5. Start where you are. Meal planning is NOT a super fancy, cook every night, supper is on the table by 6:30pm sharp every single night thing. I mean, unless you already do that. Meal planning is for you to write down what you want to eat (homemade or not) for the week instead of having to come up with a plan on the fly at 6:30pm when dinner should have been at 6pm.
Buy what you plan
Shopping
1. Shop your home first. Check for everything in your fridge, freezer, pantry and spice rack before making your shopping list.
2. On a budget? Shop the sales flyers and coupons. This will save you money and provide a little more direction for your planning.
3. Frozen fruit and vegetables can be a less expensive way to get nearly-fresh produce in your meals.
3. Take your list with you to the store. Buy what’s on the list.
Eat what you buy
Eating
1. You’ve made a plan of what you’re going to eat so now’s the time to enjoy those foods.
2. Remember the flexibility of your plan.
Leftovers and Extras
1. Freeze leftovers for another day. Be sure to use a freezer bag, divide into individual servings for ease of defrosting and serving, label with the date and what food is inside.
2. Keep track of and use up extras to prevent food waste. A lot of produce can be eaten as a snack, put into a soup, or frozen for later.
3. If something is on the verge of going bad, eat it up.
Need a little spice in your meal planning life?
Maybe try...
1. one meatless meal this week
2. one new meal this month
3. one new food this week
4. having the kids or your spouse make one meal this week
5. a meal plan brainstorm with your family or friends