5 Ways to Make Meal Planning Easier
By Chris Newport, MS, RDN, LDN, CISSN, EP-C
It’s 5:00pm…what’s for dinner?
I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point, scrambling to think of what to make until we finally succumb to take out. This article has a few tips to get you moving towards eating healthier, saving time and money, and enjoying less stressful evenings.
Start small
Set modest meal planning goals. What’s reasonable for your needs? Is it preparing meals 3-4 nights per week? Or dusting off your crock pot? Or getting out your favorite cookbook for inspiration? If you set out to cook every night of the week, you may be asking for failure. Just think about what’s the right fit for your lifestyle.
Carve out planning time
You carve out time for your workouts, meetings and kids activities, why not plan to meal plan?
Many people like to do this on the weekend before they do their weekly shopping trip, while others prefer to shop multiple times per week. There is no right way, but you have to set the time aside for it just like anything else.
If you’re new to meal planning, it may take you 30-60 minutes. As you get more experienced, you may only need a few minutes.
You can use pen and paper, a whiteboard, or our favorite online tool, PlanToEat, where you can store your recipes, plan your week, and get a shopping list all in one. It’s worked great for many of our clients and is free to try.
If you want to bypass the planning part, you can always try a meal delivery service to do some of the work for you. Check out our Hello Fresh review here.
Involve the whole family
This is one of the best ways to get your kids (and spouse) to eat their veggies! Decide how often you want to have repeat meals. Is it once per week? Once per month? If you’re sick of having Taco Tuesday every week, then set some stipulations. Besides, increasing variety is one of the best ways to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals in your diet.
Take an inventory
Do you have ground turkey buried at the bottom of the freezer? Have you forgotten about the rice in the cupboard? Is there lettuce molding in your fridge? Know what you have on hand. Even better, write it down. We use a whiteboard stuck to the fridge that works great. Don’t waste money buying items you already have or letting food rot that you didn’t realize you had.
Start easy and take notes
Start with easy, uncomplicated, familiar meals. Take notes if and when you prepare new recipes (another reason why we love Plan2Eat).
For example…
How could you save time preparing it? Would your family eat it again? Could you substitute or eliminate ingredients? etc. And don’t stress if you don’t get it right the first time.
Bonus Step: Plan for the Unplanned
If you do everything right and life just gets too crazy, plan what you’ll do on those unplanned events. Instead of ordering a pizza or getting take-out, there are plenty of healthier options at local and chain restaurants, which usually have their nutrition facts posted online. Do your research beforehand so you’re not stressed out in the moment. You can also get some great food at your local grocery store hot or cold food bar.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Putting some effort into the process helps make it easier in the long run.
