Meal Planning

Whether you are looking to improve your health, cut costs, or save money, planning your meals is one step you should start taking. Time management, healthy eating and saving money are all topics that deserve their own articles, but planning your meals helps in all three of these areas, and I will touch on each.

Before you brush this idea off, let me assure you that you have time to do this and that it will be worth your while. I started planning our meals when I wanted to improve our eating habits. I wanted to make sure that my family was eating the most healthy meals possible, and that required planning. Any change requires planning.

Since I am already way to busy, and could not imagine making time to plan meals (you are probably thinking the same thing). I started bringing my meal planning tools (book of Mediterranean recipes, pen, notebook, grocery list) to my daughter's soccer game. We always have to arrive 30 minutes early so the girls can warm up, so I would set up my chair and plan my meals. I would also make use of half time for planning. I would then complete my grocery shopping later in the day.

There are a few things that I did to help the planning process be more smooth for me. My goal was to change our eating habits, so I was relying on a recipe book to bring new ideas to my menu planning.  First, I went through the recipe book and wrote the names of recipes I knew my family would eat in a notebook. I included the page number with each recipe on the list so I could easily find the recipe later. When I was ready to plan for a week, I would choose 3-5 recipes to cook. Then I would list the ingredients I needed to purchase on my grocery list. After eating the recipe, if it was worth repeating in the future, I added it to a list of approved recipes that I keep on the side of my fridge.

First, some basic thoughts on getting started with meal planning.

-You should start your own list of master recipes. It will help you when you need some inspiration. Unless you are in need of a complete mealtime overhaul, you probably have at least three favorites that you rely on. What are those meals and what are the ingredients you need to put those meals together? Those should be the first items on your list. Keep those ingredients in the house at all times so you always have a meal in a pinch. Next, brainstorm a list of meals you have cooked (and enjoyed) in the past. Listing the necessary ingredients for each meal is also helpful, but you can manage without this step if you prefer.

-Be realistic about your ability to prepare meals. Don't set yourself up for failure. Consider the number of ingredients and the prep time necessary before you put a recipe on the list. Also be careful not to plan on meals that require specialized ingredients.

-Plan all of your meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner plus snacks.

-Sometimes less is more. Do you really need 7 dinners to get through the week or will you be able to eat some of your meals more than once in a week? My family can usually get 2 meals out of a lasagna and still have some left over for lunch or a leftovers dinner. Will your family really be having 7 meals this week? Is there a night when part of the family will be out? We have soccer practice night in my house and we have to eat on the run so we pack a portable dinner instead of trying to get home to eat. Before you decide you need to actually cook 7 full meals, be sure you will actually eat all of those meals.

-Make sure you write things down! Don't expect that you will remember that you want to try a new recipe on page 157 of your new cookbook on Wednesday. You might find that you are running late after a crazy day at work on Wednesday, and suddenly you are standing in your kitchen without any idea of what to cook for dinner. Jot down your meal plans and be sure to jot down the ideas that you find successful.

How can planning your meals help with time management, improving your health, and saving money?

Any type of planning will help with time management. I personally have experienced a number of benefits. First, simply knowing what I will be serving has made all the difference in the world. It makes my evenings far less stressful than they have been in the past. My grocery shopping is also way more efficient. I know exactly what I need, so there is no wandering through the store hoping to be inspired. I try to write my list in a way that groups like items, so I am way more efficient in the store and spend less time returning to isles for Items I forgot. I am also better able to delegate dinner plans to my husband. If I know what we are having for dinner, I can have him prepare the dinner or get it started. Finally, since I plan out my meals, I am also able to cook meals in advance. Now that I know exactly what I am going to be making for the week, I find that preparing several meals at once (usually on the weekend) saves me a lot of time. When I have all the veggies out and do all of the chopping at once, it is very efficient.

Planning your meals is the first step to improving your health. Most people make poor choices when they find themselves hungry and without a plan. Opening the refridgerator and not knowing what you will take out is just asking for trouble. Planning your meals can also help you develop better eating habits. If you plan out what you are going to eat, you are more likely to get all the necessary servings of fruits and vegetables. This is also a great opportunity to make adjustments to your diet. Perhaps you want to eat a more heart healthy diet or you want to cut calories, planning will help you be successful in making any changes. Start small, try to add one healthy, new recipe to your meals each week.

When I started planning my meals, I was looking to improve the eating habits of my family. What I discovered was that I was also saving money. If saving money is your primary goal, planning your meals is a must. In most cases, you will want to plan your meals around sales and seasonal produce. One primary benefit for me was that I only buy what I need and I waste less food. I try to plan meals that require like ingredients. If I only need half an onion for a recipe, I check to be sure I can use the other half in another recipe.

So, give it a try. Just start planning your meals. Take one small step towards routinely planning all of your meals. Maybe begin by planning your meals for tomorrow. Then, after you celebrate your success, think about how to customize meal planning to fit your life. I tend to keep a bad with me on the weekends. This bag has my favorite recipe books, a spiral notebook where I have listed all of the recipes I like, pens,and  post-it note. Set yourself up to be successful with meal planning.