Whether you're cooking for yourself, a group of people, or the whole family, meal planning can help you get the job done faster, easier, and cheaper.
Have you ever been so tired and stressed at the end of the day that you didn't feel like cooking, but would rather eat at home than spend money eating out? There is one skill that can help reduce the pressure and stress of feeding your child. It's meal planning.
Meal planning is basically the idea of planning and sometimes preparing your meals in advance. Not only does it take the stress out of scrambling for what's on the menu, but it's also a great way to meet your nutritional goals and save money on groceries.
In the future, I'll be sharing important tips and resources on how to meal plan, including step-by-step meal planning routines and tips and tricks for budgeting and family meal planning.
One of the best things about meal planning is that even if you think you've never done a meal plan before, you probably already have one. After all, “meal planning” means planning your meals, whether it's dinner that night or lunch for work the week ahead.
But there's a difference between planning meals here and there and actually incorporating meal planning into your routine. So, if you are ready to plan your meals regularly, here is a step-by-step guide on how to meal plan.
Step 1 | Make a plan
Before you start creating your first meal plan, think about what you want to get out of it. Is your goal to put more nutritious food on your table, or do you just want to spend less on groceries? Having your goals in mind will make meal planning much easier.
Step 2 | Be careful what you have
Once you have a better idea of what kind of meal you want to plan, consider using ingredients you have at home as inspiration for your recipes. If you want to keep your grocery costs down, frozen ingredients, leftovers, and pantry essentials are a great place to start.
Step 3 | Pick some recipes
Once you know how many days you want to meal plan and which meals to include in your plan, the next step is to choose a recipe. If your plan is for a few days or just meals, you can try recipes, but for larger meal plans, aim to keep it simple.
Step 4 | Make a grocery list
Now that you have all your recipes planned in advance, you can save even more time by planning your grocery list as well. When planning your shopping list, don't forget to mark the ingredients you already have at home.
Step 5 | Shop, prepare, and store
Meal planning includes both meal planning and meal preparation. Meal prepping is just one way he accomplishes his goals. Once you have purchased all the ingredients on your list, all you need to do is cook your food and store it for later use.
Now you know the five basic steps of meal planning. But what if you have a budget or a large family? Here are some tips for budget-friendly and family-friendly meal plans.
Meal planning is a great way to save money, as it helps reduce both grocery costs and food waste. If reducing your grocery bill is your ultimate goal, here are some tips to help you save even more.
- Choose a weekly budget that works for you. A $50 weekly budget may be good for a meal plan for one person, but it probably won't be enough to feed a family of three. Meal planning is much easier when you have a budget that you can actually work with.
- Plan your recipes around sales and seasonal ingredients. Another great way to create a budget-friendly meal plan is to incorporate specials and seasonal ingredients.check this out seasonal produce list USDA provides information to help you brainstorm.
- Try these plant-based recipes: If you're a meat eater, you probably already know how expensive certain types of meat and cuts can be. Cooking with plant-based protein sources (like tofu and beans) several times a week can help reduce your food costs.
If you're a parent, meal plans that involve the whole family are even better. So here are some tips to help you plan fun meals for your family.
- Plan your weekly or monthly calendar in advance and ask everyone to share their favorite recipe ideas to add to the plan.
- Choose a recipe theme like Taco Tuesday or Leftover Friday to keep meal planning consistent and give everyone something to look forward to.
- Choose recipes that are easy to customize, like baked potato bars or quesadillas, so everyone can enjoy their favorite meals without having to plan different recipes.
- Involve the whole family in the meal planning process by asking for help with tasks like planning recipes, grocery shopping, and cooking.
If one of your goals is to spend less time and energy deciding what to make and eat each day, meal planning can help you achieve that goal. Even if you've never meal-planned before, with a little time and effort, you can plan and prepare your meals for the day, week, or even month.
