Habits 101: Meal Planning Keys

Hey friends! We’re back with another edition of Habits 101 J This week we will be discussing how to build a meal plan that will work for your life.

For busy people, figuring out how to plan and stick with a meal plan can be a difficult thing. But, it can be such a lifesaver (and timesaver) when you figure out what will work for you, your family and lifestyle. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you create a sustainable habit of planning healthy, filling meals for you and your family!

Take Stock

I try to make a habit of cleaning my refrigerator and pantry periodically. For my refrigerator, I time the clean out to the trash pickup day and do it once a week! That way, my refrigerator is clean AND it’s not in the trash can for days. The other thing that I make sure to do is to clean out the pantry every month. Making a habit of taking stock of what’s in both your refrigerator and pantry helps to prepare for a meal plan.

Major key alert (in a DJ Khaled voice): What are the key items that you use on a weekly basis that need replenishing?

What Works for You?

After you take stock of what’s in your kitchen, it’s time to consider your lifestyle. Most meal planning blogs and websites will recommend that you plan your meals for 4 days to a week. I find a week to be ideal, but feel free to experiment and figure out what works for your family’s unique needs.

A common piece of advice is to try batch cooking, where you prepare various staple ingredients in order to mix and match throughout the week. This would work well if you don’t mind eating the same or similar meals each day. I find that I enjoy a bit more variety for dinner, but will frequently eat the same thing for breakfast #hardboiledeggs4life!

Major key alert: Do you, boo!

Research

Meal planning can be incredibly overwhelming. In order to make it a little bit easier, I try to do a minimal amount of research. Since I like variety with my dinners (in particular), I have a couple of key blogs where I find innovative recipes. My personal favorites are Minimalist Baker, SkinnyTaste, TheKitchn, Food Network Blog, and AllRecipes.

A few years ago, my daughters gifted me with an amazing recipe organizer to keep up with the amazing recipes that I’ve discovered over the years. It (or something similar) might be a great resource for you!

Major key alert: What do you want to try?

Check your Calendar

In my journey to eliminate food waste – and save money by spending less – I take a look at my calendar for the week. Specifically, I look for days where I know my schedule is hectic or where my husband and I have plans with friends, family, etc. that will involve dining out. As I plan my meals for the week, I make sure to jot those dates down to ensure I don’t plan for a meal we won’t have a home. I find this to be helpful all year, but particularly during the busy holiday season and summers when we tend to dine out or have more events.

Major key alert: What’s going on in your life?

So, we’ve taken stock, looked at our lifestyle, researched and checked the calendar. Now onto the meat of this journey (no pun intended!)

Plan

I love a good organizational tool. I find they help me maintain calm and almost automate my planning. A few great meal planners I’ve found are this one from the Picky Eater blog, one from Food Heaven Made Easy, and this one from the USDA’s ChooseMyPlate site. Each is simple and easy to use.

A key thing to remember here is to use your meal plan to create your grocery list. That way, you’re buying only the ingredients you intend to use within that week (or however long your meal plan goes).

Major key alert: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Go Shop

This sounds really simple – but a meal plan is only as good as its execution!! Find a time when you can go to the store, meal plan and grocery list in hand, and put it on your calendar. In this time of hyper-scheduled lives, I know this sounds like one more task, dear friend, but it’s essential so that you don’t push it off J I try to shop on the same day every week. And while you’re at it, get to know your grocery store team.

My other recommendation here is to try a few different stores. I find that prices can be different, stocking days and sales are different just depending on the store. And, don’t forget about your local farmers markets – they are a vast resource to getting fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables – and learning more about where your food comes from. If you’re in metro Atlanta, check out this list of farmers markets!

Major key alert: “My mama told me, you better shop around” (how good is that song by the Miracles?!)

Remain Flexible

My final key to great meal planning is to be flexible. It takes a lot of practice and time to become a meal planning genius. Be flexible – if you don’t feel like eating your Monday breakfast on the plan, swap it out with another day that week! Just remember to eat the Monday breakfast later in the week to eliminate food waste.

Happy meal planning! Let me know if you tried some of these strategies and how they worked for you!