How to Meal Plan (The Easy Way)
Meal planning- it sounds daunting right? Meal plans are one of the most frequent requests I get from clients. While I will argue that meal planning is important for many reasons, it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. I thought I’d review how I do my weekly meal planning to (hopefully) make it easier for you.
Why meal plan?
By planning, you are taking the guesswork out of trying to decide what to serve for dinner when you are hungry and tired. In doing so, you are more likely to have healthy choices available rather than opting for what you are craving in the moment. You’ll also likely cut down on your trips to the grocery store each week and save yourself some money on takeout or meals out. Meal planning also reduces food waste, as each item you purchase is allocated for use in a given week. It might be the dietitian in me, but there is nothing more satisfying then an empty produce drawer on Friday.
How do I decide what to cook?
It can be a challenge to come up with a list of recipes on the spot. I highly recommend having one central place to keep all of your go-to recipes, along with any you encounter on blogs/Insta. Some people really like to print out their recipes and keep them in a binder. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Pinterest. I’ve created boards for each type of recipe (for example- seafood, poultry, vegetarian, salads). Anytime I come across a recipe that looks good, I’ll pin it to the appropriate category. Once I’ve made the recipe, if it’s a bust, I make a point of removing it from the board. I’ve also created a board called “Tried and True Recipes” where I pin winners. I like to use this for dinner parties or when I don’t feel like experimenting with something new. Since not all recipes are available for pinning, I’ll take a photo of recipe in a cookbook or a magazine and save it to an iPhoto file “Recipes” on my phone. This is incredibly handy when I’m travelling and don’t have the recipe with me.
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What are some of my favorite blogs/cookbooks for recipes?
I almost always start my search for new recipes on Skinnytaste or Pinch of Yum. Both sites tend to use relatively simple ingredients, offer a range of different cuisines and take into account nutrition. I also follow Food 52 and Bon Appetit on Instagram for inspiration. For dinner parties, I love any of Ina Garten’s (the Barefoot Contessa) recipes. While they’re definitely on the indulgent side, I’m always guaranteed to get a stellar end result. When I’m feeling like cooking something very tasty but potentially more complex, I love any of Ottolenghi’s cookbooks.
What about nutritional balance?
I find vegetarian meals very convenient in that I’m not subject to a timeline in terms of expiration on the protein source. They are also very cost effective! Both Doug and I also happen to love them. I generally shoot for at least one vegetarian recipe each week. Optimally, I’ll also include one seafood recipe and one that incorporates poultry. We do eat beef/pork, but this tends to be more rare. We may save one of these options for when we’re out on the weekend.
Do I cook a new recipe every night?
NO!!! That would be too draining. I generally plan for 3 recipes each week, assuming that 1-2 will feed us for 2 dinners. As a rule, I plan for Sunday through Thursday night meals since Friday and Saturday nights are often spent out or at friends’ houses. If not, these days are when I like to opt for takeout or something easy in the freezer.
When do you I do my planning? How?
I typically do my planning on Friday or Saturday so I can shop on Saturday or Sunday. I LOVE this magnetic tear off meal planning pad recommended by friend and fellow RD colleague Monika. My favorite feature is it’s tear off grocery list that’s organized based on sections in the grocery store. It generally shortens my grocery trip and I love to add items to the list when I run out of them (I’m a huge fan of keeping a stocked pantry- more on that later).
Still seems complex?
Did you know I offer meal planning services? Check out my Offerings page for more details.
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