Meal Planning Tips
Do you struggle to figure out your weekly meals? Do you find yourself dreading midway through the week thinking about what to eat? Simple meal planning can help! Healthy meal planning tips can keep you on track for nutritious eating. Check out the below six suggestions on how to best prepare for meal planning success.
Balanced meals. When meal planning, aim to include balancing and complementing ingredients. Your food should energize and excite you. Add proteins to carb-heavy meals, healthy fats for sustained energy and plenty of fruits and veggies as sides or snacks. Remember a rainbow of colors!
Don’t aim for perfection. Don’t stress. It’s not necessary to plan out all seven days of the week. Start off by aiming for three or four. To make it easy, you can use leftovers in a carryover meal later in the week or for lunch or dinner. Keep favorites on a weekly rotation so at least you always have one go-to.
Grab a calendar. Consider using a meal planning list to schedule your meals for the week ahead. Other commitments, appointments, late work nights or family plans will help dictate what days you plan for. Planning a predictable meal once a week (like Friday pizza nights) can help alleviate some planning, too.
Shop your kitchen. Sure, you’ll need to head to the grocery store, but first, take stock of what you already have. It’ll save you time going up and down the aisles and could be a little lighter on your wallet, too. Use items that are close to expiration, anything in the freezer that needs to be used up before grabbing new items or bulk items you might have excess of.
Shop sales. Rely on weekly deals and circulars from your preferred stores to save a few dollars and get inspiration for that week’s meals. Depending on how many people you cook for, this can help with variety and make your meals work for you. Look at price tags for proteins and fresh produce especially, and then keep an eye on pantry staples that you have on deck.
Make it fun. Meal planning shouldn’t be boring or monotonous. If you have the time, get creative and research recipes or seasonal, nutritious ingredients. After a few weeks, you’ll get into a groove and might start to enjoy where your weekly culinary adventure takes you.
The next time you start to think about your weekly meals, remember the above meal-planning tips. Remember to check and use a calendar, shop your own kitchen and sales and enjoy the process. Meal planning can be a breeze if you let it!
