7 Tips for Better Meal Planning

Some people plan their meals a month in advance, freezing neatly-labeled pacmeal-planningkets of soup and stew. (I did this recently in anticipation of our second child’s birth.) Others wing it, shopping for that evening’s meal. What works for one family may not work for another but one thing is for sure, being organized and having a system saves time and money, two things I could always use more of.

Here are seven tips for better meal planning.

  1. Keep track of the faves
    Make something wonderful? Get a lot of compliments? Keep track of that so you’ll know what the true winners are. I keep a note in my iPhone, maybe you’d like a notebook or keep track on Instagram. Whatever you do, don’t trust yourself to remember – at least this tired Mama doesn’t!
  2. Get inspired
    No need to stick with tried and true recipes, look around for inspiration, pin recipes, browse magazines, ask your friends for the recipes of things you love that they make.
  3. Take a look at whats in your pantry
    Maybe you got a great deal at Costco on pecans, or chicken breasts, or whatever, take note of what you need to use up, it’s cost effective and doesn’t add to the massive food waste problem!
  4. Schedule your meals
    Take a look at the calendar (taking into account dinners out, leftover nights, and being out of town) and put some meals on the calendar. I use my google calendar because my whole life is on there but there are lots of fancy meal planning calendars like mealboard.
  5. Gather your recipes
    If everything is digital you can use the ingredient lists and copy and paste to make a shopping list. Of course there are fancy apps for that, too!
  6. Be flexible
    Sometimes things happen, and you aren’t home in time to make what you planned or something just happens. Have some staples on hand and some quick back up meals like omelets or spaghetti that you can whip up in a flash. Then push your meals back a day. Life happens peeps.
  7. Consider making extra
    A lot of dishes freeze really well, do you have space? Making an extra lasagna, chicken pot pie, or batch of chili doesn’t take much more time and then you have a ready made meal waiting for you! It’s a present to yourself!

No matter what, don’t worry if your system takes a while to run like a top – experiment and have some fun!

rachelc
Rachel was born the same year the word "foodie" was officially added to the English language, and boy, did that turn out to be appropriate. A reformed junk food junkie and couch potato, she successfully lost 100 pounds through healthy lifestyle changes, including cooking and eating fresh whole foods. Her cooking classes focus on delicious whole food recipes. She is the owner of the wellness business "This One Bite" and shares healthy recipes and kitchen adventures at ThisOneBite.com. Because that just left too much time on her hands (ha!), Rachel also operates a bakery business, Lucca Bakery, that can be found at farmers markets throughout the season. Rachel is a lifelong learner and has several degrees, certification from the Mayo Clinic and has studied cooking around the world including Le Cordon Bleu Paris. She loves to travel, and brings experiences from over 30 countries to her culinary creations. Luckily, she also has a tall, dark and handsome husband and a couple of adorable kids who never mind licking the bowl.