As most of you who’ve been around here for a little while know, I am passionately dedicated to avoiding processed food and instead making the things we might normally buy at the store at home.
I make my own bread, my own morning cereal, snack foods…you name it.
But, like many of you, I also have a 17 month old daughter who needs needs neeeeeeeeds to be fed as soon as we’re on home territory at the end of the day; we have yoga classes and volleyball practices and I have blog stuff and doula stuff and breastfeeding stuff and (breeeeeathe!!)…it can be awfully tempting to have a few pre-packaged frozen dinners on hand, or to have a box of crackers for a snack, or to order Chinese food when I’m just too darn tired to even think about setting foot in the kitchen.
I have come to realize that the key to success when it comes to eating meals made at home is to plan, plan, plan. At first, it might seem like a lot of work – and it is a bit of work up front at the start of your week – but I wanted to share with you my meal planning process because it’s made a huge difference to our lives in the last few months.
We eat out less. We eat healthier foods. We never come home and stand in front of the fridge, uninspired. We are actually spending less on groceries (up to $200 a month less!) and definitely wasting less food.
I want to dedicate this week to giving you some tips on meal planning, hoping that it might inspire you and give you some tools to help you do the same with your family.
So. Here’s my meal plan for the week. This week, we’re going to work our way through this plan, and I will give you some (hopefully!) helpful tips along the way! In the meantime, if you already plan out your weekly meals, I’d love to hear from you. What are your tricks? What are your go-to meals?
- TIP #1: Before starting to draft up your plan, hunt through your fridge and freezer. See what you already have available, and be sure to incorporate those things into your plan.
- TIP#2: Have a look through your calendar. Are there any nights that you know you won’t have time to make an elaborate home-cooked meal? We usually have at least one night a week where one of us will be getting home late and/or leaving shortly after dinner for some activity. These are good nights to eat omelettes, or tuna melts!
- TIP #3: Have a look through your recipe books and favourite food blogs. Are there any dishes that you’ve been dying to make? One of the keys to successful meal planning is to have some standard meals that everyone likes and are relatively simple to make, but it’s also important to shake it up and keep it interesting. Find a new recipe for a salad or a new marinade for your meat: aim to try something new once or twice a week!
Great advice! Goes to show that I have no excuse, and should really buckle down and organize the week ahead.
Yeah! Give it a try! It is definitely going very well for our family, and it’s making a huge difference to our health and our grocery bill!
I plan meals for the week but I only write a list of dishes based on the meat and produce we have. I don’t allocate what dishes will be cooked on which days as I like to be flexible to allow for a little spontaneity.
Generally, there will be a pasta dish, a rice dish, a potato dish, a soup (or salad in summer) something roasted or baked and what I call a fast food dish (nachos, burrito, pizza or burger).
I always cook more than we need so that lunch the next day is taken care of too.
One thing that I’ve found has helped my meal planning is to plan for the fortnight rather than the week. I prefer to buy meat every 2 weeks rather than every week so I always write meals after a trip (not before). Saves an extra trip to the butchers.
I plan meals for the fortnight but I only write a list of dishes based on the meat and produce we have. I don’t allocate what dishes will be cooked on which days as I like to be flexible to allow for a little spontaneity.
Generally, there will be a pasta dish, a rice dish, a potato dish, a soup (or salad in summer) something roasted or baked and what I call a fast food dish (nachos, burrito, pizza or burger).
I always cook more than we need so that lunch the next day is taken care of too.
Thanks for your thoughts, Genie. I like the idea of planning meals around a few key components that stay the same every week. It probably makes it even easier. We’ve definitely found the weekly grocery shopping to be something to get used to, but maybe I should take some inspiration from your approach and attempt to plan every two weeks out!
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