Guide to Meal Planning and Prep
One of the most daunting pieces of eating healthy and attempting to make some better lifestyle choices is the implementation of new processes and habits. Even for the average person - I see you stay at home moms - meal planning and prep can be unappealing and exhausting. When I was home full time there were days I totally dreaded meal time - and now, though sometimes I don’t feel like cooking, it’s a lot less painful because it is intentional.
What I’m going to lay out isn’t rocket science, or really any science or statistically proven methodology, just what works for me, and what I’ve picked up from other people and found valuable.
My recipe for success:
Make sure you give yourself an hour to plan and brainstorm. You may not need it all, but if you give yourself 10 minutes, you’re unlikely to finish and may feel overwhelmed (I know this from experience).
Meal plan for a couple weeks or a month at a time. It will require a little more time from you on the front end (hence the hour suggestion), but if you’re anything like me, once you get going it’ll be more efficient to see it through than to stop short. I meal plan 2-4 weeks at a time, and I’ll even grab pantry items and anything that can be frozen, and then do supplemental trips for produce, kid snacks that run out, etc. It also means one big shopping trip, but also some small and quick shopping trips, which is also more efficient in terms of time and money.
There is a lot of content available online for meal planning. Don’t be afraid to get creative and explore sites that offer free meal options - Pinterest probably being the largest one. Most of the linked recipes will have nutritional information at the bottom, so it also helps when making conscious food choices. If there is a meal your family loves, don’t be afraid to plan for it on a weekly or biweekly basis. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you are trying to follow a specific calorie meal plan or a macro plan, it may be beneficial to consult a nutritionist to get the ball rolling.
You want to be sure you’re making well balanced meals - micronutrients, carbs, fats, proteins. By attempting to do this, you will naturally have a variety of foods full of nourishing ingredients. Portion sizes are also important - adequacy isn’t eating until you’re stuffed. This leads me to my next tip. -
Be prepared to have leftovers for lunches - this helps take some guesswork out of lunch, because many recipes make more than enough food. When meal planning lunches apart from dinner leftovers, pick easy, healthy meals. Making a big salad at the beginning of the week, or something like chicken salad made with greek yogurt, or egg salad made with mustard - which can both be eaten in romaine hearts when keeping carbs low - will be sufficient for lunches along with some fresh veggies.
There is no quick and easy fix. To some degree, it just has to get done. Planning in advance and making the grocery list while meal planning takes some of the stress out, but ultimately, once you have that food in the house, you have to use it! Take care to choose meals that are attainable and not recipes that require more time than you know you’ll ever spend cooking.
Lastly, I firmly believe that you can do a lot with a little - you don’t need expensive cookware or anything fancy to meal plan and prep well, the same way you don’t need expensive gym clothes to have a good workout. However, sometimes the task is more motivating when you have something fun and new to look forward to. Maybe it’s an instant pot, or maybe it’s a new piece of food storage or a lunch box. If these things will help motivate you to get the job done, I don’t think there’s any harm in feeding into that a little bit.
Once you’ve taken all of this into consideration, sit down with a pen, paper (or a fun food journal), and an internet browser, and get excited about all of the delicious options in front of you. Take the time and care to plan well, then hit the grocery store and stock up on supplies. I personally meal plan a few days before shopping day, and then after the big haul I don’t prep much at home the same day. The next day I will prepare certain items (cut pineapple, hardboil eggs, etc.), and then prep meals as they come. It doesn’t have to take up your entire weekend, but if you spend some time thinking ahead just a little bit and actually doing it, it never snowballs into something insurmountable.
Happy planning! As always, feel free to reach out regarding specific meal suggestions/resources!