My 5 Easy Steps to Weekly Meal Planning
I know, I get it. I used to cringe every time I heard the word meal plan. How am I supposed to know what I want to eat days in advance? I thought the entire concept was so silly and resisted it with every fiber in my being.
But then, I found the same things would happen: The time would come to eat a meal and I would have no idea what I was going to have. At this point I was so hungry, I would start eating whatever ready-to-go things I had on hand. Meanwhile, I cooked my actual meal. Next thing you know, I had eaten twice the amount of food. Or I would buy groceries for the week with an intention of cooking certain things. When the time came, I lost track of what I was going to make and so items sat in the fridge not getting used, or forgot about.
When I became more intentional and started to embrace the plan. I noticed 3 major things change.
1. I was saving money. It was so great. I was walking into the grocery store with a list each week. A list that I had already cross-referenced with what I had on hand at home. At the end of the week, I was no longer finding produce I had forgotten about. Or meats I was know shifting to the freezer because they weren’t used. Or an influx of dried goods that kept getting pushed deeper into the back of the pantry.
2. I was saving time. When I used to hear the words meal plan or meal prep, my mind went to a place of spending my entire weekend in the kitchen. Cooking pans and pans of food. Lining up rows of Tupperware containers. But this doesn’t have to be the way it’s done. Instead, I take a few minutes each week to develop my menu. On Sundays, instead of wandering the grocery store isles for inspiration. I take my list to the grocery store and I’m able to go in and out with exactly what I need. My meals focus on simple recipes, quality ingredients, and basic cooking techniques.
3. I was avoiding decision fatigue. If there is something we do a lot of in the day, it is making decisions. By the time I get home from work, thinking about what to make is not another decision I want to make. Oftentimes, it resulted in me picking up something on my way home. Or making something that was quick, versus nutritious, or delicious for that matter. By having invested a brief amount of time on this one day a week. It saves me from having to do it, daily for 3 meals a day.
I am confident that by trying this out, in one week, you will also see the same benefits I did. Eliminating stress before you even walk into the kitchen. Turning cooking into something enjoyable instead of another dreadful task.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be hard. With just 5 easy steps, see how I plan and execute my meals for the week.
I’m going to share with you the exact process I use every week to plan and execute my meals.
Step 1: Look at your Week
The first thing we need to do is take a look at our weekly calendar. Are there any days where you will be eating out? Are there days where you need something super quick because of an evening activity? Are there days where packing leftovers into your lunch would be beneficial? Remember, when you are first starting out, you don’t have to try and conquer 7 days’ worth of meals. Start small. Maybe one or two days, and then build up from there.
BONUS TIP: I always leave one or two days where I will use up any leftovers that I have. This helps me make sure that I am not wasting any food. Also, when looking at your week, pick one day as your planning and grocery shopping day, and another day as your prep day. Some people find it successful to do this all in one day, but for me, I find it easier to break it up into 2 chunks. Do what works best for you!
Step 2: Choose your Meals
Decide on a place you will store recipes. Whether these be physical recipes cut out of magazines, or written out by hand. Or digital copies saved from a website or typed out on your computer. Either way, have one place that is your go-to. Start with 3-5 that you are comfortable with. In order to get comfortable and effective in the kitchen, you need practice. Repeating some of the same recipes will help with this. When you are comfortable, start with introducing one or two new ones each week. Now that you have decided which meals you are going to have for the week, start plugging them into the days you will have them. Keep in mind, that leftovers are your friends. Are there certain meals that you can make a double batch and have the leftovers on another day? Look at meals with similar ingredients. Do you have salmon and broccoli down for dinner one night? Is there another recipe that includes broccoli and you can make it another night? Minimizing the number of ingredients is going to help with not getting overwhelmed and will cut down the time it takes you to go shopping.
Step 3: Grocery Shopping
Go through your meal plan and make a list of all of the ingredients you will need. Have a look at what you already have on hand. Take inventory of your pantry, freezer, and fridge. Are there ingredients that you already have that you can use? Once you exclude the items you have already, make a list of the items you will need to purchase.
BONUS TIP: Organize your list according to where you find the items in the store. For example, group all of your fruits and veggies together. Then group all of your meats together. This will save you time having to scroll through your list as you walk down each aisle. It will also prevent you from forgetting anything. Really strapped for time? Use an online/pick-up option. Since the pandemic, most grocery stores allow you to place an order online, select a pick up time, and be able to pick up your groceries without even having to walk into the store. If you are choosing to go in and shop the traditional way, make
sure NOT to do this on an empty stomach. This is the best way to make sure you aren’t buying additional foods you don’t need or quick snack options to eat on the car ride home.
Step 4: Prep Time!
Time to get out the pen and paper. Go through each recipe and write out what you can do ahead of time to eliminate the length of time it will take the night you are making your meal. Some people, they like cooking all of their meals and then just reheating them each day. If this is easiest for you then do your thing! For me, I like to prepare as much as possible without actually completing my meal. For proteins, this could include cutting them into my desired sizes and putting them in containers with marinades. For vegetables, this is all of my chopping. I also like to blanche my vegetables. This is where you cook them for a couple of minutes in boiling water and then immediately transfer them to an ice water bath. What this does is allow the vegetables to cook through to the center. This way when you are ready to make your meal, your vegetables simply need to be roasted or sauteed, allowing for caramelization on the outside to occur, without having to wait until the centers are cooked. Blanching ahead of time not only cuts down on your cooking time during the week but also ensures even cooking. Nobody wants charred vegetables that are raw on the inside. Lastly, for any of your green vegetables, blanching preserves their bright green color. For starches, making your rice or quinoa during your prep means you simply have to reheat it at mealtime.
Step 5: Mealtime Execution
Now we get to the easiest step of all – making your meal. Since all of the “work” has already been done, all you have to do is basically put your meal together. Cook-off your protein. Finish off your vegetables. Reheat your starch. VOILA! Let’s Eat!
Plan your work, and work your plan!
The best way to be successful in the kitchen is to have a plan and then execute what is on your plan. The more practice you get, the quicker you will be able to do this. At first, it might seem daunting, but practice makes perfect. Take the extra time on your prep days to make sure everything is ready to go, which means that during the week, you aren’t spending hours making a meal, especially after a long day at the office!
