What is meal planning? In short, it’s planning your meals ahead of time. That may appear to be such a simple definition, but meal planning can be customized to your lifestyle. Meal planning can be for just a meal or two or a whole week’s worth of food.
Keep reading for seven principles of meal planning that will save you time and money. Dedicating 10 to 30 minutes a week to meal planning will change your lifestyle.
Today’s article is written by Chassidy, who is a Registered Dietetic Technician (RDT). In the upcoming months, she’ll be providing you with more information about practical and delicious ways to make healthier eating choices. – Sara
7 Principles of Planned Meals
As a busy mom of two kids, time, money, and health are three things that I am always conscious of while planning meals for my family.
Where you live, has the cost of groceries increased? Is your wallet feeling stretched?
Planning simple, nutritious meals for the week is one way to make sure your family is eating well, feeling great, and family life runs smoothly. Simple plans for the week ahead will make your life so much easier.
Meal planning can help you stick to a budget, save time, and shop seasonally.
1. Pick One Day a Week to Plan Meals
For my family, Friday is meal planning day. Everyone in the family suggests a meal or two that they would like to see for dinner on the menu.
Once I have an idea of some meals, I browse online ads and see what is on sale and cost-effective. Then I base our meals for the week on the sales and everyone’s ideas.
If I go grocery shopping without a meal plan for the week, I easily spend $50 to $75 more on food because I just toss food in the cart aimlessly.
2. Improve Time Management by Planning Your Meals
Knowing what is on the menu for the week has made making dinner a less daunting task. I like to have at least six meals planned for the week, with everything purchased and ready for each night’s chosen dinner. Choosing quick, simple dinners will make your life easier and more streamlined.
I choose meals that have minimal ingredients. Our favorite dinner is a simple beef roast in the crockpot. Beef roast, carrots, and diced potatoes are three ingredients that can be put in the crockpot on low for eight hours. When dinner comes around, I have a simple, warm, healthy dinner to offer my family, and it is rather inexpensive.
In the morning, knowing what is for dinner saves the guesswork later in the day. When dinner comes around and a meal isn’t planned, many families order something quick or pick up fast food, thinking it is quicker than making something.
Having the meal plan in place will minimize the need for takeout, which is expensive and lower in quality and nutrition.
3. Choose Your Preparation
During meal planning on Fridays, I choose as many crock pot meals as possible. The crock pot is a wonderful choice to save time and money. Many crock pot meals are fast, cheap, and have minimal ingredients.
I also rotate meals that use the crock pot. So, for example, every other week we have a specific slow cooker meal always on the menu. When those ingredients are on sale, I stockpile them. Then, these items are always on hand and readily available in case we need a last-minute meal.
Keep in mind that a lot of meals can be made in a crock pot, even if the directions say otherwise. The Holy Mess Chili is a great example of this. The chili recipe is cost-effective, nutritious, and can be tossed together in the morning for a quick dinner that can be reheated during the week for lunch as well.
The Instant Pot is also an amazing kitchen tool that can save time. Many meals can be made in the Instant Pot in under 30 minutes from start to finish.
What tools do you like to use to prepare quick and healthy meals?
4. Shop Seasonally
Shopping seasonally is another great way to save money each week.
It’s easy to see what fruits and vegetables are not in season at the grocery store just by looking at the price. Last month, here in Wisconsin, strawberries were around $8 a pint. Needless to say, that is a fruit my family will not be consuming regularly in the winter.
When looking at the sales advertisements, base your fruit and vegetable intake on items that are cost-effective and in season.
During the winter months, watch for this produce that is in season:
- apples
- oranges
- bananas
- pomegranates
- pineapple
- mango
- butternut squash
- spinach
- mushrooms
- sweet potatoes
- carrots
- potatoes
- cabbage
In the summer months, watch for these seasonal items:
- watermelon
- strawberries
- blackberries
- blueberries
- apricots
- peaches
- pears
- zucchini
- corn
- beets
- peas
- rhubarb
Remember that frozen fruits and vegetables are another option to add to your meals when your favorites are out of season.
5. Health Benefits of Meal Planning
Not only can meal planning save you time and money, but the health benefits are amazing. Planning takes the guesswork out of your food choices. You won’t be as inclined to drive through for fast food because you don’t know what to make for dinner.
Think about those nights when you’re busy with sports, church, meetings, the gym, and life in general. When you plan chili in the crock pot and have it waiting for you at home, you can continue to drive by McDonald’s because dinner is all set.
Leftovers make great lunches and even dinners for busy days and nights. For my family, on Wednesday nights, my children and I are typically at church, and we eat dinner there. I like to make a few extra portions of dinner on Monday or Tuesday and set them aside for my husband. Then he has dinner to warm up, so he doesn’t resort to picking up fast food.
6. Base your plate on USDA Recommendations
While meal planning, try to stick to the food groups and incorporate as many of them as you can in each meal. Myplate.gov suggests our meals be based on vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy.
Each of my family’s meals has protein, vegetables, and fruit. The family always has a glass of milk with dinner as well. Some nights we do not have a grain, but those are incorporated into other meals and snacks throughout the day.
7. Sample Healthy 7 Day Meal Plan for a Family
So after all this talk of meal plans, here is our meal plan for the week.
- Sunday – Beef roast; large beef roast, carrots (lots), diced potatoes, a pack of mushrooms, seasonings of choice. (I add salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, a packet of brown gravy mix, and a packet of onion soup mix). Serve sliced pears.
- Monday – Baked chicken, honey-roasted butternut squash, cauliflower rice, and sliced apples
- Tuesday – The Holy Mess Chili, diced pineapple
- Wednesday – Homemade pizza, side salad, orange slices
- Thursday – The Holy Mess Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan Meal, pomegranate
- Friday – The Holy Mess Potato Soup, sliced apples
- Saturday – Country Style Ribs, mashed potatoes, green beans, whatever fruit is left from the week
The Holy Mess 3-day diet, challenges, and meal plans can easily be incorporated into your family’s meal plan if you choose.
Browse The Holy Mess recipes to find favorites that you and your family will love. The Holy Mess has so many delicious, healthy, easy recipes to choose from. We make it easy for you!
Have fun with meal planning. Make it simple, and quick, and find what works for you and your family.
How do you meal plan? Share about it in the comments below.
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FAQs about Meal Planning (Answers from a Dietitian)
Grab a pad of paper, your phone, and a pen, and you are ready to start. Look up the sale ads for grocery stores in your area and see what’s on sale. Base your meals around that.
Most definitely! When you have no plan in place for dinner, fast food or unhealthy options become easier and a temptation when meal time comes around.
I recommend that once a week you set aside 10 to 20 minutes, once a week and get it done. In the long run, I promise that you will save yourself time.
Do you have a question about meal planning? Ask in the comments below, and I’ll respond.
More Posts about Healthy Food
Instant Pot vs Crock Pot: Which Should You Buy?
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Thank You! Some great ideas I can use:).
Your writing is like a breath of fresh air in the often stale world of online content. Your unique perspective and engaging style set you apart from the crowd. Thank you for sharing your talents with us.
Thanks for a great article, Chassidy!