Meal Planning Made Easy

For some, meal planning is a struggle and big challenge, not because they don’t have an idea of what to cook, but because they feel they are too busy to do it. But if you make a habit to do the meal planning, it is not as hard as you think. You just need few ideas on how to get started.

Meal Planning Made Easy: 4 Simple Steps

Meal Planning Made Easy Step 1: Spend a few minutes thinking about the meals you can cook for the entire week.

It only takes about 10 minutes to do some initial planning. This initial planning does not need to be time consuming or complicated. Make it a habit to plans your meals for the week. The more you practice, the more quickly you will be able to decide what to cook with minimal effort.

Meal Planning Made Easy Step 2: Make a list of foods that your home loves to eat.

Keep a list of the foods you love to eat. This will save you time planning next week because you can make use of the previous menu. To starve off boredom with a particular meal, try to alternate it every other week, or get creative and jazz it up. Try substituting some of the ingredients or add new flavors. Customization also allows you to save time because you only have to think of few components to replace the other contents of the menu.

Meal Planning Made Easy Step 3: Let other members of the family help you.

It is easier to do the meal planning if you can delegate some of the tasks to other members. Let’s say you do the cooking and preparation and one member of your family can shop for the foods you listed. You can even ask them to clean the areas after you cook.  Jackson and Warren love to “help” in the kitchen and I love that they can be involved in making healthy food with me.

Meal Planning Made Easy Step 4: Cook foods that you can serve twice.

Doubling up the dishes is best to do if you haven’t planned ahead. It is also an excellent way to save time. You can store the cooked foods in the fridge or freezer and reheat them for another meal later in the week. Make sure to keep your foods fresh and safe by storing them in airtight containers.

More BeyondFit Meal Planning Tips & Tricks: The 4 P’s of Meal Prep, Quick Tips for Mommy Meal Prep, Crockpot Freezer Meals

Meal planning is an effective way to reduce the stress and time spent on cooking. Want more help? If you would like to learn more about my BeyondFit Food Meal Planning program, click here.