When people begin their journey to eating healthy they have a tendency to overthink and over analyze the process. Actually, the majority of time people do not know where to start. Meal planning is not often discussed when they embark on the journey of eating healthy. I was in this same boat when I began my journey to eating healthy. I did not know where to begin but I also knew that I did not want to eliminate certain food groups like the majority of diets require. Planning for 4 to 5 meals a week is ideal and will not allow you to over complicate or over stress yourself. So here are a few tips that I have found to help me when I begin meal planning for a week.
1. Gather your favorite recipes or recipes you would like to try. I recommend printing out the recipes if the source of your recipe is from online or jotting down the title of the book with the page numbers if you are using a recipe from a book. I actually have a board on Pinterest that I created to keep up with different recipes.
2. Make a list of the common ingredients that are required for your meals. This will help you see what you already have in the pantry and refrigerator. Mark next o the items that you already have at home so that it makes grocery shopping easier. I have constructed a meal plan several times without doing this step and I have bought items that I did not need.
3. Write out the meals you have chosen on a calendar. It is always best to be able to visually see your meal plan. This is a time to bring out your crayons, colored pencils, and even uncover your inner virtual creativity. You are the creator of your weekly menu.
4. Set aside a day to go grocery shopping. This is the hardest part of meal planning. My main advice would be to make sure you eat before you go to the grocery store. In the beginning I would say to myself "I have control, I can run in and out in no time and get something to eat afterwards." Oh man, Oh man was I wrong. Lets just say that the meal plan went out of the door and my basket was filled with unnecessary items. So please please please east before you go grocery shopping. Don't forget to bring the list that you created to the grocery store. I usually go grocery shopping for my main items on Saturday and if certain places have deals during the week I wait to go to those places.
5. Meal Prep is the fun part. It allows you the opportunity to be a chef. I have a family of to adults and one toddler so I usually cook double the servings so that there are leftovers. Usually when I meal prep I put on some music and get swept away by the bold aroma of the food. (can't you tell I love food). Ideally, meal preparation helps to eliminate the stress of forgetting to thaw out food or what to cook all together.
What are some of your meal planning tips that help you to successfully stick to a meal plan?
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