Meal Planning: A Recipe for Success

When it comes to eating well, meal planning is one of the easiest things you can do to set yourself up for success. The beauty of it is there are no rules. The key is to just start, and to set aside a little bit of time each week to do it. There are so many ways to approach meal planning; after you do it a few times you’ll begin to find what works for you and your family. To help you get started, here are some basic tips for meal planning:

Assess Your Eating Situation

Our eating situations can vary from week to week depending on work schedules, after school activities, evening commitments, travel plans – the list goes on. Think about:
• How many meals you need to plan: Take a few moments to think about what you have going on next week.
• What you have time for: If you have an extra busy week coming up, be on the lookout for quick meals or slow cooker or make-ahead meals that can be served in a hurry.
• Your food budget: If you want to eat better for less (and who doesn’t?) look for seasonal produce and items on sale.

Meal Planning Practice

• Grab a pen and paper. Write the days of the week on the left side of the page and the meals you want to plan across the top. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner.)
• Sketch out your weekly meals. Vague descriptions like quick dinner, leftovers or packable lunch are fine for now. Remember to plan for leftovers!
• Tally them up. Note how many meals you’ll need, grouping together similar ones. For example: two quick dinners or three packable lunches.

Money Saving Tip: Look for grocery store sales and specials. Write down sale items as a reminder to select recipes using those ingredients.

Look for Recipes

Now the fun part! Once you know how many meals you’ll need, it’s time to find some healthy recipes and fill in your calendar for the week. Here are some tips to help.

• Create a master recipe list. Having a list of go-to meals simplifies your meal planning process.
• Try one or two new recipes and use a few old favorites to fill in the gaps.
• When you find a new meal you love add it to the rotation!

Recipe Planning with a Purpose

• Look for recipes that use the same ingredients; this will minimize how much you have to buy.
• Keep your eyes on nutrition and serving size. Choose recipes that will help you meet your goals for the day, and that will feed everyone!
• Create that meal calendar. Regardless of the format you choose, the key is to fill in your calendar with specific meals. Remember to plan recipes with similar ingredients to avoid buying a lot of items. 
• Whether you use a simple notecard, a printable template or prefer a digital version, it’s a good idea to keep a paper copy of your calendar in plain view.