breakfast picture
Have you ever…
Felt overwhelmed or exhausted at the prospect of planning another meal?
Been frustrated that you don’t have the ingredients you need right now?
Felt crummy (or guilty) after eating a meal made with convenience/processed foods?
Have you ever…
Regretted throwing out food because it went bad before you used it?
Wished you didn’t have to decide what to eat when you’re hungry?
Wondered how other busy women feed their families nourishing balanced meals effortlessly every day?
picture of veggie skewers
If you answered yes to any of these questions – I’m here to help. If you want to stress less about meals, save time and money, and have better health, read on.
You know you’re in the right place if…
- You know you can prepare better meals, but you just need a system and a little guidance.
- You want to discover the power of meal planning
In this article I will share…
- What is meal planning?
- 5 amazing benefits of meal planning that will significantly increase your nutrition and decrease food waste so that you’ll stress less, save time and money and have better health.
- 3 actionable tips that you can use to get started meal planning today.
dill chicken picture
What is Meal Planning?
Meal planning is taking the time to plan nutritious meals and snacks for a specified time period. Meal planning helps you prepare a number of meals at once so you can eat your healthy, home-cooked meals even when you don’t have the time to prepare them. Meal planning also helps you save time and money, have more balanced nourishing meals, and improves your health. In other words, meal planning has so many benefits. The problem is that in today’s society, many people feel that having home-cooked healthy meals is something they just can’t do every day.
Following are 5 Amazing Benefits of Meal Planning:
- You have less stress at mealtime. You know what you are going to have and you know that you prepared it when you had the time and energy.
- You always have healthy snacks instead of going to the vending machine for unhealthy sweets or crunchy, salty snacks that will only keep you satisfied for a short time.
- You save money by buying in bulk. Ditch the expensive convenience foods and small packages of foods you use often. Non-perishable foods you use often are much less expensive if you buy them in bulk. When you buy perishables in bulk, take what you need for the week and immediately freeze the rest for next time.
- You can save money by reducing impulse groceries and food waste. If you planned your meals and have your grocery list, you are less likely to wander the aisles looking for inspiration, to buy something because it looks good (and is probably more expensive than if you made it from scratch), and to go overboard buying too much food that will end up going to waste.
- You save time grocery shopping and cooking. By doing a week’s worth of grocery shopping and meal prepping at one time, you’re more efficient. For example, you can roast two different trays of veggies at the same time – one for Monday/Wednesday and the other for Tuesday/Thursday. It’s the same amount of veggies, but you’re using your utensils, cutting board, oven, etc. just once instead of twice.
cauliflower chickpea tacos
Want to get started meal planning today? Here are 3 tips to get you on the right track.
Tip #1. Start with snacks. When you start meal planning the easiest approach is with healthy snacks. Aim for 1-2 snacks per person per day for 5 days. Here are a couple of examples:
- Wash and chop some fruits and veggies and pack them with a container of nut/seed butter, dressing, hummus, or yogurt.
- Bake healthy low-sugar, high-fiber granola or protein bars.
Tip #2. Make smoothie packs. Take your favorite smoothie recipe. Measure and package the greens, fruits & veggies. Then freeze them in individual portion packages. This way all you need to do is pull them out of the freezer, dump them in your blender, and add the liquid, for an instant healthy meal.
Tip #3. Make overnight breakfasts. You can boil eggs and put them in the fridge. You can also make overnight oatmeal or chia pudding.
I hope this has been helpful in showing some of the benefits of meal planning. Try out the suggestions in the tips and let me know what you think and whether you want to try more meal planning and prep in the future.
If you liked this article and want to dive deeper to learn about and experience meal planning, consider joining my 5 Day Menu Planning Challenge. In the 5 days you will
- Do a kitchen cleanout
- Get organized for your menu planning
- Create your menu
- Prep your meals
To sign up complete the form below. I’d love to have you join us!
