If “what’s for dinner?” is a daily question, it’s time to embrace meal planning. A play-it-by-ear approach to meals can undermine your diet, not to mention create additional stress.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be a complicated time-consuming task. With the right plan of attack, it’s possible to make home-cooking a manageable (and enjoyable) part of your busy schedule.
There are many reasons to add meal planning to your healthy eating toolbox. Improved nutrition is definitely one of them.
A French study published in 2016 revealed that, among 40,554 participants, meal planners ate a wider variety of foods (especially fruits and vegetables), had more nutritionally-balanced diets and were less likely to be overweight than participants who didn’t plan meals in advance.
That makes sense. If you’re tired and hungry at the end of a workday and don’t have a plan, it’s all too easy to order a quick take-out meal or snack your way through the evening.
7 strategies for successful meal planning
Meal planning may seem like an extra “to-do” in a busy week, but it will ultimately save you time in the kitchen. And the more often you do it, the easier it becomes.
Schedule it in
Establish a day and time of the week to plan your weekly menu, perhaps on the weekend or a week night after the kids are in bed. Once meal planning becomes integrated into your schedule it will seem less like a chore.
Create a blueprint
To keep meal planning easy, map out a simple framework that’s based on meal categories for days of the week. For example, plant-based Mondays, chicken Tuesdays, stir-fry Wednesdays, pasta Thursdays, slow cooker Sundays and so on.
Then, when planning for the week, assign a recipe to each category. Include breaks from cooking such as a day for take-out or leftovers.
Make your meal plan visible (e.g., the kitchen fridge) to help you stay accountable to it. Doing so can also ward off complaints by reminding everyone what’s been agreed upon for dinner.
Plan for leftovers
As you plan your meals, think about how you can cook once and make two or more meals out of it. Leftover roasted chicken, for example, can be made into salads, wraps and tacos.
Cook an extra serving of dinner for an easy, no-prep lunch the next day.
Get buy-in
Engage your family in the meal planning process. When everyone has a say about which meals they’d like to eat, they’re more likely be open to eating other people’s selections.
Meal prep for the week
Once you’ve planned your meals, consider prepping some of them in advance. Cook a batch of soup, pasta sauce or chili for later in the week, or freeze for another week.
Batch cook whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice and oats. Make a bean or lentil salad for a meatless lunch or side dish for dinner.
Chop vegetables for snacks and salads during the week. Hard boil a bunch of eggs or make frittata muffins for a quick breakfast protein.
Grill or bake salmon, chicken or tofu for a few days’ worth of lunches.
If you’re prepping meals for one, store prepped ingredients individually so you can vary your meals each night.
Consider convenience
Take advantage of time savers at the grocery store that require zero or minimal prep such as pre-washed salad greens, pre-cut fresh vegetables and chopped fresh fruit.
Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower and butternut squash can be roasted from frozen for dinner. Keep frozen kale or spinach on hand to add to smoothies and pastas.
Have a back-up plan
Sometimes, dinners don’t go according to plan. Keep your pantry stocked with staples you can quickly throw together for a healthy meal such as tinned tuna, canned beans, eggs, frozen vegetables and frozen veggie burgers.
All research on this web site is the property of Leslie Beck Nutrition Consulting Inc. and is protected by copyright. Keep in mind that research on these matters continues daily and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.