My Recipe for Meal Planning

Meal planning is one of the BEST ways to start living on purpose and for a purpose. There are businesses that can help you in a pinch, but developing the habit of meal planning and cooking for yourself is a great way to cultivate overall wellness.  Meal planning leads to better food choices (few can stomach planning for coke and fast food all week), lower food bills, less food waste, and a feeling of accomplishment that comes from taking care of yourself.

A Weekly Meal Plan
Serves you and your family well; 20-60 minutes to prepare, 30-60 minutes for shopping

Ingredients:
Pencil or pen
Paper or notecards
Cookbooks, recipe cards, and/or favorite food blogs (Eat.Move.Live Blog ideas are here!)
Chalkboard (optional)
Chalk (optional)
Tape or magnets (if not using chalkboard)
Reusable grocery bags (preferred)

1. On a note card, list each day on a separate line between your shopping days.
2. Decide which days you will cook, eat leftovers, and/or go out. Write “leftovers” or “Out” next to the days you will eat leftovers or go out.
3. Scan your fridge, pantry, and kitchen for any food you have and need to use.
4. Pick recipes for the days you plan to cook. Prioritize recipes using ingredients you need to use for earlier in the week. Pay attention to the number of servings per recipe to know whether you need to halve, double–or triple–if you need leftovers. For some meals, you may not have a formal recipe (avocado-toast, goat cheese and beets etc.), but note the ingredients and amounts needed for these, too, and name them.
5. Bookmark, print out, or otherwise save these recipes so you can find them later in the week.
6. Write the name(s) of the meal(s) and portions (i.e. “doubled”) next to each day you will cook.

Planning dinners for the week on a notecard. You can add columns for breakfast and lunch if you like, too!

7. Write the meal plan in chalk on the chalkboard (optional) or post the meal plan where you can see it–preferably in the kitchen!
8. Make a list on paper or notecards of ingredients and amounts needed for your recipes. Combine amounts of any ingredients in more than one recipe, and shop your pantry before adding an ingredient to the list to avoid unnecessary duplicates.
9. Head to the grocery store and stick to the list! If an ingredient isn’t available, pick a substitute that works well in the meals you planned.
10. Rearrange the days if you need to, but actually make the meals you planned to make!

Have you tried meal planning? What works and what doesn’t work for you? Let me know in the comments!

I like to keep dinner plans on a chalkboard in the kitchen. This is helpful for knowing what to cook, what to move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw, and when to use the leftovers.