Whether you want to hone in on your nutrition, save money or just feel like you have your shit together each week...meal planning is what you need.
Each Sunday, my husband and I sit down to meal plan, but we do it in a certain order:
First, we put all the weekly activities on the schedule. This helps us get a bird's eye view of our bandwidth each night. For example if both kids have activities in different places we know we're relying on a crockpot meal or leftovers.
Then, we take a look at the fridge, freezer and pantry. I want to make sure we use anything that we can and use it to spark some creativity!
Finally, we jot down our meal plan. Things that help me is keeping breakfast consistent throughout the week--I like to do an egg bake or breakfast burritos. (I love a hot breakfast even on days when I leave the house before anyone else is awake!) Then, I often make a large meal on Sundays so we have leftovers going into the week. It gives a bit of grace at the start of a busy week. Finally, I ALWAYS double or triple my dinners so I can eat them the next day for lunch. This shapes up to be only about 5 meals each week that I'm actually making...versus 21. I'll take it.
Note: I say nothing about meal planning. I'm not big on it----mostly because our Sundays are bananas. Instead, I use the time I have in the kitchen to prepare what I can for the following day. Maybe that's portioning out my lunch or snacks, cutting vegetables or just doubling what I'm already cooking.
One thing I mention in my video, as you start, don't worry about planning 7 meals at a time. Instead, choose a chunk of days to plan for and then plan the remainder of the week. I often have more time to play with recipes on the weekends--and I want to make healthy versions of more indulgent meals anyway, so this works well for me.
Either way, plan in the way that works best for you....but plan SOMETHING. It will help your nutrition, your budget and your sanity...swear.
Download the Meal Planner here: