Hey guys! Did you eat your rainbow yesterday? Did you find any new fruits and veggies to try as part of the challenge? I admit that I didn’t try anything new, but did end up eating more fruits and veggies than usual. How about you?
Today we’re planning for next week….
Day 7: Plan Your Meals
Why should you plan your meals?
- MORE MONEY in your pocket. You will save money by not eating convenience or restaurant food. The average family saves $60 a week by cooking at home!
- HEALTHIER MEALS will be prepared, and you know exactly what you’re putting in your body.
- LESS impulse buys. You have a plan, you have a budget, and hopefully, you have a little bit of willpower!
- TIME SAVING. You will gain precious minutes back, giving you more time for the things you really love, because you have taken all the guess work out of dinner.
- Milk: 2-3 servings
- Lean meats & alternatives: 2-3 servings
- Fruits: 2-4 servings
- Vegetables: 3-5 servings
- Whole grains, beans and starchy vegetables (potatoes): 6 or more servings.
To help you with your meal plan, I created a Meal Plan worksheet (links to the worksheet at the end of this article). To use it, I start most Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee, a stack of cookbooks, and a pad of post-it notes. I flip through my cookbooks, flagging all of the recipes I want to use for the week.
My next task is to put an “X” on the worksheet through any of the meals that I know will be eaten out of the house for friends’ birthdays or whatever is lined up on our calendar. Then, I match up recipes I’ve marked in the cookbooks with openings on the schedule. If any of the items need preparation hours or days beforehand, I’ll list those under the “Prep for Tomorrow” section to help with managing my time. (For example, dough for homemade pizza crusts needs to be made 24 hours in advance of use … so if I want pizza tomorrow, I have to make the dough today.) Also, having at least two snacks listed on the worksheet ensures that I’ve got healthy snack choices available.
When matching recipes with meals, I’ll review the recipe and write down any ingredients on the grocery list section of the worksheet. This helps me plan out what I need from the store and in the Spring & Summer my local farmer’s market. Sometimes, I’ll make two grocery lists for a mini-run on Wednesday night to get fresh produce.
PS – you can join the 31 Days to a Healthier You challenge anytime by leaving a comment below indicating your interest & ticking the “Notify me of new posts by email” box so that you’ll be emailed the daily challenge.
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Yes! Planning meals is a must. Such a simple little tip, but it’s something that most people completely overlook.
From my own experience I’d say that one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is making the effort to prepare a wholesome meal after a long day at work. How easy is it to just throw some pre-prepared junk in the microwave, or stop off at a fast food joint? But you always regret it afterwards.
Planning ahead before you go grocery shopping is a great way to avoid stocking your cupboards with convenience food too. You can’t be tempted with what you don’t have.
How did you know I so needed this right now!! I have been saying I need to try and plan my meals for months now and never get around to it!! THank you for giving me the work sheet!!:)
No problem! Enjoy!
Twitter: wideloadroad
says:
Big into planning my meals. It started out as a way to save money, but has also turned into a way of controlling what I eat.
Although I’m not as organized about things as you are.
Amanda B. recently posted..I didn’t listen to myself…
This is one I really need to do more often. I was telling my husband that maybe I should do Nutrisystem for 28 days so that it’s all mapped out for me. I am a horrible meal planner.
Jenn of PersonalFitCoach.com recently posted..Healthy Recipe of the Week – Spicy Butternut Squash Soup