Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great week. I decided this week was worthy of talking about meal planning. Maybe it's not the most fun topic, but in my opinion it's probably one of the most important keys to a healthy diet. I know… you don't have time to meal plan, right? Well, honestly… you don't have time to NOT meal plan. Seriously, if you sit down for 10-15 minutes once a week and plan out your eating it saves you tons of time in the end, and probably tons of calories too. Your sanity and your waistline will thank you.
I'm going to give you the bare bone basics here. If you really wanted to, you could take it and run with it. Meal planning can be as complex or as simple as you want. Whatever fits your lifestyle works just fine… just as long as you're planning something.
Here's what my meal planning looks like: I go grocery shopping usually on Tuesdays (why that day? well… giving away my secret might backfire, but I find that it's the least crowded day). Before heading to the store I gather my shopping list. I've tried to get my husband and I into the habit of adding to the list when we use the last of something. It makes it a lot easier on me to not have to scan the fridge, pantry and bathroom to see what we are out of.
With my list in hand I hit the cookbooks/pinterest/internet and decide on some recipes for dinners. We typically plan for 5-6 dinners at home a week and I try to pick recipes where I already have some of the ingredients at hand. Once I've picked out what we are having for dinner I add what I need to the list and turn my thoughts to lunch and snacks. Once all of that is figured out I head out. This really only takes about 10-15 minutes. I'm super nerdy and I carry a day planner at all times. I usually add the name of the recipe to each day on my calendar that I plan on making it so I don't forget.
Once my grocery shopping is complete I do a little meal prepping with my groceries. I clean my produce, pre-cook some chicken breasts, and try to cook some quinoa or rice that I can stick in some tuperware in the fridge. Why do I do all this? For one, it makes packing lunch for my husband a breeze. Secondly, on those days where I'm just too tired to cook… I already have half of the work done for me. It leaves me with no excuse to go and pick up something quick and unhealthy.
See? It's painless! It takes a little bit of getting into a routine, but once you get it down you'll be so glad you started. If you think planning 5-6 dinners is a little too overwhelming, start with 3-4. You could even make a little extra and plan on having some leftovers. Another incentive to add… it makes my grocery shopping trips way quicker. I can go straight to the aisles I need and ignore the ones I don't. I've become a pro at navigating my grocery store. One day I'm going to bring a bicycle horn so I can honk at the people who stop their carts in the middle of the aisles trying to slow me down. So, 10-15 minutes upfront to save you lots of time, energy and calories later?! Maybe I'm silly, but I totally think it's worth it.
Feel free to email me with questions about my process or where I find recipe ideas. Also, feel free to chime in with the ideas and tips that have worked for you!
Until next time,
Leslie
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