Meal planning and prepping don’t have to be complicated!
If you are like many moms I know, you have such a busy life, that making homemade, healthy meals each day is a constant struggle. Instead of just giving in and going through the local drive-thru or ordering pizza three nights a week, why not give meal planning and meal prepping a try? Here are some things to know about each of these options to help save time, money, and still prepare healthy meals each day for your family.
**This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.**
What is Meal Planning?
Before you can start on your meal prep, you need to plan your meals. Naturally, this is what you are going to focus on with meal planning. Meal planning is nothing more than figuring out what meals you are going to make in the near future. It can be as detailed as you want, though the more information you include in your meal scheduling, the better off you will be.
By starting with meal planning, you will then know what and how to better meal prep. This is going to help save you time because you aren’t running to the supermarket every day trying to figure out what to get for dinner that night.
You already know the meals for at least a week beforehand. Here is a rundown of how meal planning works, though keep in mind there is a lot of room for variation.
How Many Weeks to Plan For
The first thing you should decide is exactly how much meal planning you want to do, in regards to how many days or weeks to plan ahead of time. This really depends on you and a number of factors should be considered. Think about how much time you have for meal planning and prepping, how often your family likes to switch up recipes, and realistically what you can spend at the supermarket for planning these meals.
You should also consider how much room you have in your refrigerator and freezer. Planning for 3 weeks ahead of time is fine for the schedule, but you might not be buying food for this long if you don’t have somewhere to put everything.
When you are just starting out, try to meal plan for just one full week and see how it goes. This should include all meals and snacks your family will eat for that entire week, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts.
It includes meals you will prepare at home with leftovers, lunches your kids and you will bring to work or school, and any extra items you need, such as bringing brownies to the local potluck or any other special occasions.
I created a 10 minutes/week meal plan system and everyone absolutely loves because it is so simple and efficient!
Meal planning is a time and sanity saver for busy moms who need to organize their lives better so they have time for what really matters: family!
By the way, if you want to learn how to get out of your busy schedule and find margins to breathe again in your life, read this post!
A Good Way to Start Meal Planning
If you’re not sure where to start with planning your meals, you can make it easy by taking stock of what is in your kitchen. Take note of everything in your pantry and refrigerator, write it down, and see what meals you can make from those ingredients. You can get my What’s On The Menu? freebie here to help you do just that!
Plan Meals like a Pro in 10 Minutes/Week!
Download this "What's on the Menu?" printable now!
This should be a good start, and then all you might need are some filler ingredients. You may have almost all of the ingredients you need for homemade biscuits, so you know you can have a meal that uses those biscuits as a way of saving money and time.
Once you know everything you already have, start considering what the different meals are that your family will be interested in, but don’t forget about considering how each of those meals will be prepared. If you know you will be pressed for time, try to think of meals you can make ahead of time or that can be made in the slow cooker all day while you are at work.
How to Be Detailed in Your Meal Plans
Once you have started noting down some meals you would like to make during the week, try to be as detailed as possible. If you think you will have leftovers from a chicken dinner in order to have lunch for 2-3 days, note that in the plan!
This helps you reduce how many lunches you need to prepare, which further saves you a lot of time when it comes time to prepare your different meals for the week. After listing the meals, make another list of all the groceries you need to purchase, minus what you already have on hand.
Leaving Room For Flexibility Throughout the Week
While planning every meal is a great way to save time during the week, there are going to be some situations where it doesn’t go quite as you planned out. Make sure you leave some room for flexibility in your meals and meal planning.
For example, you might have a day where you want to go out to dinner because your spouse got a big promotion and you want to celebrate. Don’t hesitate to celebrate just because you planned to make spaghetti that night. Just readjust your schedule and make it another night. Meal planning is meant to simplify the process, not restrict yourself too much.
Include Leftovers in Your Plan
Always try to think about leftovers or using certain ingredients in your meal planning that can be used for multiple meals. If you know you want to make chicken and dumplings and are going to buy a pack of chicken breasts, buy more than you need and freeze them. This lets you have enough chicken for that meal, but also for chicken soup, salads, sandwiches, or other dinner ideas. You are going to save money and time by having the extra chicken on hand.
Meal Planning & Meal Prepping Books & Resources on Amazon
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook: Easy and Wholesome Meals to Cook, Prep, Grab, and Go
Paleo Meal Planning on a BudgetMeal Prep: The Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Meal Prep and Clean Eating with Easy to Cook Recipes for a Perfect BodyDiabetes Meal Planning Made EasyMeal Prep Book: The Essential Cookbook To Weight Loss, Clean Eating And Staying Healthy, Meal Prep Guide For Beginners, Easy to Cook Recipes (Meal Planning, … Batch Cooking, Plan Ahead Meals, Meal Plan)Meal Prep: The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook And Guide – Discover Delicious Recipes For Weight Loss! (Meal Planning, Batch Cooking, Clean Eating)
What’s stopping you from getting healthy meals on the table?
Is it knowing what to make in the first place? Making sure you’ve got the right ingredients in the house? Putting together a plan to stay organized? Not having recipes that inspire you to cook?
Whatever the reason, you’ll be doing a happy dance when you discover what’s inside the Ultimate Healthy Meal Planning Bundle!
Want recipes & meal plans created specifically for the way you eat (paleo, keto, vegan or gluten-free, just to name a few)? Pick the mini-bundle that suits you and pay just $27.
Or prefer to have the whole collection of made-for-you meal plans, organized shopping lists, no-brainer tips, PLUS over 3,800 recipes for today’s popular ways of cooking and eating? For just $20 more, you’ll get every single thing in this bundle.
Find out everything that’s included or get yours here https://us154.isrefer.com/go/HMPB2018// (but hurry – this bundle is only here for a super short time!)
Excited About Starting Meal Planning?
I hope this post has encouraged you to plan your meals and save yourself a lot of time wondering in front of the refrigerator or spending unnecessary money on getting takeouts.
Meal planning will help you be more organized, give you more time to enjoy the family, and it will also help your family eat more healthy homemade meals.
Check out part two of this post coming up on meal prepping! 😉
Subscribe to our email and receive our 30 days living with purpose series in your inbox.
Ana is the unhurried homeschool mom of 3, wife, health coach, social media and online marketing strategist, and blogger. She loves to encourage, inspire and empower moms to go from stressed to blessed by providing them with the tips, strategies, and resources they need to succeed. Ana is the founder of They Call Me Blessed and the creator of 5 Days to Your Best Homeschool Years, Grow Your Blog Partying in 30 Days, and the Beyond Blessed Life Planners. She leads a vibrant online community for moms on Facebook and you can connect with her at www.facebook.com/theycallmeblessedblog.
[…] Meal planning and meal prepping are often confused, but these are actually two entirely different things. With meal planning, you are simply deciding what the future meals will be. When you meal prep, you actually buy those ingredients, then start getting certain aspects of the meal prepared, so that very little needs to be done each day when cooking time arrives. […]