What is Meal Planning?

Meal planning and prep can be a great way to save time, eat healthier, and reduce stress throughout the week. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

1. Set Your Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with meal planning. Whether it's eating healthier, saving money, or simply saving time during the week, having clear goals will guide your planning process.
2. Choose Your Recipes: Browse through cookbooks, websites, or apps for recipes that align with your goals and dietary preferences... OR turn to your custom created recipes designed by me for you, knowing how you run your household and preferences. By selecting recipes that use similar ingredients to minimize waste we can streamline your shopping list.
3. Create a Weekly Menu: Once you've chosen your recipes, create a weekly meal plan. Decide what you'll eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks each day of the week. Be realistic about your schedule and cooking abilities when planning meals. OR let me do all that for you, knowing your workload and abilities.
4. Make a Shopping List: Based on your weekly menu, make a detailed shopping list of all the ingredients you'll need for your meals and snacks. OR consult your personalized shopping list created by me. I will even organize the list by sections of the grocery store to make shopping more efficient.
5. Grocery Shopping: Set aside time to do your grocery shopping, preferably at a time when the store is less crowded to minimize stress and save time. Stick to your list to avoid impulse purchases.
6. Prep Ingredients: Once you've brought your groceries home, set aside some time to prep ingredients in advance. This might include washing and chopping vegetables, marinating meat, or cooking grains and legumes. Prepping ingredients ahead of time can significantly reduce cooking time during the week. We can discuss if this is in your wheelhouse or not, zero pressure either way I want to make mealtimes less stressful. If you don’t want to do any prep, consider hiring me to come do an in home class/demo.
7. Cook in Batches: If possible, cook large batches of meals that can be portioned out and enjoyed throughout the week. This works well for dishes like soups, stews, casseroles, and stir-fries. This is a great idea, but generally only works if you have the space to store. Let’s discuss what makes the most sense for you!
8. Use Storage Containers: Invest in a variety of storage containers in different sizes to store prepped ingredients and cooked meals. Make sure they are freezer-safe if you plan to freeze meals for later.
9. Label and Date: Properly label and date your stored meals and ingredients to avoid confusion and prevent food waste. Include the date prepared and any reheating instructions if necessary. A small step that goes a long way.
10. Stay Flexible: While it's great to have a plan, life can be unpredictable. Be flexible and willing to adjust your meal plan if needed. Leftovers can also be repurposed into new meals to reduce waste. YES - even with the personalised plan, life happens. Don’t fret if you get off track one time, you have the freedom to move that meal to another day. Not sure about if the ingredients will still be ok? etc. shoot me an email, I’m happy to support.
11. Review and Revise: At the end of each week, take some time to review how your meal planning and prep went. Note what worked well and what didn't, and use this information to report back to me so we can fine tune for next time.

By following these steps, you can streamline your meal planning and prep process, saving time and reducing stress while ensuring you have delicious and nutritious meals ready to enjoy throughout the week. Together, we got this.