Menu Planning Made Easy The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Nikki s Nutrition does not treat, diagnose or cure any condition. Educational information and consultations are not intended to replace a one on one relationship with a qualified medical professional, and they are not intended as medical advice. Always consult your physician before making any significant diet, lifestyle or prescription drug changes.
Quality Control The first step to great menu planning is knowing what to buy and how to buy it. Deciding upon what ingredients from the grocery store you need will help you decipher quality products from processed shortcuts. Organic options, vegan options, non GMO options are now widely available, but make sure you are really checking labels to ensure all the front of the package claims match the back of the package fine print. A great thing about making our own meals at home is controlling how much salt, sugar, and fat / calories we add and consume in every meal. Plus, we can bank on quality vs. eating restaurant prepared food, which typically uses lower quality oils like soybean, GMOs, hidden MSG, and other controversial ingredients. Knowing what is in your food helps you with weight loss and weight maintenance since YOU are in control of the food and you actually know what s in it.
Get Organized Next, you have to deem a day food day and this is the day you will do all of your menu planning. I feel it is best that you do your grocery shopping on the same day since everything is fresh in your mind and the motivation to really buy and prepare foods will come naturally. How Do You Plan Best? Don t make things more difficult than needed. You have to ask yourself what works for you? Once you have the answer, follow through. Don t make meal planning day the same day you have work, soccer for the kids, and your wine group at night that doesn t make sense. Plan around your schedule because you are more able to fit things in on less crowded days than being burdened by one more thing to do on very busy days. I am not here to tell you that you must meal plan on Saturday mornings. Discover how you plan best and then work within that scope of allowances, both time and mentally! Ask yourself the following questions; Do you prefer to look through cookbooks, existing recipe cards, on Pinterest or Instagram, or maybe a combination of all three? Does your family have a favorite meal that they like to have each week? What don t you like to eat? What does your schedule really look like? What grocery store really is the best for you to navigate easily through? Don t start off overwhelmed, start off with a plan that matches your personality, your schedule, and your lifestyle. For now, pick out 6 recipes that you like. You can pick them from anywhere you like. Write them down and assign them a day. Make sure you consider your schedule for each day. If a recipe requires 10 steps, don t put it on your busiest night. Next, you should think about doubling up a recipe so that it can be used two nights in a row or as a packed lunch option the next day, or maybe even freeze half of it and put it on the next week s schedule to be heated up. Think crockpot, too, when it comes to super busy nights. If you know you won t have any extra time to cook, only eat, on a particular night, make sure that night s meal is a designated crock pot
night. It is a healthier and cheaper option versus buying takeout with inadequate quality ingredients. After you ve figured out your meals for the week, it s time to create your grocery list. Be sure to check your fridge and pantry first to see what you already have and then make the list of what you need. Tip: If you have a smartphone, your shopping list can be made much easier. My favorite grocery shopping smart phone app is called Our Groceries. You can add grocery items to the list in categories, like produce, meats, dairy, etc. You can create your own categories, too. Plus, other family members can add items to it from their smart phone. Write It Down Once you have all of your information, you chosen meals and your grocery list (along with corresponding nights) make sure you publish it for your family. Post it on the fridge or somewhere else where you and the family can see what is for dinner on what night. You also want to figure out how to store your chosen recipes. This is great for a recipe that is a STAR (Supper Time is All Right!). You can quickly reference these STAR recipes over and over again, inserting them in weekly meal planning for months to come.
There are some people who save their weekly recipes and make alternative menus. Week 1 is always the same 7 recipes and then Week 2 is a different set of 7 recipes. The third week is Week 1 repeated and so on and so forth. Need pre-planned menus? TheFresh20.com or TheSixOclockScramble.com are great resources for pre planned menus. I am not associated with either site, but I do like them because they include healthy recipes that are quick and easy to prepare. Pricing starts at around $5 per month. Pro Tips Cook once, eat twice. Plan to make double or triple what you would normally make for dinner so you have leftovers for lunches (for adults as well as kids) and/or another dinner. You also have the option to freeze some of the leftovers to use the following week if you prefer. Cook grains, like rice, ahead of time for the week, then refrigerate and use them later in the week (add a little water when reheating). Most grains will keep for 3 5 days in the fridge. Be sure to have food defrosted if you re using any frozen items like meat, chicken, fish, etc. Check what you need for the next day, the night before. Chop your veggies on the weekend or the night before to prep ahead of time and place in storage containers in the fridge. Also, decide which frozen veggies you can use instead of fresh (especially for stews, soups and some crock pot meals). Make any marinades, dressings, spice mixes or sauces in advance to save time on those busier nights. Have proper storage ware ready. A lot of frustration with meal planning comes with dishes piling up in the fridge with leftovers. Instead of getting frustrated, make room by ensuring you have the proper storage ware ready to go. Figure out snacks, too. If you pre plan out healthy snacks, the I m hungry cries will become few and far inbetween. When planning meals, plan out healthy snacks and add them to your grocery list, too.
Menu Planning; The First Actual Steps The time has come for you to go it alone, but you have support and a plan. You're organized, you know what quality ingredients to look for, you have pro tips at your side, you can do this! Your next step, for this up and coming week, is to take action with the 6 meals / recipes I referenced earlier in this document. Start cooking. Put the knowledge and training in motion, and then tweak it for next week so you find your grove and personalize your routine. Remember, this is about you, your family, and your lifestyle. You have to make it work for you, there is no cookie cutter outline because we all have different tastes, budget requirements, allergies, etc. Take these tips and make them your own!