Menu planning made easy (even if you're not a planner)
We've all been there: the 4 p.m. panic. You’re racing to finish work, your partner or your kids wonder what’s for dinner, and you have no idea. (And after a long day, you may not even care.)
It’s stressful. Your mind quickly cycles through the usual questions: What should we eat? Do we have enough in the fridge to piece something together? Ugh, do I need to make a grocery run at the most crowded time of day? Or, should we just order out (again)?
The remedy for all this madness: Menu planning.
I resisted menu planning for the longest time. How would I know on Sunday what I or anyone else in my family would want for dinner on Tuesday? Plus, the idea of sitting down and mapping out meals, then making a grocery list sounded boring and cumbersome. It was a chore I would put off or skip altogether.
Well, guess what? After 10+ years of planning, I still don’t love it.. But then I just sit down and do it. Because I know that Tuesday Me will thank Weekend Me for having made a plan.
Perhaps you, too, resist the idea of menu planning. You might assume that you have to be an amazing cook or spend an entire Sunday in the kitchen to make it work.
The truth is, meal prep doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, a "good enough" approach is often the most successful.
I can help you build a system that saves you time and money, and more importantly, keeps you sane. And guess what? When you plan ahead, it’s usually easier to meet your nutrition goals.
A few tips to get you started:
1. Keep it simple.
Trying to plan a full week of meals can be intimidating and lead to burnout, and it doesn’t allow you to pivot with last-minute schedule changes. Instead, plan for 3-4 dinners. You can rotate proteins and build your meals (like this delicious bowl) from there. This flexibility allows for some spontaneity and ensures you’re not stuck with a rigid schedule.
2. Leverage your leftovers.
Think of leftovers as a built-in meal for the next day. Your Monday dinner can easily spin forward to lunch on Tuesday. It saves time and you make the most of the foods you’ve already prepared. It’s a simple way to get a lot of mileage out of a single cooking session.
3. Be realistic about your schedule.
When planning, consider what your week looks like. If Monday is a late work night, don't plan a complicated dinner. When time is tight or life is more stressful, schedule simple meals and those you’ve made before. Have a leftovers night. (The most successful plan is the one that fits your real life!)
4. The freezer is your friend.
Every week or two, make a big one-pot meal like a hearty chili or soup, or double up on slow-cooker chicken or ground beef dishes. You can freeze these in single-serving, freezer-safe mason jars. This gives you a ready-made meal that can be reheated in minutes on a night when you have zero energy to cook. Having a stack of these on hand gives you choices later and saves you from ordering takeout.
5. Move on to breakfast.
Once you get a dinner routine down (with mostly leftover lunches), start planning a healthy breakfast. Some folks prefer to bulk prep several breakfast options, or pull together a meal each morning. I often take a grab-and-go approach – stocking up on eggs and other proteins, and various veggies, berries and nuts. Each meal is a bit different but usually comes together in under 5 minutes.
6. Tweak your approach to work for you.
The “best” way to meal plan will vary from person to person. for one person. The key is to find what works for you. Start with these simple tips, and build on them as you get more comfortable with routines you’ve already established. Sometimes, the hardest part of the process is just getting started.
The takeaway?
Let go of the pressure to be perfect and give menu planning a go. By building a flexible system that works for your schedule and preferences, you'll be well on your way to saving time, money, and your sanity.
