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As far as I’m concerned there are only a few things that really make a MASSIVE difference in how my week goes. And one of those things is meal planning. These 10 meal planning tips are going to change the way you look at lunch… for the better.
When I first started living by myself and having to cook every day I found a couple of things were really hard.
First, I had no idea what to make and often struggled with what I “felt like”. Not knowing what to cook, how much to cook, how long it would take etc. really made the process of feeding myself so difficult and time consuming.
There was also the issue of having so much in the fridge because I just kept buying new things. This lead to a lot of food waste. Things would get lost and forgotten about and go bad.
I also had this weird idea that I would get “bored” of having the same meal 2 days in a row or that my life would get thrown off course if one night the dinner I had planned was something that I didn’t want right then.
But I’m happy to inform you that since I’ve started to consistently meal plan there have been a myriad of benefits. Better, more well-rounded meals, less time at the grocery store and less time cooking and cleaning, not to mention the time spent just thinking about what I should be cooking.
And as an added bonus my food bill has gone down significantly! Some week’s my family of 4’s grocery bill is as little as 65$ CAD or about 47$ US.
And it’s all thanks to these 10 meal planning tips.
The Meal Planning Tips
1. Plan your meals
The first tip for amazing meals every week is to actually go through the process of planning out what those meals are going to be.
I make this a family activity and always ask if there is anything special someone wants. I also take a quick look through my most frequented grocery store’s flyer to see what’s on sale. Then we often build meals around those ingredients.
During the week try to pick a few meals that travel well so that you can have them for lunch the following day. You can also try to incorporate a meal that freezes well so that you can have a few extra portions to throw in the freezer. This is great for times that you’re running late or need something right away.
Having leftovers will certainly help keep you away from “convenience” food which is always more expensive and very often less healthy.
I also like to keep a meal slot or 2 empty just in chase we have a ton of something left over that needs to get eaten or we want to have a “fly by the seat of your pants” kinda night.
After you plan out your meals for the week write out a list of what you need and only buy those things and maybe a few staples that are really well priced.
2. Buy Seasonal
Here are a ton of reasons to buy seasonal but the biggest reasons are that these items will taste way better and be cheaper.
Better and cheaper you say?
YES
Do it!
Knowing what’s in season will allow you to have great, tasty meals where the ingredients are easy to find, fresh and full of flavour.
In the fall throw apples in everything.
The winter is the perfect time for potatoes and other root veggies to shine. Try lots of warm soups, stews and chilies. Citrus fruits are also in season so you can keep snacks and breakfasts bright and sweet.
In the spring and summer there are tons of options from tomatoes, fresh herbs, corn, berries… mmmm so many amazing things to incorporate.
Another quick tip is to cook according to the weather. In the winter roasting and baking is awesome but in the summer in order to keep the house cool try grilling or eating more cold meals.
Meal planning tips like this really help with meal diversity!
Related: How to Meal Plan in a Nutshell
Related: How to Meal Plan Using a Bullet Journal
3. Use the same ingredients in different meals
If you’ve grown up thinking that potatoes can only be fries or that beans only belong in chili you gotta change that thinking!
Being able to use the same ingredients in different meals will open up so many options and then when that item is on sale you can have multiple low cost meals through out the week without getting bored.
As an example:
Take sweet potato
You can make all these with it as the focal point:
Roasted sweet potato soup
Sweet potato blackbean burgers
Sweet potato coconut curry
Loaded baked sweet potato with guacamole and re fried corn
There are literally SO MANY OPTIONS.
and most foods are like this.
Another great point for these meal planning tips are that with the option to use the same ingredient there is much less of a chance that you’ll have food wasted at the end of the week.
And we all love a clean fridge and not wasting money, don’t we?
4. Cook more than you need
Honestly, I usually find that it takes more time to prep and clean than it does to actually cook. So by cooking more all at once we cut down on prep and cleaning a ton.
It really doesn’t take any longer to cook enough for 2 meals instead of just for 1 so if you find yourself short on time through the week having 2 or 3 big cook days will help you get a handle on this.
As mentioned above, when you cook more than you need you don’t have to cook as often. Having lunches ready to go, snacks on hand and extras in the freezer means that you’re covered no matter what else might be going on in your day.
5. Invest in good food storage containers
If you’re going to be brown bagging it (which you should) and freezing leftovers you need to have some good containers for your meals.
There are lots of different types of containers to consider from glass to plastic to silicone and my only advice there would be to choose something that matches your needs.
Consider how much space you have to store things, what type of food you like to cook and how many containers you need. Then pick something that’s high quality and functional while being in your price range.
Of all the meal planning tips, this one will help make sure that your food stays delicious!
6. Have a well stocked pantry- particularly with spices
Having a well stocked pantry will help minimize random “quick trips” to the grocery store which are rarely quick and often lead to impulse purchases.
Another great thing about having lots of spices kicking around is that you’ll be able to dress up any meal and make it unique or more flavourful by adding a little cayenne or sage rather than making an entirely different dish.
Spices can liven up anything from casseroles to scrambled eggs. So having a handy stash will allow you to experiment and keep things fresh without doing much work.
I recommend having:
garlic and onion powder, sweet and smoked paprika, sage, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, tumeric, powered ginger, curry powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
These are great starter spices since there is so much versatility but feel free to go nuts! Spices last a long time if stored properly and add so much dimension to meals. I literally have a basket of bagged spices in my cupboard and I use them every single day.
7. Keep a recipe folder or book
If you’re just starting out in meal planning it can be hard to know where to start and what to make.
This is where a recipe book or folder comes in handy.
Every once in a while go ahead and google “recipes using _____” then find some recipes you’d like to try. When you find a few either print them off and add them to a binder in the “want to try section” or add them to a bookmark folder in your browser.
When you try a recipe and like it, move it to the tried and loved section of your binder or folder and you’ll start a running list of dinner ideas.
Keeping one of these will make it way easier when it comes to planning all your meals the week before.
8. Make snacks in advance
I like me a good snack.
3pm rolls around and I want a little something.
8pm rolls around and I want another little something…
and the kids, well they always want a little something.
Because we’re just a snacky family I like to have some options around the house. But I want them to be healthy options if I can manage that.
To accomplish this I like to make some snacks meal prep style. Often we bake a batch of cookies, muffins or scones over the weekend and we’ll make some energy balls too for quick eating on the go or when we need just a little pick me up.
Another really good snack is to pre-cut some veggies into sticks and keep them in a container then make a dip. You can change what dip you make weekly.
We like to do hummus, artichoke dip, black bean or edamame dips… I prefer to do something with a higher protein profile to make it more filling.
9. Shop the fridge first
Some of the best advice I can give you about meal planning is to shop your fridge first.
Before you start thinking about what meals you want to have check your fridge, freezer and pantry first and see what you have then try to build your meals around those ingredients.
It’s as simple as seeing you have a bunch of broccoli the googling “recipes with broccoli”. You’ll get a ton of inspiration and be able to use your broccoli before it turns.
You can also make a big soup or stew at the end of the week with left over… well anything. This is a great way to make sure that you use all the odds and ends you have left over from the week.
I hate having to throw out food so this is a great way to make sure you’re using what you have. It will also keep you from buying things that are still plentiful in your kitchen.
I used to have this habit of buying chickpeas every time I was at the store. Eventually I realized that I had 8 cans and I could probably stop that for a bit.
Shopping your fridge first will cost down food costs, reduce waste and still get you amazing meals every week.
10. Put spins on classics
As you get better on the meal planning front you can start to add some more personality to the recipes that you collect.
Add an extra veggie or an extra spice to a dish to jazz it up and make it a little different.
Making recipes your own or substituting ingredients to suit your family’s tastes better will give you more options and variety than throwing out a recipe that would be delicious except for one offender.
Often that one ingredient isn’t critical to the dish and you can find something to replace it with to make it perfect for you. Experiment and you’re bound to come up with your very own secret family recipe that’s always a crowd pleaser.
Meal Planning is a Pillar of Planning
Meal planning is an an aspect of planning that has truly changed my weeks. My family eats better, more balanced, healthy meals that are delicious to boot.
We save so much time by not having to debate what we want to have or doing last minute runs to the grocery store.
And we spend less on food since we don’t have to eat out and we’re using all of the food that we’re buying.
Learn more about meal planning tips and other pillar’s of planning with my eBook!
