Hi friends. Jess here, and I’m a (self proclaimed) master of meal planning & prep. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been meal prepping for over a decade, like since before it was cool and there were all of these meal prep companies where you can have healthy food delivered right to your door (no shopping, prep or clean up required). So basically I’ve been prepping since the stone age.
I’m an OG meal planner & prepper.
I still write my lists on a paper (ok, let’s be honest, I have a bound notebook dedicated to writing my shopping lists) it’s not a problem, it’s a way of life. I plan out our weekly menus from breakfast to lunch, to dinner and snacks. I don’t usually buy it if it’s not on the list. I spend a few hours every weekend taking time to plan and prep our foods in advance to save time during the week.
I’m not asking for a round of applause (although, please, feel free!), but I’ve decided it’s finally time to share my go to meal planning & prepping hacks, tips, tricks & give you the inside scoop.
This week we’re going to talk about the benefits of having a plan, especially when it comes to our meals!
Does this sound like your kinda thing? (hi, hello, are we best friends?)
Let’s dive in & get right to the “WHY” behind meal planning (stay tuned for prepping tips next week!).
We’ve all heard the infamous quote “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”
This is one of my all time favorite expressions that really drives the point home here.
If we have health & fitness goals we’re trying to reach, we want to be healthier, we want to feel better, we want to look better, we want to improve the quality of our life… well, friends, then, we NEED a plan.
Sure, we can wing it for a little while; however, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Eventually, winging it just won’t cut it.
Let’s talk about some benefits to meal planning.
- It helps us avoid a less healthful “drive-through” dinner.
- It helps us keep on track & make choices that align with our goals.
- It give us options, especially when things don’t go according to plan! (because we all know even the best laid plans don’t go according to plan sometimes)
- It helps us be honest about our food intake & portion sizes.
- It can increase the amount of fruits & vegetables we eat.
- It helps us eat the proper portion sizes instead of mindlessly eating.
- It helps establish a memory for portion size, which then affects the satiety that is experienced after a meal has been consumed.
- It also reduces waste. (yay environment!)
- Other benefits of planned meals include:
- cost savings
- more efficient grocery shopping
- fewer food shopping trips to purchase forgotten items
- ultimately save time
- can help with weight control because we decide the ingredients and portions served
- can contribute to an overall more nutritionally balanced diet
- can reduce stress by avoiding last minute decisions about what to eat, or rushed preparation
Meal planning also helps to make mealtimes more relaxed and minimize the negative effects associated with chaotic mealtimes, such as increased anxiety and depression in children.
It improves the ease with which families are able to eat meals together and reap the myriad of benefits associated with family mealtimes such as:
- nutritional benefits (higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, fiber, calcium, and several vitamins, and reduced intake of soft drinks and saturated fat)
- social benefits (reduced risk of substance abuse and disordered eating, enhanced psychosocial well-being, better academic performance)
There are so many benefits to planning meals ahead of time. And although the benefits are abundant, there are still so many people who do not plan their meals ahead of time for so many reasons. It can feel very overwhelming to start, especially if you don’t even know where to begin.
My best recommendation: Start where you are!
If you now eat fast food or takeout several nights of the week…your goal may be to choose a specific day of the week to create a food shopping list and hit the grocery store.
If you already food shop once a week and have basic cooking skills…your goal may be to choose one day a week to do most of the cooking, or try a new recipe.
If you already cook some weekday meals for your family…you might decide to create a schedule so that you are not deciding last minute what to make and to ensure you have the needed ingredients on hand.
Here’s how to get started…
- Discuss with your family or decide for yourself which types of foods and favorite meals they/you like to eat.
- Create a list of favorite meal ideas, recipes and shopping lists – Having a record of favorites makes it easy to create a rotation and pick something when we’re feeling uninspired
- Collect healthy recipes: Find healthier versions of your favorite recipes (For example: swap sour cream for Greek yogurt or use 1 tablespoon of oil vs 2 tablespoons)
- Consider specific meals or foods for different days of the week: Taco Tuesday, Homemade Pizza Friday, Italian Wednesdays, etc.
- Start small: If we’re not meal prepping at all, “going ham” on 7 days a week can be a lot. Aim to create enough dinners or lunches for 2-3 days more than you currently are.
Meal planning can feel overwhelming at first. Start where you are and aim to be just a little bit better than the meal or day before. Have a plan & commit to sticking to it. Getting the whole family involved can make it easier to stay on track, it can be a fun family activity to do together & gets everyone on board with trying new, healthy, delicious meals.
Stay tuned for next week’s tips on meal prepping. Make it a great week friends. We’ve got this.
Keep going,
Jess