I admit, I have never been a meal planner. I used to idolize others who would write out their entire week’s worth of meals on Sunday nights. Those who know on Sunday what they will be eating on Thursday.
Do people actually do this, I asked myself.
Well, after doing a little more investigative research, I discovered that yes, many people do plan out their meals ahead of time, and *gasp* even use recipes!
I have never done this. At most, I come across a recipe and use it for inspiration because I can’t be bothered to follow all those rules.
However, the downside to all of this spontaneous fun in the kitchen is this:
Monotony and lack of variety
I discovered that since I was not thinking about meals until, ummm I got in the kitchen, I tended to rely on the same, recycled meals over and over again because it was easy.
And let’s be real, that isn’t good for anyone let alone someone who is dedicated to pursuing a healthy lifestyle!
So I decided enough is enough.Today marked the first Sunday that I would plan my meals out for the week.
And this is what I did:
Duration on Sunday afternoon: 50 minutes
I walked into the kitchen with scrap paper and a pen. I decided the best way to attack meal planning (yes, I just said attack. This is war and planning is the enemy!), was to dig out the resources that I have at my fingertips.
1) Dig out the food you already have
I divided up my food into two groups: “Meal Bases” and “Veggies”. Meal bases are things that I rely on. These are things such as lentils, beans, whole grains, etc. If you eat meat, you would probably have some chicken, beef and whatnot included in this too.
Meal Bases
- Black beans
- Lima beans
- Quinoa
- Red + green lentils
- Split green peas
- Whole wheat spaghetti
- Brown rice
I was quite surprised at how much I had just sitting in my cupboard!
Veggies:
- Cabbage
- Red + orange pepper
- Dill weed
- No salt added tomatoes
- organic carrots
- broccoli
- green beans
- sweet onion
- canned mushrooms
2) Write down what you have
And off I went to the computer!
3) Dig up old bookmarked recipes. Re-evaluate.
Luckily I was 2 for 5 because I already had 2 recipes bookmarked that I have been meaning to try. But that didn’t mean I was going to make them of course. I re-evaluated the recipes to see if I still wanted to make them and if I had the necessary ingredients.
I don’t have soy creamer and I don’t have sherry or french fried onions. But that is ok. I am going to make an inspired version of this casserole without having to run out to the store. I will use what I have and it will be just fine…promise! This is where the free-spirit cook in me gets to come out and play.
b) Bean and mushroom burgers
I love beans and I love mushrooms, why haven’t I ever had these two ingredients meet? It is beyond me. I like the concept of this recipe. It is a good foundation, but I already have plans to modify it. I will be reducing the butter, oil, and I won’t be using mayo. Oh, and I am using canned mushrooms since I have those on hand. Repeat after me: It is ok to change recipes! :)
So there.
I already have two nights out of 5 decided upon.
For the other three, I hit up one of my favourite websites.
4) Visit All Recipes and type in the ingredients you have and the ingredients you don’t have. Click. Poof. Instant meals ideas.
Look over the recipes. Accept nothing less than 4.5 stars. I’m joking, I’m joking. With that being said, I usually don’t click on things without a picture. Obviously, I never took to heart the saying ‘Never judge a book by it’s cover’….errr lack of cover.
After some detective work, I found 2 more suitable recipes for this week. One night is going to be a BBQ with the boys, so that is sort of a ‘free’ night.
5) Plan what nights you will have each meal and record in your to-do list or on a calendar. Whatever works!
Click to enlarge:
I entered all of mine in Todoist. I created a special section called ‘Recipes to Make’. I can plan out meals and also ‘bookmark’ recipes that I want to try. When I make them, I will cross it off.
So there we have the full week of dinner’s planned:
- Monday: Green Bean Casserole
- Tuesday: BBQ
- Wednesday: Bean + Mushroom Burgers
- Thursday: Pumpkin Curry lentil apple stew (again lots of modifications will happen!)
- Friday: Cabbage rolls
The only thing I plan on picking up from the grocery store tomorrow is vegetable broth. The rest I should be able to make with slight modifications and not have to buy anything else.
The best part:
It took me under 1 hour to plan all 5 nights! I am really surprised! It was so quick and easy. And I feel more organized already. I also find that I am really looking forward to some new and exciting meals this week!
It will be a miracle from above if I can actually follow this! Here’s hoping! :)
Tonight’s question: Do you plan your meals? If so, how do you do it? What is the method to your madness? Or are you like me- totally plan-a-phobic? Does meal planning help you eat healthier? Share your thoughts!
Happy Birthday to sweetie pie Caitlin!!
See you tomorrow for my thoughts on Running in the blog world!
I live 120 miles from the nearest grocery store, so meal planning should be a habit for me. But, it’s not. We end up wasting a lot of food (usually produce that we buy too much of and ends up going bad).
I’m going to spend 45 minutes tonight planning out about a weeks worth of meals and see how it goes.
Thanks for the motivation
I’m totally a meal planner, but I never thought of combining it with Todoist! Great idea!
When I was in school, I typically didn’t plan meals. I did still make a good effort to eat healthy and only fell back on less healthy stuff those nights I had class til 5:20 and another starting at 7, or nights I was home after 6-6:30.
Now that summer’s here I’m planning to try out at least one new recipe a week since I’ll have more time to devote to cooking. As for planning, aside from that one night, we’ll see. I’ve tried it in the past and found that sometimes I just feel like something different than what I originally planned out.
I love meal planning- when I remember to do it. We save so so much money doing it this way. We plan out 5-6 dinners and write them down. Then I make the week’s grocery list off of what those meals will need. Now we shop once a month, with a comprehensive list and save money because of our concise list, and not needing to go out last minute because there isn’t enough in the house.
Seriously- we save SO MUCH MONEY! : )
Now, tell me, how do you get your hubby to go sans meat? I can’t swing it even one meal…
I plan my meals for the week, but I also make extra and plan on having leftovers several nights.
I’m a planaholic. I have way too much stuff going on to have to think about what I’m going to make that night for dinner. I take 30-60 minutes every saturday morning and plan everything. This is especially necessary because my husband and I have kind of opposite schedules right now while I’m in school.
I am such a planner. I plan prior to making my shopping list and then go from there. I’ll switch it up the day of, if something sounds better and I have the ingredients, but for the most part, I stick with the plan!
Your plan looks great!
This is my very first week of meal planning too. Wishing us both luck!
Angela, I love how you come up with original an informative post ideas every single time!!! Wednesday and Thursday nights meals sound so delicious, good luck with the new recipes!
Looks awesome!! I bet you’ll feel great by the end of the week. Like you said, it’s amazing to see everything that we already have in our cupboards! What a money saver eh??
We almost always plan our meals – usually on Thursday evening or on friday, before we go grocery shopping. i flick through some cookery books, assess when DH will be on evening shifts and decide what to eat together. Then we write donw the groceries we need and go shopping. We leave some things open, like which veg we’ll have or which veggie burger.
Now that I’m done school I’m really looking forward to having more than 15 minutes to make dinner! I’m definitely looking forward to planning a few meals a week and trying out new recipes now that I have the time :)
I am super excited about your cabbage rolls! Please post the recipe, if you can!
Yes! We plan out our entire week on Sunday mornings and then shop for everything that day. Also…I wash & chop up a bunch of raw veggies to keep in a tupperware for the week. It’s so nice to be able to use them for salads, stir fry, snacking, and also for smoothies (carrots & cucumbers) Since hubby and I both work 40+ hour weeks and then go to the gym after work, there isn’t much time for impromptu meal planning since we are always hungry when we get home from our workouts. I love that you are starting to plan it out! That green bean recipe is one of my absolute favorites! BTW….I used white wine and then caramelized onions for the top instead of the fried onions. I can’t wait to see how yours turns out! I think we are making bean burgers this week too…with black eyed peas :) Boom boom pow!
I plan my meals! It is such a time saver and it also helps with our grocery budget! As a mother of very active 12 year old twins I need all the help I can get.
Here is what I do:
On Sunday, I take inventory of my freezer and pantry. I pull up the sale ad online for my grocery store to see what is on sale. Then I pull out my recipe binder (filled with tried and untried recipes!) and my Palm calendar.
I have an excel spreadsheet that has a column for each day of the week. There is a space at the top for any activities. This helps to know whether the meal needs to be a crockpot meal, leftovers, something fast, or something I have time to cook!
Breakfast is easy because I normally have the same thing. Lunch it typically leftovers from the day before or something I have prepared and frozen plus a salad.
Once I have my menu planned, I make my shopping list. Since I have my freezer/pantry inventory, I know not to add those to the list. I have even gone so far as to categorize my shopping list by items (canned goods, fresh produce, dairy, etc.)
Yep I plan my whole week on a Sunday before I go do my weekly shop. I find it helps me keep healthy and spend less as I plan to use things up. I’m not so good at trying new recipes though so will try and use your idea of adding them to a list so I can go straight there for inspiration!
meal planning is hard sometimes! i usually only plan that day, or maybe the night before. sometimes early in the week i will plan a meal for friday or saturday when i have more time to cook. the black bean burgers look good — i have been making a really awesome version that is simply black beans, kidney beans, diced mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, s&p, red pepper flakes, bbq sauce, bread crumbs, and a bit of egg white. they are crazy healthy and beyond good! the best part about making your own veggie burgers is you can change them up every time!!
Oh I had no idea All Recipes had such a function! I’ll have to check that out. I’ve never planned out what I’ll eat on a specific night, but I usually pick about 3 recipes to try for the week. This planning definitely helps me eat healthier. Even if I’m tired, if I know I have a specific meal to make I’ll just do it.
if i find a fun ingredient at the store or farmers market, I usually use foodblogsearch.com to get some ideas and recipes!
I am such a planner! I don’t know why that is, but I like it. We use a large calendar dry erase board for our menu plans and running grocery list. I also keep a fat small notebook with me to jot down inspiration that I glean from food bloggers and recipe websites. I think planning helps save money in the grocery store, and creates a little less stress for me, because I already know what I’m cooking when I get home from work, plus I know I have all the ingredients. We make sure to schedule in an “off night” for dates, leftovers, or easy stuff like cereal or omelets once a week. (sorry to ramble)