Meal Planning 101

Meal planning is by far one of the most helpful habits you can have in your toolbox. Over the last 15 years of raising a family and striving to live a healthy life, I have found that when I take time to plan out my meals for the week, my whole week goes so much more smoothly. There is less stress, I eat better, and I feel better.  
I've put together some helpful tips and strategies on how to start your own habit of planning meals. 

Mindset reminders
 

• Every time you eat or drink is an opportunity. When you plan ahead, you are choosing to prioritize your health. 
• Healthful eating has very little to do with willpower, and quite a lot to do with planning.
• What you eat in the short term affects your energy level, feelings of comfort or discomfort, and perhaps your mood and ability to work. What you eat over time affects your long-term well-being, including your risks for developing type 2 diabetes, dementia, and other chronic health problems. Something this important deserves some planning.

 
 
Benefits to meal planning
 

• better nutrition
• better health
• greater control over your food choices
• more food variety
• save money
• less waste
• less stress

 
Common barriers to meal planning and how to overcome them
 

• Lack of awareness of how important it is
  • Remind yourself often of the benefits, and take note of how much smoother your life goes when you plan
• It takes time
  • Yes, but it’s worth it. In the long run it will save you time and you can reuse your meal plans
• It’s hard to please everyone
  • Let everyone give some input.  Pair less favorable foods with favorite foods so everyone has something to eat.  Remember that food acceptance increases with exposure, not pressure.
• Family members have conflicting schedules
  • Factor schedules into your plan.
  • Use a slow cooker.
  • It’s okay to plan a simple sandwich if life is busy.
• Too many surprises in your week
  • Have a back-up meal plan and stock your pantry, fridge and freezer smartly so you can always whip up something quickly. (Scrambled eggs, frozen veggies and potatoes are delicious and more wholesome that a bucket of greasy chicken!)
• You don’t know what a healthful meal looks like
  • Check out the “Plate method “ of planning. Fill ½ of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, ¼ with protein rich foods, and ¼ with wholesome grains or starches.  https://www.choosemyplate.gov/
• You don’t know what to cook
  • Make a list of go-to recipes and meals so you have it handy.
  • Expand your recipe collection. Go online or find cookbooks that inspire you.

 
 
Two methods of meal planning
 
Detailed Meal Planning- for those that need more structure
 

1. Look ahead.  Look at your calendar and consider your family’s schedules for the week.
2. Put your plan on paper. Use a white board, a note-pad, or your electronic calendar. I love these pads that hang on the fridge:  https://www.amazon.com/Knock-What-Eat-Pad-Yellow/dp/1601061536
   1. Decide which dinners need to be quick-to-prepare foods or leftovers and which meals can be put together more leisurely.
   2. Using your family’s favorite meals, your recipe collection and ideas for quick meals, start filling in the blanks. Don’t forget to plan for leftovers- cook once to eat twice.
   3. Jot down full dinners that you plan to make for each day of the week. Then add in breakfast, lunches and snacks if you feel you need to. Often just having a plan for dinner can be enough. 
3. Take inventory and make a list of ingredients you need to your grocery list
4. Build flexibility into your plan. Some items may not be available, or you may have a desire to try something new.
5. Recycle your menus.  After a few weeks of meal planning, you can take the best and make a new one. Make it easy for yourself.

 
Mix and Match Meal Planning- for those that resist too much structure or are already practiced with meal planning.
 

1. Look ahead at your week. Don’t ignore what could get in your way of putting a healthy meal on the table.
2. Select entrees and side dishes
   
   • If you know you are planning to prepare 6 dinners, then choose 6 entrées, 6 non-starchy vegetables, and 6 starchy foods. Then mix and match shortly before cooking which entrée, vegetable, and starch to cook.
3. Take inventory.  Identify what you need. You can give yourself flexibility when you get to the store on which specific vegetables or proteins you buy based on availability and price.
4. Fill in the rest of the meals
   1. In a similar manner, decide how many lunches you need for the week, how much fruit, vegetables, sandwich meats, etc. Do the same for breakfasts and snacks.

 
More tips:
 
Have some Go-To Meals or planned back-up meal ideas ready, so if something comes up, you don’t find yourself ordering that take-out or having pizza delivered.
 
Ideas for go-to meals:

• Scrambled eggs, ready to heat brown rice, frozen vegetable
• Tuna salad, whole grain crackers, canned or fresh fruit
• Low-fat cottage cheese with fruit and nuts or diced tomatoes and basil; serve with whole grain toast or crackers
• Bean burrito on whole grain tortillas. Use canned beans, drained canned tomatoes, diced green chiles, black olives, shredded cheese.
• Panini with whole grain bread, cheese and sliced vegetables. Serve with a bagged salad or prepared vegetable soup
• Rotisserie chicken with baked potatoes, frozen or canned vegetables
• Steamed shrimp, ready to heat brown rice or quinoa, canned or frozen veggie

 
Don’t forget to plan healthy snacks, if you like to snack. Limit snacks to 100-250 calories and focus on nutrient dense whole foods.

• Almonds and apple slices
• Hummus with raw veggies
• Yogurt and fruit
• Light popcorn
• Cheese and grapes
• Whole grain crackers and nut butter
• Hard boiled egg
• ½ peanut butter sandwich
• Dried fruits (unsweetened) and nuts

Lastly, check out this great website service www.realplans.com. For a small monthly fee you get an access to a cool planning tool that makes your shopping list for you and you can access all kinds of recipes. If you have dietary restrictions this is a really helpful tool! 


Thanks to Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE for her book "Prediabetes a Complete Guide. Your Lifestyle Reset to Stop Prediabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses"  check out her site here for more great resources: ​https://jillweisenberger.com/jillweisenberger.com/