Today I’m gonna be talking about how to create a meal plan! Because as we all know… if we fail to plan, we plan to fail! One of the BEST ways to stick to healthy eating is to make a PLAN! And with today’s tips and information, you’ll be able to make a meal plan in minutes, and it will help guide you at the grocery store this week so that you are filling your cart with foods that fuel your body!
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⭐The Golden Rules of Meal Planning⭐
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⭐Plan just a few meals for the week. Instead of cramming the week full of elaborate meals, focus on three to four dinners. Leave a night on the schedule for eating leftovers and plan at least one meal that you can cook without a recipe.
⭐Shop for staples. In addition to shopping for specific meals, make sure you have a few staples that you can turn into dinner without a recipe, like eggs for a quick omelet or a can of black beans and tortillas for crispy tacos.
⭐Double one dinner. Take one recipe and make it two times; eat one for dinner this week and freeze the other for your future self. This is one of my favorite meal planning tricks, but also not something time allows every week. Meatballs, lasagna, slow-braised meats, chili, and soups work well for freezing cooked.
⭐Be flexible. Maybe your afternoon meeting went long and now you can’t get that pork tenderloin done in time or, whoops, you forgot to thaw the chicken for tonight’s dinner. Either way, you need to have a backup plan. This is when having staples on hand can save dinner. Move that long-cooking casserole to tomorrow night and whip up quesadillas instead.
⭐Use it up. Whether this is eating up leftovers or doing what we charmingly call “a fridge dump,” leaving some room in the plan allows you to turn leftovers into one or two dinners during the week. This might mean turning leftover rice into fried rice or rice omelets, or turning leftover roasted chicken into sandwiches. It might also look like everyone eating different leftovers from the whole week, and there’s nothing wrong with that either.
⭐Have a night off. Planning a dinner out or even a pizza delivery night will save your sanity. Plus, it gives everyone something to look forward to!
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⭐Creating a Meal Plan for the Week⭐
✅See what you already have. Look in your freezer, cabinets, and refrigerator. Make a note of what you currently have on hand. You can save money by using these items in the upcoming week’s meals. TIP: Also be sure to restock your pantry if you deplete it as well during meal planning!
✅Print out a simple calendar like this: https://buff.ly/2NaWJzp that will help guide you on your meals & will help you craft a grocery list (or use paper from home to outline something like it!)
✅Think about your schedule. Are there nights you won’t be home for dinner, or have lunch plans with a friend? Or maybe you’ll only have time for a grab-an-go meal during certain days. Choose meals you can easily prepare when you don’t have a lot of time. Save recipes that take longer for days off. You also can prepare meals in advance to heat and serve on your busiest days!
✅Choose 3-5 Staple Meals. A staple meal is the anchor of your schedule – these are meals that you can easily cook without stress, make extra for leftovers and lunches, and can work to use like ingredients for other meal plans during the week. Once these meals are planned on your calendar, it’s easy to fill in lunches, etc. based on what you’re buying for these meals!
✅Complete your calendar and grocery list!
✅Shop & Prep what you can for the week
✅Enjoy yummy meals!
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So now that you’ve got the basic steps of how to create a meal plan, I want to share a few things about your staple meals every week- because those will really define how your meal plan goes for the week!
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⭐How to Choose Your Staple Meals for the Week⭐
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⭐Choose meals that bless you with leftovers (for lunches, etc.)
⭐Cook recipes you know + one new recipe (helps keep it simple & stress free!)
⭐Pick recipes based on common ingredients (makes shopping easier & saves you money!)
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⭐Where to find new recipes for your meal plans⭐
✅The Fit Strong Mama Facebook Page & Free Wellness Group!
✅Our Weekly Email Newsletter
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✅https://buff.ly/2FKgYhy
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✅https://buff.ly/2Gh41x4
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⭐ACTION: Do you use meal planning in your home? What tips did you find most helpful today?