When it comes down to being healthy, let’s face it most people settle for satisfaction. We want more food that tastes good rather than food for nutritional purposes. This is mainly because we don’t really know what to eat, when to eat it or why we are eating it at all, to begin with. Satisfying dishes are normally quick and easy to make and most times JUNK FOOD.
If you don’t want to fatten up, meal planning would be the best option for you. This would be the best way to properly choose dish items and ingredients, season to taste, portion your plate, and cut back on quick snacks. This is mainly due to your food being already prepared and accessible.
Using previously prepared or prepackaged items require minimal cooking and shorter wait times. You should make it your mission to keep your kitchen or pantry stocked with basic foods used to support nutritional needs. Always keep different snacks in proper proportions on hand. Doing this alleviates time counting calories, less time prepping food, and a more effective way to manage your weight.
What is Meal Planning?
Meal planning is a great way to save you time on actual cooking. This is also effective if you are trying to save money or are sticking to a strict grocery list budget. You also don’t have to worry about figuring out what to cook and eat on a daily basis. This is especially useful if you work long hours or have children to care for but don’t have the time to prepare their meals every day due to your working schedule.
How Does it save me money?
When you begin to start a basic meal plan the first thing you should do is figure out where you will be buying your groceries. After you do that you need to think of what types of meals will satisfy your family. What types of foods do they like? Favorite dishes? Would they be willing to eat this twice a week? Do they repurpose leftovers? Food allergies? Picky eaters? These will be important when deciding if meal planning will work for you.
Second, after these questions have been answered you need to decide which meals you will “Prep and plan” and which meals will only be eaten once. After you do that you can decide which items you need to purchase and which items can be left off your grocery list. If you need to research some recipes it would be a good idea to do that during this step so you know exactly what to buy. (Some ingredients on the lists may be optional and be sure to leave those in the store!)
Meal planning helps minimize wasting food. You buy what you need, cook with what you bought, and minimize throwing out uneaten items. You can buy items in bulk, stock up on basic items and take note of when they go on sale.
5 easy meal prep Steps:
1. Determine how many meals are needed.
Determine how many meals are needed over the next week or so. Be sure to make dinner your main focus when buying and prepping your meals. Many people rarely eat “dinner”. During the day they most likely eat a quick or full-course breakfast and eat lunch, and by the time they get home, they grab a snack and go to bed. If you do cook dinner you can use the leftovers for lunch or for the next night’s dinner if you get hungry.
Decide what breakfast items your family normally eats. Breakfast can be kept simple with cereal, toast, oatmeal, muffins, donuts, yogurt, boiled eggs, etc.
2. What Ingredients do you have on hand?
Be sure to check which items you already have. This will make prepping easier and save you money. Let’s say you already have meats, spices, and starches. When you create your shopping list all you need to buy will be veggies, breakfast foods, and snacks.
Use the items you already have on hand as a template when you are deciding which meals to cook. This will help clean out your pantry and ensure that you are not eating expired items.
3. Create your grocery list and go shopping
After picking your meals list the ingredients you need to purchase minus the ingredients you already have at home for your meals. Don’t forget the items needed for lunch and breakfast and other miscellaneous things.
4. Prep Your meals
Cook the meals you plan on using for the days, or weeks ahead. This can be done for complete meals, only your meats, or soups and chillis.
Separate and proportion these items into containers and store them in the fridge or freezer.
5. Enjoy!
Additional Resources:
If you are pressed for time or not that skilled in the kitchen, these companies provide pre-cooked meal subscriptions.
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