What Are Secrets to Successful Meal Planning?

Do you want to eat healthier, but wonder how to begin? Choose to cook a majority of meals at home, reserve eating in restaurants for special occasions, and avoid fast-food restaurants.

But I don’t have time to cook! I know we are all busy with work, family, friends, and other responsibilities. The key to having time to cook is successful meal planning. Avoid coming home from work and asking “what’s for dinner?”

Goals of successful meal planning

• Eat real food made by God instead of processed food
• Reduce stress at mealtimes
• Save money by reducing food waste and not eating at restaurants
• Save time by planning meals ahead of time

What are your goals?

Secrets of successful meal planning

Everyone benefits from meal planning—singles, couples, small or large families. Large families, dietary restrictions, or food allergies may mean more involved planning.

A menu planning system can be digital on your phone or computer, whiteboard, chalkboard, or on paper in a notebook or on a clipboard. Find a system that works for you.

Keep an inventory of the pantry

The first step to successful meal planning is creating an inventory of canned goods, cooking oils, bottled dressings and sauces, dry goods like pasta, flour, spices, coffee and tea. When you run low on an item, mark it on your inventory to add to the grocery list.

Buy meat, poultry and fish in bulk and freeze

Next, buy meat, fish, and poultry in bulk and freeze in appropriate size packages for your family. I buy high quality and certified humane beef, pork, poultry, and fish in bulk from Butcher Box (affiliate link). Buy in bulk at big-box retail stores like Costco. Wherever you shop, buy your favorite cuts of meat, fish, and poultry when on sale and store in the freezer. 

When you have meat, fish, and poultry on hand, building your meals around the main protein dish simplifies meal planning.

Plan meals for the week

Accumulate a core list of about 20 recipes your family likes. Your source of recipes can be whatever you like—Pinterest, other websites, cookbooks, or family recipes already on hand. Here are some ideas for recipes from Wellness Mama.

To begin meal planning for the week, check perishables in the refrigerator to use up any vegetables or fruits before they spoil.

Choose recipes with perishable ingredients in common to avoid food waste. For example, if buying bell peppers for a stir-fry, use them in a salad for another meal.

Then check your inventory of meat, fish, and poultry in the freezer. Decide what recipes to cook for the week based on what is already on hand in the freezer and refrigerator.

Make a grocery list and stick to it

Finally, always create a grocery list. Check pantry inventory to see what ingredients you need to complete the menus for the week and add to the grocery list. Add produce items needed for each recipe and side dish.

Include items you may need every week, such as milk, juice, eggs, and bread.

Whether you buy online or go to the grocery store, stick to your list! This prevents wandering around the store and buying unnecessary items. This is one of the best ways to save money.

Meal planning apps

If you are interested in going digital with your successful meal planning, it might be worth using a meal planning app.

Verify they offer a free version or at least a free trial period. Some offer recipes, and others let you add your own recipes. Here are a few to consider.

• Mealime—free version, and lots of recipes in the database.
• Paprika—free version, but you have to build your own database of recipes.
• emeals.com—14-day free trial. You can send your grocery list directly to Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Instacart or Shipt.

Final thoughts

Planning and preparing a majority of meals at home improves your health and wellness. Begin the journey to wellness by eating the abundance of real food God made for us instead of processed food.

What are your goals for successful meal planning? What is one step to implement today to get started?

Next week, discover tips for meal prep success!