Whether you’re feeding yourself, a few people, or a whole family ― meal planning can help get the job done faster, easier, and cheaper.
Have you ever found yourself too tired and stressed at the end of the day to cook, but you know you’d rather eat at home than spend money dining out? If so, there’s one skill that can help take some of the pressure and stress out of feeding yourself and your family ― meal planning.
Meal planning is essentially the idea of planning, and sometimes even prepping, your meals ahead of time. Not only can it help save you from the stress of scrambling over what’s on the menu, but it’s also a great way to meet nutrition goals, save money on groceries, and more.
Ahead, we’ll share our top tips and resources for how to meal plan, including a step-by-step meal planning routine and tips and tricks for budget and family meal planning.
One of the best things about meal planning is that even if you think you’ve never meal planned before, you probably already have. After all, “meal planning” just means planning out your meals ― whether that’s dinner for the evening or lunch for the work week ahead.
But there’s a difference between planning a meal here and there and actually incorporating meal planning into your routine. So, if you’re ready to meal plan regularly, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to meal plan.
Step 1 | Figure out a plan
Before you jump into creating your first meal plan, think about what you want to get out of meal planning. Is your goal to get more nutritious food on your plate, or do you just want to spend less on groceries? When you have a goal in mind, meal planning is much easier.
Step 2 | Note what you have
As you get a better idea of what you want to meal plan, consider using ingredients you already have at home as the inspiration for your recipes. Frozen ingredients, leftovers, and pantry staples are a great place to start if you want to keep grocery costs low.
Step 3 | Pick a few recipes
Once you…
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