Meal Planning Simplified

It doesn’t matter if you’re heading a large family or trying to make sure you don’t eat popcorn and wine every night while you’re spouse is deployed, meal planning can help. Not only does it save money when you’re creating a comprehensive shopping list before heading to the store on an empty stomach but you are also more likely to make healthier choices when you know there is a time crunch at dinnertime. 1. Stock up on supplies. [caption id="attachment_3561" align="alignnone" width="640"] Credit: McBeth [/caption] I’m not talking about groceries. I’m talking about recipes, Tupperware, planning binders. The tools that you need to make this whole process easier. If just the idea of looking through a cookbook makes your head spin and you wouldn’t know where to begin making a weekly organizer for meal ideas that you find, then hop on Pinterest. There you can find board after board of freeze-ahead meals, crockpot cooking ideas (my favorite!), and meal planning printables that will get you going in the right direction. 2. Make a list! [caption id="attachment_3554" align="alignnone" width="624"] Credit: Bruce Tanner [/caption] Once you’ve got all the recipes you want to use it’s time to search the kitchen for supplies that you might have on hand to help narrow down what you need to get at the store. Think about how many meals you’re trying to cook on one shopping trip. List everything you need so you’re not heading to the store every night to pick up a forgotten ingredient. Remember, this is supposed to help make life easier, not stress you out. Break down a shopping list by meats, veggies, sauces, and spices to even make the shopping experience go quicker. You won’t be hunting each aisle if you know exactly what you’re looking for. 3. Start small. [caption id="attachment_3556" align="alignnone" width="624"] Credit: Robert Couse-Baker [/caption] Just like any new task, you need to make realistic goals. Don’t expect to head to Whole Foods and buy enough organic items to stock the freezer with perfect meals for a month. Try to go with just a week worth of groceries for one meal a day. If you have a super busy morning trying to get everyone out the door fully dressed with backpacks in hand then look into recipes for overnight oats or even egg muffins that can be made ahead of time and re-heated all week to make breakfast, well, fast! 4. Prep everything! [caption id="attachment_3559" align="alignnone" width="640"] Credit: Flickr omgponies2 [/caption] I don’t just prep the big meals. I will cut up fruit and put it in Tupperware bowls so I can grab one as a snack. If I don’t have to waste my time cutting up strawberries and pineapple then I’m more likely to reach for that than chips or ice cream when I get the munchies. I also use snack bags and pre-portion crackers, pretzels, candy, etc. so I don’t overdo it on the less healthy stuff. In the morning all I have to do is grab one of my meals out of the fridge and one of my snack bags and I’m off and running. 5. Organize, Organize, Organize [caption id="attachment_3560" align="alignnone" width="640"] Credit: Brooke Payne [/caption] Mission Organization . While it won’t work for everyone I have a 3-ring binder that is broken down with good old tabbed dividers. My tabs are Weekly Meals, Grocery Shopping, Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast, and Snacks. Under the Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast & Snack tabs I have printed out recipes that fall into each category and will move them to the Weekly Meal tab so I know what I’m cooking that week. Once I’ve picked the desired meals, I’ll go to the Grocery tab and create a list to make sure I’m not forgetting anything. By moving the recipes each week, I also end up creating more variety for myself. After each week is over I put that week’s recipes in the back of their section so I don’t make the same meal too often. And in case you still don’t know how to get started, here are 3 of my favorite quick meals that I make on Sundays to get me through the week. Breakfast: Egg Muffins 12 eggs Salt & pepper to taste Omelet filling of choice (if you use meat make sure it’s cooked before adding it to egg mix) *Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together with salt & pepper as if you’re making scrambled eggs. I add a little water because it makes them fluffier. Some people add milk. *Spray a large muffin tin with non-stick spray and fill them approximately ½ to ¾ of the way with egg mix. I usually get 8 – 10 muffins out of one batch. If I’m putting a lot of filling in them I get more muffins because I leave space for the good stuff. *Evenly distribute omelet fillings in each tin. Use a fork to push the toppings into the eggs so they aren’t just sitting on top of the egg but actually cook into the mix. *Bake at 350 for 10-15 min. You should be able to stick a knife into the muffin and come out clean when they are done. *Let cool and put in Tupperware or baggies in the fridge to be re-heated for on the go breakfast as needed. You can freeze them if you make a very large batch, just let them thaw the night before you intend to reheat. Microwave them until they are hot, 30-45 seconds. *If you need more than just one muffin for breakfast you can cut it in half and pop it on a bagel or English muffin for a good little egg sandwich. Lunch: Avocado Chicken Wraps 1 lb chicken breast 1 avocado Wheat wraps Shredded cheese Juice from 1 lime Salt & Pepper to taste *Boil, drain and shred chicken. *Add avocado, lime juice and salt & pepper to the chicken and mix well. If you are using a kitchen mixed to combine everything you’re avocado will become more of a sauce. If you mix by hand you’ll have chunks of avocado. Either is fine, it’s what works for you. *Lay out one wrap, add 1/3 cup of cheese, 1 spoon of chicken mix, roll and wrap like you would a burrito. I can usually get 5-8 wraps out of one batch depending on how much chicken mix I put in each one and the size of the wraps I am using. *Refrigerate wraps until you’re ready to eat them. My husband likes his cold with ranch to dip them in. I prefer mine heated up with a little BBQ sauce. It’s an easy to-go lunch that everyone in my office asks for when they know I’m cooking. *Because of the avocado in them these are only good for 4-5 days. The avocado will turn brown after that. But that’s a week of lunches cooked up in no time! Dinner: Crockpot Pesto Ranch Chicken 1 lb boneless chicken breast 1 small jar of pesto 1 packet of Ranch dressing mix (make sure it’s dressing, not dip mix) ½ carton of chicken stock *Put chicken into crockpot *Cover chicken with pesto, sprinkle with Ranch mix, and pour chicken stock over the whole mess. I use a fork to stir up the dressing so it’s not clumps. *If you use frozen chicken cook on low 6-7 hours. If you use thawed chicken cook on low 4-5 hours. No matter which way you go you’ll know it’s done when you can shred the chicken with a fork. *Serve on top of rice, pasta, just on a plate with steamed veggies on the side. Once you shred the chicken this will make 4 good sized portions. The pesto/ranch/stock sauce is great on top of pasta but I’ve also used 5 min cous cous and it’s just as good on that as well. *This will last in the fridge for 5 days. Just pop it into the microwave, cook for 1 min, stir and cook 1 more min then you have a quick dinner that doesn’t come from a drive thru!

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