Making food from scratch is essential if you want to eat a healthy diet. Homemade food takes time, though. Without planning, it’s hard to stay consistent at serving home-cooked meals. Learning how to meal plan is a necessity if you want to stay sane and keep food affordable. Having a schedule of what you’re planning to eat for each meal and snack will help you save time while sticking to a clean eating diet.
Set a System
I like to plan one week at a time because I consider what’s on sale each week before setting my menu. I usually will Shop and prep on Sundays. I feel it sets me up for the week.
Those of us who are creatures of habit do well with general guidelines that repeat from one week to the next. For example, you could have Mexican food every Tuesday, pasta every Wednesday, and soup every Friday. There are so many different variations under each of these themes, but it can help guide you as you plug in different ideas.
Plan Meals and Snacks
To make a clean eating meal plan, pick out a variety of foods for each meal of the day. Come up with at least three or four different breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that you’ll eat throughout the week. Look at what’s on sale and what you have on hand, and try to use up the food that’s already sitting in your fridge. This is more practical and affordable than setting a meal plan based solely on what pops into your mind when you sit down to write the plan. I recently had a head of cauliflower sitting in my produce drawer for a couple weeks. I knew it would go bad soon, so I used that as a starting point for our dinner one night. We roasted it along with some Brussel sprouts. The fish and potatoes that were also served that night were really an afterthought.
One of the best things you can do for your health is to rotate your meals. This means that you shouldn’t eat the same things day after day, even “healthy” foods. For example, if you eat oatmeal for breakfast 6 days a week, your body will probably develop a sensitivity to oats. By repeating the same small group of foods, people deprive their bodies of nutrients that exist in other foods that they’re not eating. Choose different types of grains, produce, and protein sources to cover your meals from one day to the next.
If the prospect of planning a week’s worth of breakfast, lunch, and dinner seems daunting, start by planning just dinner. It’s easier to “wing it” with breakfast and lunch, but dinner never falls into place by itself. Once you get used to planning your dinner schedule, add in breakfast and lunch. When you plan your dinners, consult your family calendar first. Evenings that are busy with sports or other activities will require a quick-prep meals. If you want to try out a new recipe, save it for a night when you’ll be home without interruptions.
Keep It Interesting
It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to creating a clean eating meal plan. I recommend trying at least one new recipe each week. You can find inspiration on Pinterest or your favorite blogs. Cookbooks and magazines can give you new ideas too. I have a board on Pinterest called “Food.” When I see something online that I’d like to make at some point, I pin it on that board so I can come back to it later.
It’s also a good idea to get off the computer and talk to friends and family to find out what meals their families like. When I pick my kids up from school, we often end up on the playground for a while. I chat with other parents there, and the conversation frequently veers toward food (I know – surprise, surprise. . .). I love hearing what my friends are making and what their kids are willing to try. It’s helpful to talk about the struggles we all have in common with putting dinner on the table.
If you have kids, it’s a great idea to have them pick something for the meal plan each week and help prepare it. They’ll be more likely to try new foods if they’re involved in the planning and preparation process.
Make a Little Extra
I always try to make extra servings of whatever we’re having for dinner. I then freeze the leftovers so I can put them in a future week’s meal plan. After some busy days, the only thing I have time to do is put a defrosted freezer meal in the oven when we get home. Having a well-stocked freezer is essential if you want to avoid the convenience of take-out. Cooking from scratch every night is overwhelming. If you don’t give yourself regular breaks from cooking, you’re bound to throw up your arms and give up on the whole idea. Leftovers can be your best friend.
I know this process may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s so worth it. Having a meal plan in place makes life less stressful, groceries less expensive, and mealtime healthier.
