Meal Planning - Plan Ahead and Plan to Succeed

Meal planning is an excellent to conserve time, energy and money when feeding your family. For those thinking about meal planning, it is critical to note that you don’t have to sacrifice a tasty, healthful meal for a hectic schedule or a limited budget. If you are looking for an excellent way to prepare meals for your family, here are some practical ideas.

Plan Your Meals in Advance
The key to meal planning is with out a doubt planning your meals ahead of time. Unfortunately, most parents come home every night, eager to cook a quick meal and have absolutely no idea what to make. With your family getting hungry and a little cranky, most families give up and drive to the nearest fast food or casual dining establishment. If you want to make sure that you stay home for dinner and that you and your family are all eating healthy, you must plan ahead.

Generally, the best way to organize your meals is to plan them out a week ahead of time. Determine a budget, decide which foods you and your family should eat, add in some of your family’s favorites and then write a shopping list. One of the easiest ways to meal plan is to make a calendar. Start out with a main dish for every night and then add in a side dish, desert and soup/salad.

Main Dish
Main dishes are obviously an awesome place to begin. Generally most main dishes consist of protein such as poultry, beef, pork or fish. Any one of these make an excellent option and by changing it around during the week, your family won’t be bored and you can please almost everyone’s favorite foods. For families that are trying to lose weight or have a history of disease such as heart disease and diabetes, the main dish is the main area you should focus on creating meals that fit your dietary requirements and lifestyle. You can simply select lean meats, choose to eat more fish and for vegetarian eaters, replace meat dishes with soy and main vegetable dishes.

Side Dishes
Side dishes are very critical to planning meals. This is your best chance to introduce vegetables into your family’s diet. Be sure you have at least one vegetable in the rotation each night. For best results at least two varieties of vegetables each meal is optimal.

Soup & Salad
For those watching your weight, a soup or salad is an excellent option to fill up in the beginning of the meal and enjoy smaller main dish portions later on. Soups are good during the winter time when the weather is colder and salads are an excellent way to get a healthy mix of fresh seasonal fruits or vegetables.

Desserts
If you are trying to get everyone to stay until the end of the meal, desserts are your best bet. Delicious desserts are most popular; you can also choose healthy options such as fruit salads, fruit smoothies, and Jell-o.

For those looking to save time and money throughout the month on meals, your best option is by meal planning.

For a free meal planning worksheet and shopping list, please click here