If you are wondering where to start when it comes to meal planning, I've got you covered. Here are 6 Meal Planning Tips for Beginners To Simplify Healthy Eating.
I’d be lying if I said that I truly enjoy meal prepping. To be honest, half of the time I really wish I could skip it all together. But I also would be lying if I said that meal prepping has not truly changed my life by eliminating the stress of determining what healthy meal I would be having on a day to day basis. I’ve been prepping my meals and snacks for many years now and without it, I think I’d feel a little lost.
Creating a meal plan for the week can be a great way to stay on track with healthy eating. The key to meal planning is finding the right routine and make a plan that works best for you and your lifestyle. I put together 6 meal planning tips for beginners that I also keep in mind when I'm meal prepping for the week and ones that I think would be helpful for you as well.
Why is Meal Planning Important?
- It can help to keep you within a budget.
- It helps to reduce food waste.
- It gives you more free time during the week.
- It can promote healthy eating.
6 Meal Planning Tips for Beginners:
Find Recipes That You Like
The worse thing you could possibly do to sabotage your meal planning experience, is picking recipes that you won’t actually enjoy. For me, I hate complicated recipes. If the recipe requires too many ingredients, too many steps and takes too long, it’s not for me.
When searching for meals to make, keep in mind the amount of time you want to spend in the kitchen and how involved in cooking you want to be. Also, choose recipes that you’ll actually like and will enjoy eating throughout the week.
I can’t tell you how many recipes I repeat, like my stuffed peppers recipe, because I truly just enjoy eating them. You can gather ideas from the internet, social media or my personal favorite is Pinterest.
Start With What You Have
Before you start making a grocery list and deciding what you’re going to make each week, look at what you already have in the fridge, freezer and pantry. In many cases, you will already have enough items in your home to plan complete meals without buying anything extra.
By using items you already have at home and incorporating them into your meal planning, this will help reduce waste and cut back on your grocery bill. Once you have a good idea of what you already have, you can then build your meal plan around those items.
Select Recipes That Use Similar Ingredients
By selecting recipes that use similar ingredients, this will help to eliminate waste and also help you save money. For example, veggies can go a long way in providing food for multiple meals. The some of the veggies in your breakfast can also serve as a side of veggies with lunch or dinner.
Take Shortcuts
One thing I wish I knew early on that would’ve saved me a lot of time is knowing you can meal prep without having to cook everything from scratch. Of course homemade is 1000% better, no argument there. However, sometimes taking a shortcut when you’re in a time crunch is key for getting the job done. Just make sure to read the labels on the packaged foods and make sure they contain only wholesome ingredients.
Here are some of my favorite convenience foods:
- Microwaveable whole grains like rice or quinoa
- Frozen protein
- Frozen fruit
- Frozen vegetables, like what I use in the Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
- Canned beans
Schedule Your Meal Prep Day
Not everyone will have the same schedule to meal plan the same way. The influencer you follow online does not have the same lifestyle as you. So deciding what “meal planning” looks like for you is crucial.
Do you want to prep all of your meals for the week? Do you want to prep a couple items, such as a batch of veggies, proteins and carbs, that will make your meals easier to mix and match and throw together during the week?
Just like you would schedule an appointment into your calendar, do the same for meal prep. I like to take some time on Sunday’s to do all of my meal planning for the week.
Don’t Overcomplicate It
It’s easy to let meal planning overwhelm you, but only if you let it. Meal planning is about setting some time aside and doing the leg work ahead of time to make the week a little less chaotic. Your meals don’t need to involve a lot of ingredients or take up much time to prepare either! Keep it simple and easy and of course fun.
More Tips for Staying Healthy:
5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Nutrition and Wellness
3 Ways to Boost Your Weight Loss Goals
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Carola Jain says
As you mentioned here, eating healthy doesn't have to be overly complicated. Simple, smarter choices go a long way in building a better diet, as well as maintaining one's health in the long term.