Meal planning made easy with these tips and ideas

Meal planning can be a task that some people think about, something that can save time for cooking and that may improve healthy habits. It's practical if you're about to start a specific diet program or simply for planning even the expenses of the house. So how to make it easy for you? I'm about to give you great tips!

If you've never gave it a thought before, let me put it in numbers. Meals as a part of a budget can be around 30% of your total expense. In Mexico, many families, more from the lowest economical sectors, use about 50-70% of their money to buy food. Astonishing isn't it? And what's the case for you?

Then, besides possible cost savings, what are other benefits of meal planning? Let's take a look!

Benefits of planning your meals

+ You can choose the foods you like most. And may think better of healthier choices.

+ You may find different ways to combine those foods.

+ It helps you to think and find the best places to buy what you need, which might save you time and money.

+ It helps to understand how much to buy and how often do you need to do it.

+ By planning once, it becomes easier for you the next times.

+ It may avoid cravings or you can consider some healthier ones.

Planning process

In order to plan anything, you'll give answers to questions such as:

+ What type of foods do you like? Which ones you don't?

+ What's the specific objective for the planning? Are you on a diet? Simply want to improve your meals? Are you an athlete and have specific needs? Do you want to be practical and choose better meals for your family but saving time and resources?

+ Where can you get the foods your need for the meals?

+ How much do you need and how often?

+ How are you going to cook your meals? Or how are you going to get your meals? (restaurants, someone will prepare them for you, etc).

Most answers will give you a map of what you will accomplish once you have your planning:

+ Objectives.- Meaning what you want to accomplish.

+ Strategies.- What you need to do to achieve them.

+ Goals.- For what.

+ Resources.- You'll find what you have and what you need and how to get it.

Example of meal planning

Objectives.

1) Make weekly meal planning with healthy foods for my family to teach them how to eat and choose better foods and have time to enjoy together our meals.

2) Avoid struggling with what to cook for today and not having enough options available.

3) Save money by not buying certain foods.

Strategies.

For objective #1

Make a list of foods we like and of foods we don't like.

Try to pick 50% of every dish of fruits and vegetables, the rest of foods with good proteins and complex carbohydrates.

Cook twice a week, at nights, getting the help from other members of the family.

For objective #2 and #3

Prepare menus for the week.

Make list of foods required in order to prepare those menus.

Choose one day to buy goods and buy after we have just ate so that we're not hungry of bad foods.

Goals.

1) To teach my family how to eat healthier and enjoy sharing mealtimes together.

2) To save time and money by having all the ingredients and menus ready for cooking.

Now remember, to review your advance and if you're reaching your goals. For example, if an objective of the planning is to lose weight, how much did you lose in one week with the strategies you took and so on and make the adjustments if you need to.

Finally, I welcome you to come back to the page, as we might give you some more tips and ideas.

Remember, all free e-zine newsletter subscribers can get personal advice for designing an individual plan, with no cost.

Go from Meal planning to find menus for specific needs.

Return to Lifetime Fitness Nutrition Homepage

New! Comments