Have you ever tried to incorporate meal planning into your weekly routine? Not only can it be very cost effective, but it can prove timesaving in the long run to have meals already prepared for the week.
Here are some top recommendations from our Texas Children’s Health Coaches on how to incorporate meal planning into your weekly routine:
- Look at your schedule ahead of time. Find out how many meals your family may need for the week based on your work and personal schedule.
- Get creative with recipes. Try looking for recipes with overlapping ingredients or meals that you can cook in bulk. Use a Crockpot or pressure cooker to make dishes like chili, meat, soups or stews. You can also make one sheet pan meals that include a protein, carbohydrate and vegetable that can be cooked all at once. If you struggle with incorporating vegetables in your meals, you can bulk up dishes like spaghetti sauce or tacos with vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, squash and zucchini. You can also add vegetables to omelets, casseroles, burgers, soups and stews. Our team likes to roast a tray of vegetables on Sunday night to have vegetables already cooked for the week that we can throw into different meals.
Here is one of our favorite one sheet pan meal recipes – maple-glazed salmon with sweet potatoes.
- Make a grocery list based on what meals and snacks you plan to make for the week. It will be more cost effective if you have a list and only purchase what you need for the week. Make sure to read nutrition labels and fill your basket with nutrient-dense options.
- Cook once or a few times throughout the week. You can make a few dishes at once for the week, or you can cook in bulk a few times. Cooking in bulk involves doubling or even tripling the recipe to make multiple servings you can put in the refrigerator or freezer. You can repurpose dishes like shredded chicken in different recipes as well.
- Make snacks for the week. You can portion out nuts in containers or baggies as a snack option for the week. It is great to have non-perishable snack options in your purse, car or at your desk in case hunger strikes. Another popular idea is portioning out containers of hummus to eat with bags of vegetables like carrots, cucumber, celery and broccoli. It is a very satisfying and filling afternoon snack and an easy way to increase your vegetable intake.
Once you have your meals prepared, you can enjoy your week!