How to menu plan and meal prep in less time
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Is one of your goals for the new year healthier eating, saving money on your grocery bill, enjoy more family meals prepared at home, eating out less often or reducing stress in your life? Do you have plans to start weekly meal prep or menu planning? If any of these sounds familiar you’re going to love this post.
For many people, one of the biggest challenges when it comes to eating healthier is that it requires more time in the kitchen. To help you make that time more efficient and productive and less of it, I’m sharing 7 tips that I use each week to plan and prep for healthy eating in the week ahead. I’ve been menu planning and meal prepping for years and the benefits far outweigh the time and effort it takes to do it.
Why should you menu plan and meal prep?
Benefits of Menu Planning and Meal Prep
Saves time. You always have the ingredients you need so no weekday last minute trips to the store.
Saves money. When you have your menus planned out, you know exactly which ingredients you need to buy at the store. You have a list and you stick to that it while shopping and fewer impulse buys.
Promotes healthy eating. When meals are planned out, you will usually end up with a more balanced, nutritious diet. You don’t have to run through a fast food lane, grab a processed food on the go, or skip meals.
Reduces waste. Often, we buy foods at the grocery store, thinking we’ll use them for something, but they end up being thrown out. If you’re sticking to the list, you’re not buying anything you won’t NEED for your planned meals.
Saves on gas. No more emergency grocery runs = less driving = less gas money.
Encourages family involvement. Everyone has input and everyone has a chance to request their favorites.
Supports regular eating of meals together as a family. If left to the last minute, it can be very tempting to whip something up quickly for the kids and then another meal later for mom and dad.
Takes into account life’s busier than usual times. Plan for the school activities, working late, and the unexpected an you’re less likely to make a trip through the drive thru or grab processed food on the go.
Reduce stress. Who doesn’t want that?
Tips for Menu Planning and Meal Prep
Plan your meals for the week. Look at your calendar and make note of anything not typical for your week (i.e. working late, meeting friends for dinner, attending a birthday party, etc.). Decide what meals you need to plan for that might be on the go or if your only option will be to eat out. Make sure to take into consideration that not all breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for the week will be eaten at home. For example, I know that my family loves to eat out and we usually do on Saturday, so, I plan one less meal for that day.
Choose your recipes. Now it’s time to browse your cookbook collection to choose the recipes you’re going to prepare for the week or simply write down your go-to favorites. Remember to note which meals can be made ahead of time and which meals will be eaten on the go.
As you probably already know, Pinterest is a great resource for recipes. For a little recipe inspiration, check out my Healthy Recipes Pinterest boards:
Create a grocery list. This is where the money saving comes in. Go through each recipe and write down the ingredients you’ll need. To make shopping easier and quicker, I like to organize my list based on the layout of the 2 stores I shop at most often, Kroger and Whole Foods.
Review your grocery list. Check your grocery list and see what ingredients you already have on hand. Check to see what you have in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. By avoiding buying duplicates you’ll save money and time.
It’s time to do the grocery shopping. If you’re focusing on eating healthier the majority of your items should be found on the perimeter of the store, where you’ll find a lot of proteins, dairy, and produce.
Begin meal prep. Start with preparing meals that can be made ahead as well as batch cook proteins and grains. This can be done based on meals for the first half of the week or in some cases it’s fine to prep ahead for the entire week. Beans, brown rice and quinoa work great for batch cooking.
Wash, cut and prep fruits and veggies. While the proteins and grains are cooking, wash, cut and the fruits and veggies you’ll need for the week. This includes making smoothie packets, chopping what you’re going to need for recipes and preparing a stash of healthy snacks.
Now that some of the prep work has been done, start preparing the recipes that work well made ahead of time. If you’re planning on lunch or breakfast on the go, store these meals in pre-portioned serving sizes. It’s a little thing that will save you time during the week.
So, that’s it. If you’re new to menu planning and meal prep, this may seem like a lot of time. Don’t get discouraged. After a few weeks, it gets easier and quicker. It’s true, it is a few hours on the weekend that you’d probably rather do something else, but those few hours will save you time and make life so much easier throughout the coming week.
Bonus Tip: Watch TV or listen to a podcast while you plan and prep.
Bonus Tip #2: Enlist the help of your family. Ask for their input on the recipes, have them help with the grocery shopping. Have conversations with your significant other and/or your kids in the kitchen while you cook. Older kids make great veggie choppers and I happen to have a husband who is a great cook.
To help you create a new healthy habit and to make life even easier, I’ve put together a great free download including 2 menu planning templates.
Grab a FREE Beginner’s Guide To Meal Prep with menu planning templates! @fitapproach @popsugarfood
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Click the image below to receive the free download and access to subscriber only downloads in the healthy living content library:
New subscriber only content added at least 2-3 times a month.
If you have any questions about menu planning or meal prep let me know in the comments below. I’m happy to help!
Do you menu plan and/or meal prep? Who in your family could help with the veggie chopping? What is one obstacle you have to healthier eating?
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