It’s common to feel hungry, but have no idea how to prepare dinner. It is a horrible feeling, being stressed, scattered and “hungry” at the same moment. Instead, spend half an hour meal planning the week. You will reduce your food cost, feed your family healthier meals and cut down on meal prep time, article source.
Plus, you will become more adept at planning meals, shopping for ingredients, as well as reusing your meal plans. Take these 5 steps to get started with meal planning. Even if it’s only for a week, you’ll still enjoy the benefits.
How to do it
Step 1. Start with the right tools
Ask for help from family members by looking through recipes or websites and apps that offer food-related information. Make up some theme nights, such as Meatless Mondays (or Taco Tuesdays), and then use a grocery list / menu pad to organize your week. When you are happy with your menu, make a grocery list.
Step 2. Step 2.
It is important to consider the seasons and temperatures when planning. Autumn weather is cooler and calls for soups and stews that include root vegetables and autumn squashes. Warmer temperatures are more suitable for fresh salads and grilled meats. Food costs can be reduced by eating seasonal produce when they are more affordable and readily available.
Step 3. Step 3.
It doesn’t matter if there are company guests or a packed schedule of activities, you should plan accordingly. Keep track of how much time is needed for meal preparation on a specific day. You can also keep track of where you got the recipes. This will allow family members to help in the meal preparations, even if the chef isn’t available.
Step 4. Step 4.
Always remember to involve your spouse or children in helping you wherever you can. There are many hands that can do light work. So assign tasks according to everyone’s capabilities and preferences. One child may help grate the cheese, wash the lettuce and make the salad. The other child will heat up the sauce and cook the pasta.
Step 5. Step 5.
Extra meat can be cooked one night so leftovers from a roast beef/baked ham can be used the next day for lunch sandwiches and casseroles. By planning your meals ahead, you can feed your kids well, save time, reduce your carbon footprint, and even lose weight!