I believe one of the keys to becoming organized, balanced, and flexible is by planning - knowing your plans may change. If we want to get somewhere we have to figure out where we’re going and the best route to get there.

Once a week, we will sit down and plan our meals for the week. This allows us to do two things:

1. It allows us to stay within our weekly grocery budget. Whenever we don’t spend the time meal planning we will inevitably “go grab” something from take out, which is always more expensive and adds up quickly - and never as healthy.

2. It may take some time upfront, but it ends up saving time later in the week when you already have all your supplies in the home and ready for cooking. It also saves time from trying to think of “what you’re in the mood for” last minute.

Here’s an example of what a typical meal planning session will look like for us:

1. We gather the supplies we’ll need for weekly planning (Meal Planning sheet, recipe notebook, paper, and pens).

2. We make suggestions for meals/recipes we’re in the mood for. We typically begin with dinner first and then move to lunch (typically left overs) and breakfast (we eat a lot of eggs). If there’s a dinner we particularly like, we will make larger portions for more left-overs.

3. We check any recipe ingredients against what we currently have in the house. If we don’t have something, we’ll write that ingredient on our Meal Planning sheet under its respective category ( e.g. meat, produce, dairy, etc.).

4. We add in any additional items that we are out of and need. We keep a running list of things we need at the store in our kitchen. As we get low on things, we write them down on a piece of paper and bring that list to the meal planning meeting. We walk through that list and confirm that we need to add it to the shopping list.

In the end, meal planning takes us about 15-20 minutes. It may take 30-45 minutes at first – especially if you’re building your catalogue of recipes. However, as you consistently plan, you’ll become more efficient and faster at thinking of meals. Meal planning is a great way to save both time and money. It keeps you from making several 20 minute runs to the grocery store throughout the week and a couple of $30 take-out meals.

Download the newly updated Meal Planner 2.0 doc by following the link below.

What are some simple tips you have for planning meals?

| Credits: Author - Jacintha Payne; Photography - Jacintha Payne |