Earlier this week I posted about heading over to Shelley’s to meal plan, grocery shop and then prep some of her meals for the week. We had a lot of fun and it got me to thinking about how important meal planning is. Here are my top five reasons I think you should take the time to sit down and plan!
#1: It provides you with your grocery list and you will actually buy fewer groceries. Having that very specific list will keep you on task of what you are needing for your meals vs buying everything and not knowing what to do with it all.
#2: Less food will be wasted. By having your sheet on your fridge and buying only the groceries you need for recipes or meals that week you will have less go bad. Instead of buying every fruit and every veggie, this can help you to rotate through your flavors based on the meals you have chosen.
#3: It allows you to have a couple of quick and ready to go options! This week on Shelley’s menu she mentioned they bought half a beef so they have a lot of ground beef so we bought the supplies for Mexican rice bowls. Everything can be prepped and really easy to through into one container and be out the door. Also buying frozen beef burger and turkey burgers are her other option for having something quick!
#4: It cuts down your time. Instead of thinking oh man, What are we having for dinner you have everything you need, and you won’t have to waste time with an extra stop at the grocery store or catch your self-eating out because your running late and don’t know what you make. On your busy or late evenings having planned that crock pot dinner will keep you organized.
#5: It can allow you to meal prep without taking your weekend to meal prep. This works for individuals who have the time to cook supper daily. Cooking extra prepares your lunch, and now its as quick as weigh measure and log the night before and you are one step ahead for the next day.
Planning your meals doesn’t have to take hours on end, in fact for Shelley and I to sit down and plan her 5 meals, 2 snack ideas for the week, make her grocery list, and go through her fridge and pantry it took us less than an hour. Creating that template takes all the guess work out of the week and not eating the same thing for five days will keep her successful. While cooking a few items we prepped some of her other items to keep her time minimal for the rest of the week. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but just like anything the more you do it the faster you will become at it!