I started meal planning many years ago. I had always made a rough plan and done grocery shopping weekly but one day I decided to really focus on my plan and have my plan work for me and make my day to day easier. Having a plan allows everything else to roll from there. The shopping is easier, the grocery bill is smaller, the prep is easier, the actual daily cooking is easier.
Family Meals
I think my love of meal planning is rooted in my belief that family meals are important. It is a time to sit down together and discuss our days and just spend time together. Anyone who has kids who are involved in evening activities knows how challenging it can be to sit down together and share a meal. I understand not everyone can sit down together as a family and eat dinner. And that is OK! Our “family dinners” have certainly looked different depending on the season of life (or season of sports!). Some days not everyone is together but I always strive to have a meal ready and at least 2 people eating together so nobody eats alone. Currently, our evening activity schedule allows for all 4 of us to sit down nearly every night and share a meal together. I LOVE that and also recognize that might change as schedules change but I am embracing it for now.
It is also a time to model for my kids. They are learning about healthy choices and sometimes trying new foods. My girls also like to pitch in and help cook. Teaching them how to prepare food is a great life skill. I frequently have one of my girls at the grocery store with me and teaching them how to shop for food is also an important skill to learn before they are out in the world on their own.
Time Saving
I started meal planning by the week…now, I meal plan for the MONTH! Why did I go from weekly to monthly? Well, I didn’t want to sit down every single week and figure out the plan. I save time by planning as much of the month as possible in one sitting. I also found that we tend to eat the same meals from month to month so really I can reuse what we liked from 1 month and transfer it to the next month and deleting/adding meals as needed. Since we live in a state with 4 seasons I find that our meal plan tends to stay similar for a few months and then as the season changes so does the types of foods we want to eat. Right now we are yearning for spring and summer and more fresh foods and less heavier/comfort foods.
Not every month works out that I plan the whole month at once. April is already not going so hot. We just got back from spring break and the next few weeks we have someone in the house traveling for work. This always changes math for planning meals. Instead of letting it stop me, I modify my plan and plan in smaller chunks. This week I have planned until I return then I will regroup. In reality, we pretty much do the same thing every Friday, make pizzas so I guess I have all week planned!
Money Saving
Meal planning has helped my family save money. By knowing what we are eating I am grocery shopping with intent and not just grabbing a bunch of items and hoping for the best. That can lead to food waste, especially with fresh items. We all know food is expensive. Having a plan will help keep that grocery bill smaller.
Smart Goals
You will find that we like to set goals. Megan introduced SMART goals during the Simply Sweet Challenge. You can use goal setting in all areas of your life to help you make lifestyle changes. Meal planning is no exception. Let’s review again what SMART stands for and what it really means.
A SMART goal is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound
Specific – The goal should state exactly what one is going to do.
Measurable – The goal should have an objective measure to be able to monitor success.
Achievable – The goals should be somewhat challenging but not so challenging that it sets one up for failure.
Relevant – The goal should relate to the overall objective.
Time-bound – The goal should have a time-frame set from when it starts to when it “ends”. The end date doesn’t necessarily mean that you stop doing what you are doing; it’s more of a check-point used to evaluate progress and modify the goal if needed.
Examples of SMART goals for meal planning:
-For the month of April, I will plan 3 meals/week on Saturday for the following week.
-For the month of April, I will have a meal plan for at least 3 days each week and grocery shop on Sunday for the full week.
I challenge you to think about your own meal planning this week. Think about why you meal plan. Or think about why you do not meal plan? What are your barriers, if any? Set a goal to help you improve or change the way you plan your meals.
-Lindsay
