Meal planning for a family can be very difficult! Especially if you are concerned about making sure your kids are getting the right stuff into their bodies to help them grow healthy and strong.
For some background information, you might want to check out My Philosophy on Food. But today, I’m all about Meal Planning!! I’m no expert, but I’m hoping you can benefit from some of these tips!
Be Flexible. I have tried to do a calendar for a week or a month where I write out exactly what we’ll eat for each meal so that I can do the shopping and be prepared and don’t actually have to think about it during the week.
That doesn’t work for me…. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for the dishes that are planned or sometimes our schedule ends up making it impossible to make them and it throws everything off… So I’ve learned to be flexible.
Make a list. Each month make a list of the meals that you would like to have throughout the month and then group them for weeks! This makes it so you can easily plan out meals at the beginning of each week depending on what your schedule is like.
Variety is the Spice of Life. Try to have different types of food each week. Mix up the grains, meats, fruits and veggies. Have some soups, salads, casseroles, wraps… change it up! Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc. Keep dinner interesting and exciting.
Try Something New. Each month I search for 1-2 new recipes to try. Sometimes I’ll try to make it something that is completely unique with ingredients that we’ve never had before. I think its fun to try new things and discover new flavors. It’s good to expose your family to new stuff! Sometimes I just like to try a new take on an old recipe!
Get the Basics. What I mean is, when you are planning, get the main course planned out and then have the basics like fruits, veggies, dairy products and other healthy snacks (like pretzels and crackers) on hand that you can pair your main course with. Plan a lunch of PB & J and pair it with yogurt to make it balanced!
Each week I go shopping and buy the fruits and veggies that are used as ingredients in my main course, then I’ll grab a couple extras that are on sale for snacks.
Fruits and Veggies first + Portion Size. If you plan ahead for portion sizes and are pairing things with fruits and veggies and eating those first, then you will keep balanced! Eating your fruits and veggies first will help you fill up on food filled with vitamins and other good stuff!
Use your Leftovers to Create Something New. Often times I use my leftovers from dinner to plan lunches. Or sometimes I’ll take leftovers and make them into a completely new dish.
Don’t let those leftovers go to waste!! If you have a lot of leftovers, don’t make something new, have a night of leftovers! This is actually my kids favorite night because they get to choose what they want from a variety of options.
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I like all your ideas! We incorporate a lot of these into my meal making, but I definitely need to be better about actually planning ahead of time. I like the idea of feeding the vegetables first!
Thanks Erica!! I’m actually posting a packet tomorrow that you might be interested in that might help with planning! Hope you’ll check it out!
One of my new year’s resolutions was to try something new (recipe-wise) every week! Love all of your other ideas, too!!
That’s an awesome resolution! Thanks Kristi!