How to Start Meal Planning | HBR Personal Training

Always having to think about what you will have for breakfast or dinner can be very stressful. and also a waste of your time. That is why meal planning is something that everyone should consider incorporating into their lives.

I know meal planning can be a daunting practice to newbies and the process of executing a meal plan can vary depending on the number of people involved. In this article, I am committed to helping you get the master the craft.

First, let’s highlight the steps you need to follow when preparing your meal plans:

1. Identify Your Need
2. Find the Right Recipes
3. Make a Precise but Substantial Grocery List
4. Execute the Plan

1. Identify Your Needs
   Meal planning is not a death sentence. It should stop you from looking forward to pizza night… In fact, a great meal plan should still allow you to eat healthily but also slip in some cheat days (see blog on cheat meals). This is why it is very important that you first think about what you need to achieve before you dive into getting started. Do you want to save money on food? Is preventing food waste your ultimate goal? Do you want to eat better by experimenting? Or is it because you want to save on time when choosing what to eat for lunch? Decide on what significantly matters to you and use it as a foundation for your meal planning adventure.

2.  Find The Right Recipes
   Once you decide what you want to accomplish with your meal planning, it’s time to arm yourself with the right recipes. The recipes you choose will certainly kick-start your quest to creating the perfect meal plan that works for you. Start by deciding on the number of times you will eat at home during the week — consider your children and other family members, and don’t forget to account for any guests you are expecting over the week. These factors are important because they will help ensure you cook the right meal at the right time, without anyone being disadvantaged. Go for recipes you are very familiar with but also add a new one each week. These recipes should be of food you want to eat and ideally require shared ingredients. More so, try to use recipes that leave you with leftovers that you can have at some other time. That will help you save money and reduce food waste.

3. Make a Precise but Substantial Grocery List
   After choosing your recipes, it is time to make a grocery list to guide you before you begin shopping. Use your recipes to do some kitchen inventory by checking what you already own and what you need to purchase. Remove anything from your list that you already have available and come up with a well-organized final grocery list so that you can shop with ease. After you’re done shop, organize specific ingredients in distinct destinations (such as cupboards or pantry shelves) according to the recipes, which will inevitably save you more time.

4. Execute the Plan
   At this point, you already know what your meal plan is aiming for, you have the right recipes and you have shopped for all the ingredients. It is now time to start implementing your meal plan. You can either start with chopping vegetables, washing tomatoes or batch cooking. By doing so, you will curb the fatigue that often accompanies cooking throughout the week.

Meal planning will help you to achieve what you need in terms of having a flexible meal plan that saves on money, blesses you with leftovers, AND allows you to eat your favorite healthy meal (but still lets you sneak out to McDonald’s occasionally). Remember: getting the right meal plan is not a walk into the park! Following the steps outlined above will help you figure out the right meal plan that works for you. Keep repeating the process of meal planning as often as needed while making necessary changes to arrive at what suits you.

***REMEMBER*** meal planning is not restrictive and should be flexible and convenient. You can still enjoy your favorite ice cream!