“Get in the habit of meal planning, and soon it will become a regular part of your life.”
Emily Ley, “A Simplified Life”
Getting healthy, home-cooked meals on the table every day is one of the most important parts of homemaking. Meal planning can help make it happen.
Why is meal planning important?
- Saves mental energy. You’re not thinking about what to cook everyday.
- Saves time. You don’t have to stop at the grocery store on your way home from work because you do all your grocery shopping once a week.
- Saves money and reduces food waste. Shop your house and the flyers. Plan your meals around what you have on hand and what’s on sale.
- Results in healthier eating. You’re less prone to pick up fast food on your way home after a busy day.
Planning in advance ensures each meal contains all the components of the healthy plate model, said Samantha Blizzard, registered dietitian.
Each meal should be fifty per cent fruits and vegetables, twenty-five per cent protein and twenty-five per cent carbohydrates.
Daily Meals
Breakfast refuels your body after the long fast since supper. It gets your metabolism going for the day and prevents headaches, irritability and snacking. Breakfast should include fruit, cereal or toast and milk. Adding a protein such as an egg or peanut butter will help keep you full until lunch.
Lunch is usually simple and easily prepared. Lunch can include sandwiches, raisins, nuts, fruit, sliced vegetables, cheese and a sweet. Or it can be leftovers in individual portion-sized, preferably glass containers. Glass containers are a safer option when reheating leftovers.
Click here for brown bag lunch ideas.
Supper is usually the main meal of the day. It should consist of a main dish (fish, meat or casserole) with a side of starch or carbohydrate (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread) and hot and cold vegetables.
LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!
Guidelines for Building a Meal Plan
- Figure out your weekly grocery budget. Serve well-balanced meals within the budget you can afford.
- Take a quick glance through your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer to get an idea of what you have on hand.
- Look through the flyers to get inspiration for meal ideas.
- Plan for a week or a month. A monthly plan takes a little longer, but you may have more success with consistent meal planning if you do it. And when something creates leftovers, they can be worked into the plan. For example, roast beef dinner leftovers can be assembled into a shepherd’s pie for a quick weekday meal.
- Make a list of favourite dishes to refer to when making meal plan.
- Have other family members participate in the meal planning. For example, Saturday night is kids’ choice.
- Plan simple meals that can be prepared in the amount of time you have.
- Plan food from each food group for each meal. Include meat and meat alternatives, fruit and vegetables, grains and milk products.
- Select foods of contrasting colour, flavour and texture.
- Use recipes that are easy and wholesome.
- Utilize your slow cooker or instant pot to help simplify meal preparation.
- Keep track of things the family liked or didn’t like.
- If using a recipe from a recipe book, mark the recipe in the index with a “check mark” or an “X” to indicate if it was liked or not. Make notes on the recipe if you made any changes.
- Save your meal plans for future weeks or months so you can reuse them.
Does the finished menu meet these requirements?
- Suitability – Is it suited to meet the needs of each family member?
- Affordability – Is it within your budget?
- Variety – Does the week’s menu offer a variety from day to day?
- Simplicity – Does it call for simple preparation and table service?
Remember! Routines will only help you if you use them routinely!
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Reference: Home Economics – Vintage Advice and Practical Science for the 21st Century Household compiled by Jennifer McKnight Trontz (Quirk Productions Inc, 2010)
