What’s for dinner?
This blog post is part of a week long series, What’s for dinner? Keep an eye on social media this week to see our own family meal plan come to life with pics, recipes, and commentary on what we ate for dinner each night.
What’s the least trendy thing you can do to eat better, day in and day out? It’s got to be meal planning. Despite it’s less than glamorous reputation, it has some fabulous rewards. Want to save money? Improve your diet? Make weeknights smoother? Check our DIY guide below, or treat yourself to our New Year package with six weeks of customized meal plans (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) AND weekly dietitian check-ins to keep you on track.
DIY meal planning guide
1. Pick a day to shop. Before grocery day arrives, glance at the schedule for the household for the upcoming week. Are there nights you’ll have to eat on the run? Is there any down time where you can make a recipe with leftovers for later in the week?
2. Get inspired…or not. Drawing a blank on what to make? Create categories, if that helps. I always plan on one night to order food, at least one meal that has leftovers, and at least one meal that can be thrown together (frozen pizza, bagged salad with a protein added on top, breakfast for dinner, etc.). If I’m lacking inspiration, Pinterest helps me remember my go-to recipes!
3. Assign a meal to each day, or at least pick a protein as a starting point. I use my trusty white board to jot down ideas. What night is the busiest? That’s when we order or do leftovers. Is there a night my husband or I will be getting home late? It’s probably going to be a crockpot night. Within a few minutes, I’ve got dinner meals that seem like they’ll make sense for the week ahead. The white board gets slapped back on the fridge and it’s on to the final step.
4. Make a list. List apps can be helpful, especially if you live with other people. Everyone can add what they want to the list anytime, then you tack on the ingredients you’ll need for dinners.
Happy eating!