Simple meal planning tricks offer many savings
What if you didn’t have to worry about what to make for dinner every day, or if you had all the ingredients you needed on hand?
Although this may sound as unrealistic as a unicorn, Carmen Leblanc says it is easier than you think: it’s all about meal planning.
“When I first started meal planning, a weight was lifted from my shoulders, knowing I wouldn't have to waste time looking through all the cabinets and through the fridge to figure out what to make for supper,” says Leblanc.
Not only does a meal plan help you create a specific grocery list and make you more mindful about your purchases, it’s a great way to reduce food waste and save money. Having a plan also helps avoid double — or triple-purchasing items that you forgot you already had at home, says the Cheticamp native, who now lives in Moncton.
Leblanc is a blogger at Tiny Adventures Journey, where she offers sessions to help people simplify their lives through things such as meal planning, decluttering, and sustainability.
After hearing so many others struggling and stressing out about making meals for themselves or for their families, Leblanc uses her knowledge to help others. She began by writing blog posts but now works as a consultant, guiding families through meal planning and creating a personalized plan to meet their specific needs.
MAKING A PLAN
Leblanc says there's some simple steps most families can take to make a meal plan. Start by writing your plan on a monthly printable sheet, usually one week before the month begins. To choose your meals, she recommends creating a master recipe list of every meal your family likes to eat at home.
This, and the monthly meal planner sheets are available as free printables
on her blog:
Once she has her monthly printable sheet filled out, she copies one week at a time onto a magnetized dry erase board on her fridge, and also adds it to
her daily planner.
These weekly meals are adjusted every week, she says, because sometimes they don't follow the plan to a tee.
"Making adjustments is completely normal and allows us to reduce waste even more," she says. "If we didn't make a certain meal, we'll add it to next week's meal plan and remove one of the previously planned meals so that we don't buy extra groceries."
To create a grocery list, Leblanc makes a list of every single ingredient from the week's meals on her computer, then bolds any missing ingredients. If using paper to list your meals, try highlighting any missing items.
From there, she makes a grocery list that contains all the missing ingredients and adds some snacks after verifying what they have on hand in the cupboards and in the fridge.
OTHER TIPS FOR MEAL PLANNING
• Have specific meals in mind before you start your meal plan.
• Check your fridge and pantry often, especially before making a grocery list
• Shop your grocery list; don't buy extra items.
• Start small: try meal planning for one weekend to see what works best. Then go for longer periods of time.
• When meal planning, pick meals with at least one common ingredient, especially meat or produce.
• Don't get discouraged if things don't go as planned — give yourself grace, and move forward.
• Start with meals that are easier, especially if you are someone who is busy or doesn't enjoy cooking. Easier meals will make you feel accomplished, and motivate you to keep going.
• Pick meals that you know you and your family will love.
• Get everyone's input before you start your meal plan. If other family members don't want to be involved, that's not a problem, but it can be fun to make sure that someone's favourite meal is on the meal plan a certain day of the week, maybe once a month.
• Don't be embarrassed to ask for help; whether it's from someone in the family or someone who does meal planning professionally.
• Get creative — try making meals with ingredients you already have on hand, or things from the freezer.
Meal planning is possible for people of all ages, in any location, she adds.
"It may seem like a big habit to change, but the impact it will have on your life is immense," says Leblanc. "The benefits certainly outweigh the energy it will take to sit down and make the plan for yourself or for your family. One day, you will wonder how you ever lived without meal planning."
Not only does a meal plan help you create a specific grocery list and make you more mindful about your purchases, it’s a great way to reduce food waste and save money.
GO ONLINE
Learn more at:
• www.tinyadventuresjourney.com/7easy-meals-for-meal-planning/
• www.tinyadventuresjourney.com/ category/meal-planning/