5 Tips on Meal Planning for Busy Moms

Meal planning is one of those things that either people LOVE LOVE LOVE or struggle with.

I used to struggle with it...as in, I never did it. 

Coming home from work with a fridge and freezer full of food, but nothing thawed, no clue where to begin, and ultimately throwing my hands up in the air and ordering take-out was a routine happening at our house. And then half of the stuff that I bought willy-nilly at the grocery store with no rhyme or reason would ultimately go bad and then there went some more money down the drain.

Once I decided to start eating better, meal planning became a LIFESAVER. 

Some of the benefits?

It kept my food choices in check--it was easy to keep fresh, healthy foods on hand.

It helped with my budget--no spending extra money on take-out and no wasted money on food going bad before we could eat it. I was only buying food that I knew would get eaten.

It kept me organized--no more feeling totally clueless when I got home as to what was for dinner that night.

Here are some of my tips to help with meal planning for busy moms:

KISS - Keep It Simple, Sweetheart!

Meal planning doesn't have to be a huge elaborate ordeal. I spend about 45 minutes actually planning the meals, an hour shopping, and another hour or two prepping for the week. Yes, it takes some time, but keeping it simple makes it much less overwhelming and pays off all week.

My meals are usually no more than 4-5 ingredients (not including spices, seasonings, and condiments). To be honest, I don't really have much time for bigger, more elaborate meals--especially dinners--so this works for me. If you've got time, though, the sky is really the limit.

...Plus it doesn't hurt that my family doesn't mind simple dinners. Our dinners usually consist of some protein, a veggie, and a complex carb. We also go meatless for dinner about once a week. 

Plan ahead--save some money.

I check my circular to see what sources of protein are on sale. I plan my dinners around those sources of protein.

Buying produce that is in season is both awesome and thrifty. Summer time makes me happy because my favorite veggies are ALWAYS on sale and so fresh, but I'm learning to love the winter-friendly veggies in the colder months, too.

Don't be afraid to eat the same thing a few times each week.

I switch up my dinner plans nightly, but I choose two breakfast recipes I enjoy, two lunch recipes I enjoy, and 2-3 snack ideas, and rotate them throughout the week. Again, we are all about keeping it simple!

Write it down.

Write down your plan. Hang it on the fridge. Refer to it each night and prep anything that needs to be thawed, packed, etc. for the next day. Time saver! 

Build in some flexibility.

Dinner with friends, cheat meals, family dinners--life happens. Plan for at least one flexible meal each week--whatever fits in with your goals. For example, my flexible meal is usually on Sundays, because I am spending time with family and not necessarily in control of my food choices. It's my cheat meal. I look forward to it all week, savor it, have no guilt over it, and I'm back at it again on Monday morning.

As a present for all my awesomely awesome readers, here is a FREE printable meal planner you can print out, write out your meals--there's six spaces for each day for three meals and three snacks--and keep handy.

You can download the PDF here.

 

Do you meal plan?

Any other tips to share?