Simple Tips for Planning Meals

Committing to a healthier lifestyle can be challenging for both your mind and body.  To stay mentally strong, plan ahead.  Planning makes it easier to prepare healthy meals. Itestablishes structure, which can help you manage your calorie intake, reduce daily decision-making, and prevent overeating. Planning meals can also help you save money since it lessens your reliance on fast food. Use the following strategies for easy meal planning.:

  1. Set aside time each week to plan your meals.  This may sound time consuming, but it should only take 15-20 minutes, and will actually end up saving you time later in the week. Here is a step by step guide to planning meals.
  2. Consider your family’s schedule for the week ahead.  Are Tuesday evenings crazy? Prepare extra food a night or two before and have leftovers, use a crockpot recipe, or plan a quick/easy meal for that evening.
  3. Get input from your family. When your family members (especially children) are involved in the process, they'll be more likely to eat what you prepare. Extra bonus: it may be easier to get help with the meal preparation and cleaning up.
  4. Have a “back-up” list of healthy meals that you and your family enjoy. Refer to it whenever you’re struggling to come up with meal ideas for your week.
  5. Consider shortcuts. Ask yourself these questions:
    • Can I combine fresh and convenience foods to make the meal faster? For example, use frozen broccoli instead of fresh in a soup recipe. Or use canned beans in place of dried beans (rinse canned beans to remove up to 40 percent of the sodium).
    • Do you need a simpler recipe for tuna casserole or a quicker way to make lasagna? Search the Super Saver website for quick and healthy recipes.
  6. Keep healthy meal staples on hand.Adding meal staples (bread, pasta, rice, beans, tortillas, cheese, milk, cereal, etc.) to your shopping list makes it easier to create quick meals. The food you have on hand will determine how healthfully you eat so, choose wisely.
  7. Think about nutrition. Review your meals to see if there is something from each of the food groups in most of them. This is the easiest way to make sure your meals are healthy.
  8. Make Your List. Once you have your menu plan made for the week, make a list of the ingredients you will need to prepare them.
  9. Check the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer to see what you already have on hand, make adjustments to your list, and use the remaining items as your grocery list.
  10. Don’t Forget Snacks. Stocking up on healthy snacks can keep you from reaching for high fat, high sugar snacks. Add healthy snack foods to your shopping list: fresh fruits and vegetables, string cheese, yogurt, low-fat popcorn, whole-grain crackers, cereal, etc.

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