The Case for Planning, Meal Planning

Today I make a case for meal planning.

Now, don’t confuse this with meal prep – making the bulk of your week’s meals in one major cooking session at the start of the week.

That is a different topic. Meal planning and meal prepping are two different topics.

Think about it this way.

When you plan a vacation, you don’t pack and close the house on the same day.

When planning a vacation, you make the reservations for the flight, the hotel, and maybe some events, outings, and dining out.

When prepping a vacation, you are stopping the mail, arranging for someone to house-sit, and making sure you are packing all the things you need.

I don’t know why I feel it is essential to make that distinction, but I do. As I said, meal prepping can be a big event one day a week, or like what I do, prepping is about 5 minutes the night before to defrost something if needed and about 20-30 minutes to prepare the meal.

Planning is knowing what I will do during the week at the beginning of the week.

Here is the sample timeline:

During the week, I add items to my virtual grocery cart in my grocery shopping app. I also have a note in my “Notes” app for needs at Costco.

Saturday or Sunday

Look at the week ahead and plan for WHAT I will make the following week.

This plan will note that I have a networking dinner on Wednesday and dinner with friends on Sunday afternoon, so I don’t need to worry about a meal on those two days.

I want tacos, a chicken dish, at least one fish dish, a shrimp dish, and a meat dish. I can also do a soup or stew or slow-cooker dish. Some of these things may overlap. For example, I am making shrimp tacos or beef stew.

Map out the week: it isn’t strict, but it helps to know that I am making salmon on Tuesday and tacos on Thursday. I use that 5 minutes on Monday evening to ensure my salmon is out of the freezer and in the fridge to defrost.

I create a list and recheck it; I need the shrimp, tortillas, and salmon, so if I don’t have them, I need to ensure I have them for the week ahead.

Sunday or Monday

The grocery shop, or my preference, orders the groceries and picks them up.

In-store or through the app, limit grocery shopping to once a week.

Only some people like this, but I still order my groceries for pick up. I did it as far back as 2018 and have not looked back. Although, I haven’t stepped foot inside my local grocery store in years.

And I tackle Costco in the first hour they open and can usually be in and out in under 30 minutes, car-to-store-to-car.

With the grocery pick up, I can pick it up on Sunday when I place a morning order or on Monday afternoon on my way home. It varies.

I don’t do meal prep on Sunday, but I know what the week ahead will hold.

During the Week

As I said, I ensure the food is defrosting if needed the night before and know what I will have for dinner tonight when I wake up and when it is 2 pm or 4 pm. Then, if someone asks, I know what I am making and having for dinner.

Some people may think this is a bit uptight, but it has saved so much time over the years by knowing what I am having for dinner tonight and not having to worry about it when 4 pm rolls around and wondering what I will make tonight.

Want more information and ideas on how to tackle this? I have something for you. It is Mini-Course with Workbook, 6 Tips for the Busy Person to Have Sustainable Energy: All-Day Energy Through Food AND Companion Workbook. The workbook consists of recipes and worksheets to help you with healthier eating options.

Learn more and get started today, and have a plan for next week.