How to Easily Meal Plan for the Week

Part of living a healthy lifestyle is cooking at home.  I love discovering new recipes and cooking them for me and my husband.  A huge part of cooking is planning ahead so you have everything you need when you're hungry.  Many people are very busy during the week, so planning your meals from the beginning will reduce stress and prevent you from making unhealthy choices when you just want a quick meal.  Today I'm going to share the steps I take every week to keep me and my husband satisfied and nourished!

Step 1: Designate a Planning/Grocery Shopping Day For Each Week

Getting into a grocery shopping routine on a day you have some free time is key.  Every Sunday, my husband and I go grocery shopping together.  We go to Native Sun for our food and Publix for toiletries and other miscellaneous items.  It's actually become a fun tradition.  Before we go, I have everything planned so I'm not wandering the stores trying to think about what I need.

Step 2: Write Down Your Meal Plan

This step is fun because you get to discover new recipes.  Sometimes it can be frustrating, especially if you're having to plan for a lot people, but I've found this technique very helpful.  Write down each meal category like this: Breakfast, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, Desserts.  Then under each category, write each person's initial and what they want to eat for the week.  Brian and I usually have the same thing for breakfast, so that's easy.  I always have smoothies for my snack and we try to not have a lot of desserts unless it's a special occasion, so those categories can be checked off pretty quickly.  That just leaves lunches and dinners that require a little more effort.  I either go to my Beauty Detox Books or Pinterest for recipes.  Sometimes I'm in the mood for something specific and other times I want to try something new.  Either way, these tools are lifesavers for meal planning.  You can usually find quick and easy recipes for whatever you're craving on Pinterest.

Step 3: Write Down the Ingredients You Need

Once you have all your meals planned, it's time to figure out what you need for each meal.  Go down the list starting with breakfast until you get to desserts.  If I'm using a recipe book, I'll write down the page number next to the recipe so when I go to make it, I know exactly where to go.  If I'm using Pinterest, I screenshot the recipes on my phone for the same reason.  As you're looking at each recipe, check to see if you already have any of the ingredients.  Finally, try to think of any other miscellaneous items you may need.  I use the reverse side of my meal plan list to write down the ingredients because it saves paper and it makes it easy if I need to refer back to anything while in the store.

Step 4: Go Shopping!

Now that you've got everything planned and written down, you're ready to go shopping.  Try to stick to your list if you can to prevent impulse buys and save money.  If you have a budget you need to stick to, round up prices for each item and write them down on your list as you check things off.  Then you can total everything at the end.

That's it!  Making this a weekly routine is a great way to stay healthy because you know exactly what you're putting in your body.  Planning ahead is always better than waiting until the last minute when you're starving!