Meal Planning question

castyourshadow

Hello!

I've been using this site on and off for a while now, but this is my first time wandering into the message boards. I'm going to take it as a positive sign that I'm actually ready to get serious.

Anyway, I had a question...I'm normally all over planning. I love planning everything. However, I can't seem to get myself to sit down and make a dang meal plan. Does anyone have any tips for me? A website, an app, a place to start? I have a lot of recipes, and I'm fond of googling new things, but I can't seem to get my act together. I'm mostly interested in it to make my grocery trips cheaper and less of a hassle, but also because I know it will help with eating healthier.

I've given up on the idea of weight loss, so I'm going to focus on eating better! Whether or not that translates to losing weight, I don't really care.

Any tips on meal planning would be great!

Thanks, all.

~Sarah

socioseguro

Hi:

I started with my favorite foods.
I "transformed" them to a "Healthier version 2.0", by replacement.
Boiled eggs instead of fried eggs, Baked chicken with a lot of herb and spices instead of fried chicken, quinoa instead of white rice, using extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for my salad instead of bottled dressing, oatmeal cooked from scratch instead of boxed cereal, etc, etc.
There are many healthy recipes in the MFP Recipe message board. Use the "search" function above. It all depends what you like.
Good luck in your healthy journey

jaqcan

emeals.com has an amazing dinner meal plan. They have a lot of different options, some come with the nutrition info, and some are specifically for low calorie options. It's only like $5 a month, and you can cancel at any time. Once you get the hang of it, setting up your own with the meals you like is so much easier!

MakePeasNotWar

I like the Paprika recipe manager for collecting and editing recipes from all over the internet, and creating meal plans. It also has a shopping list generator, though I have never used that feature so I can't comment on how useful it would be.

dubird

I don't really have a set system. I usually just start by asking HSpoon if there's anything he's craving on the protien side and start there. Add a veggie and a starch and hey! presto! mealtime plan. The hardest part is deciding what meat to go with and how to cook it. XD A lot of times, if there's not something specific either of us wants to make, we'll pick beef or chicken and hit the internet to look for a recipie that sounds good. Some are awesome, some bomb horribly. Thing is, we don't plan in advance for the most part. There are some recipies that we know and love that take extra preperation so we have to plan those, but on a day-to-day basis, it's what we feel like having for the most part.

castyourshadow

Thank you, all! Especially jaqcan! I'm going to check out that website for sure. I just need a concrete outline to start with, then I can do my own creativity.