Tell me how you meal plan!
kommodevaran
Posts: 17,890 Member
I'm fascinated by meal planning and constantly looking for tips and ideas. Planning is very useful, but I can't always get what I intended to buy, not even announced sale items, and not even if I use categories for many items; other times, an item I bought LAST time is on sale or marked down TODAY and I have other plans for today, grrr... this has been frustrating. Recently I've been trying "reverse meal planning", sort of, and it's new to me, so I take it slow - I will buy ingredients for that day and the following day's dinners, one of which is fixed (following a specific recipe and/or I have defrosted meat), or "get ingredients for this soup or that soup", and the other meal only a belonging to a "category" (red meat/white meat) so that I can pick whatever vegetable(s) that are cheap and look good right NOW.
Do you have any creative or just too obvious methods, strategies or tricks?
Do you have any creative or just too obvious methods, strategies or tricks?
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I do a menu for the evening meals for the week and make my shopping list as I do this... I then buy enough lunch stuff, salad, meat, bagels etc for the week but that isn't set in stone for each day.
Admittedly, we sometimes have the same meals week after week, I have maybe 8-10 meals I cook fairly often but then I crack open my recipe book for some new inspiration every so often.0 -
I suck at meal planning.
I try to think about easy things to make during the weeknights. I load up on chicken breasts & pork chops, things I can get ready quickly without a lot of prep.
I have learned to make large quantities of things & eat them 2 days in a row & maybe for lunch. I can also freeze 1/2 & we have it in a week or two.
I like on line recipe builder tools where you tell it what you have & it gives you suggestions on what to make. This is especially helpful if you kept something close to too long & it's time to use it up.0 -
I don't really plan. I let the ingredients I have on hand inspire me. ;-)
Basically, I have meat/fish in my freezer, may have some fresh fish, have vegetables from my vegetable box (only during season), and then whatever else I got to supplement based on what I normally eat. Then I plan (typically in my head) based on that.
I'll look at the meat options and pick out what I plan to eat for the next week so that I can get it out in time and cook ahead anything that requires slower cooking. I'll schedule store trips around when I plan to have fish, often, and I know what I need to use up, and then I plan around this. I also know what days I will be getting home really late and want something really fast or leftovers, that I need to make lunches, that kind of thing, although obviously things change and I adapt.
Realizing that I could cook from what I have vs. having to plan and buy for the plan is when I went from finding cooking every night a chore to when it became fun and easy. I became better at it through having to find ways to use up my vegetable box (weekly box from a farm determined by what's plentiful and ready, so sometimes I end up with insane amounts of greens (well, usually this is the case, but especially in late spring) or corn or tomatoes or zucchini or, currently winter squash and potatoes, among other things).
One reason why a low carb diet would be hard! ;-)1 -
My wife and I alternate cooking nights...on the weekend we go through pinterest or whatever and figure out what each of us will be making for the week...we usually cook double portions of whatever for dinner so that we have lunches the following day...then we make our shopping list and hit the grocery store and Costco as applicable.
Save for a handful of items though, most of what we pick up at the store are staple items anyway...we might be cooking them a different way this Wednesday vs last Thursday or whatever...but we tend to have our staples and then we just need to shop for misc. type of stuff because we're doing an Asian theme vs an African theme or something.1 -
I usually start the day w/the same protein shake morning and the same high protein drink w/turkey breast and fruit for lunch but for lunch I will sometines eat leftovers or eat somewhere on the run. Then, based on what I ate earlier, I use MFP to "plan" dinner around what I "feel" like eating and adjust the meal to fit my macro and calorie limits.0
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We're just so boring. We have a rotation of salad with a grilled protein -or- grilled chicken/fish/pork/steak with grilled veggies. We throw in fun stuff for the kids, but that's primarily what the hubs and I eat on a daily basis.0
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I plan 1 breakfast, two lunch options, 3 dinner options, and 3-4 snacks per week. I select recipes that use in season produce and grocery shop once per week. I only buy what we need at the grocery store. For example, if I'm making something that requires one banana, I only buy one banana. The breakfast recipe lasts all week. We alternate between the two lunches. I cook dinner three times throughout the week and we eat the leftovers. I set aside time during the weekend to do all the vegetable chopping to save me time on the week nights.0
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We generally plan around the sale papers. Often what we end up doing is buying a large cut of whatever is on sale, cooking it all at once, then eating off it for several days. For instance, this week, it was rump roast. Baby carrots were also on sale. There are two of us, so a five pound roast is going to make quite a few meals. Baby carrots, onion, a sweet potato and a regular potato plus water and a packet of onion soup mix went into the crockpot with the roast. We've eaten it for two days so far. I also got a small head of cabbage and a rutabaga - chop that up, pop it into the big stock pot with whatever is left of the roast, veggies, and juice together with a bag or two of frozen mixed veg, and we will have a terrific soup. Probably will have to freeze some of that for another time.
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My last meal prep consisted of:
Sausage breakfast burritos
Steak breakfast burritos
Stuffed biscuits and gravy
Salisbury steak and mac and cheese
Manicotti and brussels sprouts
Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes
Plain meatballs
Ingredients are on hand to make servings of chicken fried rice or spam and pineapple fried rice and Bagel breakfast sandwiches.
I recently bought a new car. I am making a conscientious effort to not buy any fast food or eat out. Making and freezing meals ahead saves a crapton of money. I spent a few bucks buying freezer containers. I do not use a microwave at home so I just pop the frozen meals out into an individual baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. The meals come out absolutely perfect. I pack my homemade meals with me to work as a home health aide and use my patient's nicrowaves as needed.
I spent about 240 per month for myself and a 3 1/2 year old and we have food for the entire month.1 -
Valerie, Spam and pineapple fried rice sounds fantastic! I'll be Googling for a recipe...0
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No real planning, just keep the cupboards full of staples so I have on hand whatever I need as the mood strikes. I buy whenever stuff is on sale for future use. So, I just make whatever strikes me that day, with an eye to what perishables need to be eaten first.
Once a week or so I buy fruit and veggies, and cook and/or freeze whatever I can't eat in time.
Freezer stocked with frozen tilapia, salmon, chicken, bread, bagels, ice cream.
Fridge has a variety of cheeses, yogurt and almond milk.
Cupboards stocked with lentils, chickpeas, black beans, white beans, black rice, quinoa, oatmeal, basmati rice, trail mix, salsa verde, hoisin, tahini...0 -
No planning.
My food drawer at work and our cupboards, fridge and freezer at home are full of the options I know will work within my calorie limit.
Then it is just a matter of picking what's available.
At work, I know that if I go for a long walk at lunch, I can eat these things, but if I go for a short walk, it'll be those things.
Same sort of thing at home ... if I've exercised lots, I can have these things, but if not it will be those things.
When we shop, our cart contains basically the same things each week ... just restocking what we've used.1 -
@WindSparrow...
This is how I would make my spam fried rice. Make the rice the day before (or at least chilled 5 hours - this is a must).
I put a little butter in a pan and saute the rice until translucent. For 1/2 cup rice, add 1 cup water. Bring to a rolling boil. Cover and simmer 12-13 minutes. Turn burner off and let sit. Place in fridge.
Next day, put a tbsp of oil in a skillet. Add diced spam and frozen peas and carrots. Brown. Add pineapple, rice, a tbsp of soy sauce. Mix all together and fry for a minute or 2.
Push it all to one side. Scramble 2 eggs and add to empty side of skillet. Cook through and break apart and mix with the rice mix.
This makes a HUGE one person portion around 650 calories. Or split into 2.2 -
I do nothing fancy. I keep a supply of thin cut beef and pork for me, and a supply of thicker cut beef and pork for Mrs. I keep frozen salmon and tilapia on hand. I purchase a variety of fresh vegetables each week. When I get home from work I start weighing, chopping, and cooking for both of us. Today for instance I had a 90 g slice of beef with 350 g of various vegetables and she had a 206 g steak with ~40 g Asparagus. Tomorrow is fish day.0
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I started using a site called "Eat This Much" You set how your lifestyle is and it creates menu's and recipes for you. You can always make changes with a click of the button. I would do an entire week and once it seem good then you click a button and it makes a grocery list. It even tracks what is in your pantry so you don't over buy food. The easy recipes there are very good and so easy. You can pick from no cooking, five minute prep, fast food all the way up to thirty minute cooking. Once I got use to using it and grocery shopping with it, it made making my meals in MFP so easy. I don't even use that site now but starting out it took all the thinking out and gave me some very creative and good tasting food that never tasted like you was trying to lose weight.2
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I have a dry erase calendar. At the end of the month I go thru the pantry, freezer and fridge to see what we have. I fill the calendar with as many meals as I can and then I fill in the rest according to what I buy thats on sale. The 3rd might say grilled chicken but we might not eat it the 3rd. I get up in the morning, look to see what sounds good that day and then erase it off so I know its no longer an option.0
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ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »@WindSparrow...
This is how I would make my spam fried rice. Make the rice the day before (or at least chilled 5 hours - this is a must).
I put a little butter in a pan and saute the rice until translucent. For 1/2 cup rice, add 1 cup water. Bring to a rolling boil. Cover and simmer 12-13 minutes. Turn burner off and let sit. Place in fridge.
Next day, put a tbsp of oil in a skillet. Add diced spam and frozen peas and carrots. Brown. Add pineapple, rice, a tbsp of soy sauce. Mix all together and fry for a minute or 2.
Push it all to one side. Scramble 2 eggs and add to empty side of skillet. Cook through and break apart and mix with the rice mix.
This makes a HUGE one person portion around 650 calories. Or split into 2.
Thanks!
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I don't really plan but we eat the same things all the time. I always have protein oatmeal for breakfast, Veggies and tuna for lunch and we rotate 3-4 different dinner combos (chicken, fish, potatoes, rice, veggies, beans) depending on what sounds good that day. Every now and then I'll switch it up but this routine has worked for us. Cheap and effective!0
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Thanks everybody! Here I thought "meal planning" was something that had a definition..! The way I read your comments, it strikes me that what some people refer to as "planning" is the very same thing that others call "not really planning"! I too rotate the same kinds of meals, that's what constitutes my meal plan
The same goes for "boring" - the description is the same, but the naming makes the difference 
It's all in the eye of the beholder 
"Eat This Much" was actually one of the things that opened the world of meal planning for me. It was exciting to see all the possibilities, and then I discovered that I could do the same myself, only better! The last year has been filled with variety and freshness and almost no waste, but I have had to forgo some items because I already had other plans, and that's annoying. I'm not that poor, just want to streamline the process.
I got some new insight - I particularly liked the concept of "adaptability" - I need to work with what's really on hand, not what I imagine will be available. Having a well stocked freezer as well as pantry is crucial to be able to pick up and use whatever vegetables turn up. Pantry has been full for a year, but freezer space is limited so I have to be strategic.1 -
Honestly? I created this for myself:
- Each week or so i pick out my favorite foods for each meal type.
- On the second page i write down each item needed for said meal.
- A lot of the items for one meal cross over to others.
- For meals which can be made ahead of time I go ahead and highlight them pink.
- For meals which should be made on the day i highlight them in yellow.
- As soon as i get home from the grocery store i "pre-prep" everything regardless. This includes washing fruits and veggies, storing them in ways that are appetizing and easy to eat (clear containers, etc.), I pre-make smoothie bags for freezing (weighing and adding in sliced strawberries, bananas, etc. so i can just throw in the blender in the morning of), I fill large glass bottles of water, make plenty of low to no calorie drinks (like these, with flavored teas).
- Because i've been in maintenance for years now and don't log strictly i can easily see an estimate of how many cals i'm eating by choosing meal a for breakfast b for lunch c for dinner, etc. etc. etc.
- I go ahead and pre-cook any meals which can be done in advance and store in glass containers.
- All items which will be used for each meal that must be prepared on the day/night i go ahead and group together in my pantry and/or fridge for easy access.
- I tape this list on my fridge so i can easily see what my options are each week and i know what i have. My boyfriend can easily pick whatever he wants to eat for dinner without the "so, what do you want to eat" discussion.
- First page is the foods list, on the second page when either him or i run out of some ingredient (Not food, but like "butter, olive oil, italian seasoning, etc."), we highlight it on the grocery page. That way we know next week we need to purchase more for our next week's meals.
I know this might sound like a lot (i don't know, does it?) but now that it's routine it's been able to fit my lifestyle and makes eating during the week SUPER EASY. I do end up cooking probably 2-3 times a week with things (like eggs) that are best prepared THAT night. But man is it no big deal when your veggies are pre-chopped and all that's required is some sauteeing.
In addition to the above, i should mention, that because i'm some-what of a minimalist and have moved across the country and then now to another continent i NEVER EVER stockpile food. Canned veggies, grains, the freezers full of crap, 50 million condiments, etc. After having to get rid of BOXES of food, i refuse to be in that position again, it's so incredibly wasteful. Instead, i purchase ONLY the things i'll be eating each week. Each week my cabinets go completely bare. This also allows me to easily filter and see what i've got without going through piles and piles of crap.
Hope this helps!3 -
It does, rainbowbow! I too have a routine that would be very long to write out, but it's steps that starts out the next step and so on, really easy and intuitive for me. Most of the "prep" time is "hands-off", like soaking and defrosting. I just have to start the process.
I have a way to go when it comes to contents of pantry, but I'm working on my attitude. I WANT to just have what I NEED, and I know that i can get anything almost anytime, and certain things are on sale at certain times. Being satisfied with ENOUGH has been a central part of weight management this time, and I want it to be a part of all aspects of my life.0 -
These days I don't plan much. Since eating keto, me and my dad eat 2 different meals. So I just buy something that fits that. Lol. Random things. A veg, a piece of meat. Whatever's on sale that day and looks good.0
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I plan meals better during the colder months when I'm less active and worried about comfort foods. We basically eat the same dinner meals on rotation. I don't really follow the sale items I just know what we'll eat and get it. I do the overnight oats for breakfast and he does the frozen waffles and pb. I eat canned items for lunch and he is on his own (he gets more calories than me so I figure he is eating fast food). I like to make beef roast, chicken, or pork to last a few days and often switch it up with soup, or veggies, or bbq sauce. I get such a low calorie amount that I have to prep or at least think ahead.
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I don't plan much. I will think of what I feel like eating and buy things for that, get extra for leftovers, and just buy meat and veggies/frozen veggies when they are on sale.0
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I plan a couple of different ways. Most weekends I will make a giant batch of something like chilli, bolognase, green Thai curry etc, portion it out and freeze it for meals during the week. I have a basic chart for the week so I note down what we're thinking of having for each day. 2-3 meals each week are pre-prepped frozen ones. Friday is always steak night, and the others I fill in with whatever we have on hand. I always have meat and carbs in stock, but my local shop is only small and so fresh produce is seasonal, so we will adapt to whatever they have in stock. It's worked very well for me for a couple of years, I only have to "cook" a few times a week as the rest of the time it's a microwave job.
I should point out that I always have porridge for breakfast, and either salad or roasted veggies for lunch, and OH does his own thing. So it's only really evening meals that I plan.0 -
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I think most people would think I'm doing it wrong, but we go to the grocery store and pick out whatever looks good/is on sale/is needed to restock (plus we get certain staple perishables like specific vegetables, chicken thighs, and eggs.) Then our fridge works like a restaurant one and we basically do a FIFO rotation where I cook something around whatever's been there longest and should be used. I never have to throw out food because I pretty much check every night before I start cooking. So if the broccoli has been open for several days already, then my husband is getting chicken and broccoli alfredo and I'm getting roasted broccoli with lemon and truffle and a frozen veggie burger (or whatever), and the next day I'll see we have a ton of bell peppers so I'll make him stuffed ones with quinoa, ground turkey, and vegetables, then the next night I'll see the bag of salad greens expires tomorrow and make us big dinner salads with hard-boiled egg and the bacon I opened on the weekend and should use and some of the other veg I have, etc etc.
I dunno, it works for me. We get varied meals, I can just think of stuff based on specific ingredients instead of trying to menu plan from thin air (which is harder for me), and we can grab whatever is a good deal at the store and work with that too.
I also have a stash of what we call "freezer food", which is convenience stuff like frozen perogies, pre-breaded calamari, and frozen burgers that we can dig out if I'm not feeling like doing a whole meal from scratch or I'm not home and my non-cook husband has to fend for himself. Sometimes if it's been a long day I just have to plunk down a frozen pizza and some carrot sticks for him and be done with it so I do keep that stuff around for those kind of nights. I'd say we only have to resort to that about once a month though.1 -
I make a grocery list each week and plan out the dinner meals for each night. I usually have "pizza night," "mexican night," "italian night," etc. and then flesh out meals from there. For ex: Tuesdays are "Taco Tuesday," which is some variety of taco or tostada.
Once I know the meals (oftentimes based on what meat I have in the freezer), I flesh out the rest of the grocery list to make sure I'll have everything for those meals on hand. Then, let's say one of those meals needs carrots. I'll buy a big bag of carrots and peel/cut/weigh those out to snack size portions for the whole week. Same with celery. I'll cut cucumbers the day-of so they don't get slimy. I also weigh out portions of almonds so I always have a go-to protein on the ready.
Breakfast is always boiled egg, an orange/clementine, and Schar crispbread crackers, and a V8 (sometimes I skip the V8) so I make sure to get those. I boil eggs every Sunday so I have them for grab-and-go breakfast on weekdays. Honestly I don't really love boiled eggs, but with salt and pepper on a cracker, I haven't found anything as convenient and too many carbs in the AM spiral me out of control.
Then we have staple foods; things that I ALWAYS buy:
Eggs
Milk
1/2 and 1/2
Coffee
String Cheese
High-Fiber GF Bread
English Cucumbers
Oranges/Clementines
I spend a lot of time doing meal prep and cooking. More than I'd like, honestly, but I think it's the nature of the beast right now.
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kommodevaran wrote: »Thanks everybody! Here I thought "meal planning" was something that had a definition..!
My mother wrote out everything we were going to have for lunch and dinner for the week on the left side of a chalk board in our kitchen.
Then she investigated the cupboards etc. to find out what she had. Then she wrote a grocery list on the right side of the chalk board.
At the beginning of the week, she went grocery shopping, got exactly what she needed to make the meals for the week + a little bit extra (maybe a few things on sale), just in case ... and we had those meals.
On Monday, I knew exactly what was coming for the week. There were no surprises.
That to me is "meal planning".
What my husband and I do is to look at each other at about 6:30 pm and he asks, "What do you want for dinner" ... he asks because he cooks dinner. I usually shrug my shoulders and say, "Whatever we've got". It's almost always a partial surprise. I have an idea what we've got in the cupboards etc. and unless I'm really tight for calories, I know it will all work within my calories ... but I don't know what, specifically, he'll choose until it appears in front of me.
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