How far in advance to you plan your meals?

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Cal28
Cal28 Posts: 514 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just curious.
I tend to plan all our dinner's week to week and everything else around that. Is that what most people do?
Does anyone just plan day to day? That's when I tend to struggle...



(and the title should be 'do' you plan, sorry!)

Replies

  • Maybol3
    Maybol3 Posts: 9
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    I have started making a plan for the month. Its not as bad as it sounds. On shopping day (Tues) its always something simple or rotisserie chicken and some veg, Friday is leftovers, Saturday is open, Sunday is big dinner night roast, stew or lasagna. This leaves me with just Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to think about. I usually make one day pasta, then fish, and vegetarian. I also keep something in the freezer in case we don't have any leftovers or decide not to go out one night.
    I only plan dinners not breakfast or lunch.
    When I did day to day planing it was horrible, now we have a plan and it makes grocery shopping easier and cheaper.
    I write it all out on a big dry erase calendar to make it easy to check on how much time I need to cook and if I can do anything in advance.
  • ashley67203
    ashley67203 Posts: 95
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    We plan for the week ahead and stock the pantry/freezer with a few recipe staples in case we miss or delay the weekly grocery trip. I buy enough to make two or three big one-dish dinners that will last us both through the week. We both work second shift and basically live out of our lunchboxes. We've been doing the "eat every three hours" for a long time now so we only really plan and cook dinner. Breakfast and lunch usually consist of a series of 100-to-200-calorie snacks like fruits, veggies, cheese, nuts, etc. so I buy pretty much the same stuff for those every week.
  • sufikitkat
    sufikitkat Posts: 596 Member
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    I plan ahead for Tuesdays as I have work and school from 8AM until 10 PM so I have to bring all three meals with me. Otherwise, I try to vary it each day and maybe plan when I go out to eat.
  • MichelleRenee13
    MichelleRenee13 Posts: 363 Member
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    ["We plan for the week ahead and stock the pantry/freezer with a few recipe staples in case we miss or delay the weekly grocery trip. I buy enough to make two or three big one-dish dinners that will last us both through the week. We both work second shift and basically live out of our lunchboxes. We've been doing the "eat every three hours" for a long time now so we only really plan and cook dinner. Breakfast and lunch usually consist of a series of 100-to-200-calorie snacks like fruits, veggies, cheese, nuts, etc. so I buy pretty much the same stuff for those every week."]

    ^^ That is exactly how I do it.
  • nahralynn
    nahralynn Posts: 125 Member
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    We always planned by the week for dinners, but Bfasts and lunches were kind of 'grab whats in the fridge'. Started a new plan today and we planned out every meal for the week mostly because it's fruits and veggies so have to cook fresh and not let the veg go to waste! I like planning things out better especially watching my calories makes it easier. Also we don't have the horrible 'what do you want for dinner' convo that tends to last tooooo long!
  • 388gigi
    388gigi Posts: 485 Member
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    I plan all my meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) a week in advance :-)

    I plan the whole week around what I already have. I do all the shopping at once and I love it!

    I am much better at the healthy lifestyle thing if I plan ahead! It's also a lot cheaper/easier way of grocery shopping.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I plan for a week ahead, then make a shopping list so I only buy the things we need. This has saved me lots of money and makes life much easier. We still change our mind about what to eat during the week, but it's good know that we have all we need for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.
    I use an iPhone app called MealBoard that lets you enter your recipes, then plan meals and create a shopping list.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I plan day by day. i make sure when I grocery shop I buy ingredients for complete meals but dont go as far as figuring out in advance what we are eating each day for a week straight.
  • primalkiwi
    primalkiwi Posts: 164 Member
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    I usually plan a couple of days in advance based on what is in the fridge and freezer - breakfast is usually the same thing every day, lunch is either leftovers from the previous night or a salad and dinner is always planned. It's the only way I can stay on track - if I don't plan and I come home tired and there's nothing out of the freezer ready for dinner then that is when I slip up and grab something quick and easy and high calorie. Lunch has to be planned as I work in a rural area and can't just pop down to the shops. If I don't have something with me then I'm without food from 7am to 7pm. I also like to plan in some leeway too so I have some calories spare if I really feel like a snack.
  • cherriechiu
    cherriechiu Posts: 7
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    I cook on Sundays.

    To get the best (and tastiest) meals, I plan my menu around what seasonal produce I find at the local Farmer's Market on Sunday mornings.

    Once I am done cooking, I like to portion out individual servings. I eat some during the week, as well as extra to squirrel away in the freezer. That way, I can change up the week's menu with the inventory in deep freeze. Also, when I don't have time to cook, rather than eating out, I can tap into my reserves.
  • Cal28
    Cal28 Posts: 514 Member
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    I use an iPhone app called MealBoard that lets you enter your recipes, then plan meals and create a shopping list.

    Ooh thanks, I'll look at that, sounds better than a piece of paper!
    See a few of you plan lunches too, do you find this helps with eating healthy? Find I come to lunchtime alot and spend ages wondering what to eat. x
  • amiles21693
    amiles21693 Posts: 99
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    I plan for 2 weeks. I go shopping every other Sunday and I make my list by meals instead of individual items. It saves lots of money (:
  • cuelgirl
    cuelgirl Posts: 47 Member
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    I plan each and every morning when I log on MFP.... I put in the meals and then go from there...
  • kimgravel
    kimgravel Posts: 32
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    I plan out for the week on Sunday, and do my grocery shopping all at once. I usually do it for the week, and leave Saturdays open. Up until this week, I was just planning dinner, but I did lunches and snacks this time as well, and I'm already liking it better.

    I find it SO much easier then trying to figure out every day what we're having, and it's cut down trips to the grocery store fom 4 or 5 to 1 a week.
  • ablykins
    ablykins Posts: 200 Member
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    I prepare and cook all meals a week in advance. I portion everything in containers for both myself and my husband so that on busy days we can still stay on track.
  • eagle_01
    eagle_01 Posts: 94
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    Grocery shop plan is a week ahead, so I make sure I have all the things I need for the week, and don't get tempted to buy anything that I don't want to have (the plan helps me incorporate better snack choices). I also do the grocery shop on a full stomach! It's so true that you should shop when you're very hungry...I usually buy too many things when I do this, and if it's fresh it's a waste cause I can't eat all of it...and I'm also more likely to buy sugary stuff when my stomach's growling while walking down the aisles.

    I like to remain spontaneous about the day to day, so I plan out my meals the night before, and allow myself to change the evening meal last minute, if I'm not 'feeling it'

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