meal planning
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kj_pisces21
Posts: 10
I would like to learn/ start meal prepping. Does anyone have any advice on where to start? Also i love to make homemade food (breads, pasta, ravioli, and chocolate goodies) how do i count the calories of the stuff i make.. my kitchenaid is getting dusty. Lol
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Replies
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I start with a quick inventory of my existing groceries and what I need to use up. Then, I grab a sheet of paper. I divide it into 21 boxes. One for each meal for 7 days. Then, I grab my fav low-cal cookbooks (or websites like skinnytaste, etc). I fill in the boxes with meals I know I want, like family favorites, breakfast, lunches, etc. Then, I fill in the blanks with new recipes. After I'm done, I make a list of the groceries I need to add to complete the meals. I struggle with sticking to my plan though!! But, I count it as a victory if I mostly stick to it!
The homemade foods can be added in the recipe builder. You can upload a recipe, or add it manually. Then it becomes a saved meal that you can use forever.0 -
I have a hard time trying to plan specific meals on specific days, so I plan to cook xyz meals (usually a double batch and store an extra meal in the freezer) during the week. Then I just pick which meal off of the list I want to make each night. If something changes my plan, I go to the freezer meals. I'd try a few different methods from very detailed to pretty loose, and see what fits for your lifestyle and goals.0
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I grab a calendar and fill out a month at a time. Then I follow a trend. For example: Tuesdays are dance night so I use my crockpot on that night. Fridays are Meat free. So then with my usual days blocked off I fill in the days with what we will eat in those parameters. Then on the back of the calendar I list what I need to complete each meal so that I can easily make a grocery list by week. On days where I am at a loss on what to make I pull out a cookbook and try and fill in the blanks. I hope this makes sense.
Good luck I have found that making a list really helps cut down on the arguments about what we want to eat and also cuts down on takeout/going out. 0 -
I find it difficult to plan for the month, I plan my meals weekly, and prep and cook as much as possible on Sunday. Sunday mornings I plan my meals for the next week, make my list, shop and then prep. I like to buy meat in bulk, so I can make different meals out of it. I always make a big salad, and cut up veggies, it's such a big help when cooking during the week if I don't have a meal made ahead of time. I also like to grill or bake a pack of chicken breast and just have them on hand, you can make tacos, wraps, pair it up with some veggies, etc.... It gets difficult coming up with different meals, but I love Delish.com, I stay watching the cooking channel, and good ole cookbooks. I've tried to figure out the calories in my homemade recipes, and it's a bit challenging especially if you cook like me and "eyeball" measure ingredients, but there is a formula, I just Googled it.
Good Luck 0 -
I plan weekly as well. I made my own spreadsheet with the days of the week breakfast lunch and dinner, then below I have my grocery list separated by departments. I know it's saved us some money too having it all planned out. My family hasn't gone out to dinner for a long time which is nice. We will have the occasional pizza from papa murphy's but that's about it. My husband and I usually sit together Sat to go over the next week and then go shopping. Sunday is my prep day for his lunches and anything else I'd like to do ahead of time if I need to i.e chopping or marinating. We just started doing this a month ago and I love it! 0
