Planning Ahead

runlaugheatpie
runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
edited October 4 in Food and Nutrition
How many of you plan the week ahead and prep (partially or all) your meals?

I am a planner for everything except my dinner (my husband cooks usually) and I find this really helps keep me in focus for the day. When I don't plan it always seems to go wrong. Like last Friday I didn't have lunch with me and I thought I was making healthy choices buying my lunch at work but it turned out to be a total calorie bomb!

I've planned the majority of my upcoming week now food-wise and it feels pretty good. Like I'm going to have a successful week, you know? I find it tough to plan for when I don't have dinner at home or I don't know exactly what the plan is for dinner but at least I can be in control of the parts I can plan for!

So are you a planner or do you wing it? Or do you eat a lot of already prepared foods?

Replies

  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    I live in a dorm, so unfortunately I have to wing it. Next year when I have an apartment, I will definitely plan ahead more with my cooking and cook for the week. Right now it's just not very doable =/
    I also sometimes find I'm just not in the mood for what I planned to eat, and I want to enjoy my meals!
    But I'm so happy this seems to work for you... keep up the great work! :D
  • wildkatt7
    wildkatt7 Posts: 163 Member
    I generally plan out the meals that will be made in the week, but not necessarily when... I also try to allow for a bit of spontonatety...
    but it is unrealistic to say we will have fish tuesday, as we may not be in the mood for fish tuesday... wish my hubby would make more meals... lucky you
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
    I live in a dorm, so unfortunately I have to wing it. Next year when I have an apartment, I will definitely plan ahead more with my cooking and cook for the week. Right now it's just not very doable =/
    I also sometimes find I'm just not in the mood for what I planned to eat, and I want to enjoy my meals!
    But I'm so happy this seems to work for you... keep up the great work! :D

    oh that's too bad! but I understand, that's the situation you have right now.
    and to be honest, I'm not always in the mood, but the way I see it is... my dinners are what I really look forward to and those are pretty spontaneous. Hubs makes sure that he tells me what is in the dish so that I can calculate it and watches the amount of fat in the dish. I don't need to enjoy my breakfast lunch or snacks - I mean I do, but it's not AS important as dinner, you know?
  • wedjul05
    wedjul05 Posts: 472
    Planner all the way.

    I have batches of food in the freezer which I take to work. I then buy whatever I need (baked potato etc) in work to go with them. I bring everything to work with me from brekkie to snacks to lunch.

    I made some brown bread today so I can have that during the week too. Made a huge batch of ratatouille also yesterday so I can freeze that and get some chicken fillets out from the freezer during the week to cook.

    I'm a need to know person all the way. I can really stick to me cals this way.
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
    I generally plan out the meals that will be made in the week, but not necessarily when... I also try to allow for a bit of spontonatety...
    but it is unrealistic to say we will have fish tuesday, as we may not be in the mood for fish tuesday... wish my hubby would make more meals... lucky you

    yes, that's what I mean about my dinners being more spontaneous!

    and I AM lucky, I know that - this is just the way it is right now. He's home from work way before I am, can do the shopping and cooking and we can eat at a decent hour. If we had to wait til I got home and I still had to buy main ingredients I wouldn't even start cooking until 8pm!!
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
    Planner all the way.

    I have batches of food in the freezer which I take to work. I then buy whatever I need (baked potato etc) in work to go with them. I bring everything to work with me from brekkie to snacks to lunch.

    I made some brown bread today so I can have that during the week too. Made a huge batch of ratatouille also yesterday so I can freeze that and get some chicken fillets out from the freezer during the week to cook.

    I'm a need to know person all the way. I can really stick to me cals this way.

    me too! I bring breakfast, lunch and snacks with me to work! I hardly buy anything in our cafe unless I've planned for it!

    Definitely a need to know person! Others would probably call me a control freak!
  • Lzbrg22
    Lzbrg22 Posts: 13
    We have just started planning out meals for the week as well. My husband and I both prepare the meals, just whomever is home first gets it started. My daughter is starting to contribute and taking on one night a week to prepare for being on her own. We are making healthy eating a family affair. We have been finding fun recipes from all different websites and creating our own home cookbook of recipes we have tried and like. I love www.dashingdish.com, www.hungry-girl.com, and weight watchers to get ideas and then we vary them to our liking if something is missing or extra. I think shopping ahead and having plenty to choose from doesn't get you stuck in the same rut as following strict plans and then falling off. We prepare our lunches now too.
  • Mjolner
    Mjolner Posts: 19 Member
    I try to prepare the weeks meals during the weekend. Since most of my diet is raw foods it isn't coocking as much as planning portion sizes etc. Then I toss the portion bags in the fridge and grab them randomly through out the week.
  • starcrystal3
    starcrystal3 Posts: 91 Member
    I do plan my dinners for the week. I search for new and tasty recipes and post the menu on our refrigerator. It actually helps everyone look forward to the meal - the anticipation actually puts us in the mood for it. And it keeps me on track, makes grocery shopping tons easier, too.
  • stacyb521
    stacyb521 Posts: 15
    I am such a snacker that I always put in my diary what I plan on eating at the beginning of the day so I know where I am going and then can adjust if changes occur. I usually plan all my dinners for the week and that helps when thinking about what to eat for the day.
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
    Planning worked quite well last week, but of course I had my monthly visitor so I saw no change on the scale (I'm used to that anyway). So now I'm going to do it again, only try to find different stuff to eat. I got a little bored with my lunch that I planned to have 3 days in the week - by the 3rd time I really wasn't feeling it but choked it down anyway.
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
    I am not a big meal planner. I just buy the good stuff and fix whatever the fam feels like having that night. sometimes I will get in the mood to plan a weeks worth of meals, but it doesn't happen to often now that the children are older.
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
    well I'm not planning dinner, not really. it's the day eating that I am trying to get control of, plus also the time it takes to prep that food - I have a pretty brutal commute and get up very early so if I can sleep an extra 15 min in the morning because I planned and prep that's a bonus!
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