Why meal plan? It saves you time, money and can help you be healthier.Here are the three easy steps you need to start meal planning.1. Decide what day you will do your meal planning. I do the planning in the middle of the week for the following week before I go shopping. 2. Write down the meals AND SNACKS that you want for the week. Don’t forget snacks. 3. Set aside some time on a weekend to batch cook. Batch cooking is the key to saving time and money.

Easy Steps To Start Meal Planning

<img width="1024" height="1024" alt="How to meal plan" src="https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mo.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w">Meal planning is not new yet many people don’t know how to meal plan effectively. In this article I will share;Why you should meal plan.How to meal plan for the week.Simple meal ideas to get you started.<div>A type of plan we create for meals so we can buy and plan effectively.

</div><h2>Why You Should Meal Plan</h2>When people think about how to meal plan most people link it to dieting. They think of eating healthy and it being part of a fitness regime. Yes, knowing how to meal plan can absolutely help you control your weight but it has other benefits as well.<h3>Save Time</h3>Having your weekly meals all planned out in advance and the ingredients bought saves you so much time.&nbsp;<UL><LI>You can bulk prepare meals on a weekend and freeze them so they are ready to cook each night.</LI><LI>You don’t need to think about what you are going to make for any meal as you already know.</LI><LI>Lunches can be made the night before.</LI><LI>No last minute trips to the shop to buy something for tea or to buy ingredients you thought you had.</LI></UL>The time you save can then be used for other things that will more value to your life than trudging round supermarkets wondering what to eat.<h3>Save Money</h3>In the UK we spend over <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/584999/takeaways-household-spending-united-kingdom-uk/" dir="ltr">£11billion</a> a year on fast food and we are not the only nation doing this. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional treat it is clear that convenience is costly. If you plan your meals in advance there are two big benefits.<UL><LI>You know exactly what you are eating each day. You don’t get hit with that mealtime decision making problem. How often have you not pre-prepare a lunch or pre planned an evening meal and then bought something instead? This is particularly true at lunchtimes as you rush between meetings. The food you go and buy when you haven’t planned costs much more than something you pre-make.</LI></UL>Make sure you read my article on <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-to-fit-healthy-eating-into-your-day/" dir="ltr">How To Fit Healthy Eating Into Your Day</a> if this is you.<UL><LI>The other benefit is you only buy what you need. You will have a set shopping list so you know what you need to buy. People who don’t know how to meal plan are much more likely to be drawn to the offers supermarkets put out. You don’t need that 3 for the price of 2 on packs of sweets but the deal just sounds too good doesn’t it? Just remember, buying something you don’t need, even if it is on offer, is always a cost and never a saving.</LI></UL><h3>Mental Well-being</h3>This one is always overlooked but is really important. You may know that entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs always wore the same style of clothes. Why? It reduces the decision making you need to make on lower value tasks so you have more focus on the decisions that matter. Knowing how to meal plan uses the same principles.Trying to decide what to cook at the last minute can have you mentally scrolling through your repertoire of meals and trying to compare that to what food you have in. It can be stressful and often results in a ‘quick tea’ being cooked which isn’t very healthy or a takeaway being ordered. In turn you can feel bad for not eating healthy or not providing a more thought out and healthy meal for your family.Meal planning in advance removes some of the decisions we need to make throughout the day. It allows us to make healthier choices that make us feel better physically and mentally.Meal planning is not just for families on a budget. It has many benefits and can help improve your health and fitness.<h2>How To Meal Plan For A Week.</h2>Let’s get down to business. You want to know how to meal plan for a week. It’s really simple.<h3>Step 1</h3>Decide what day you will do your meal planning. I do the planning in the middle of the week for the following week. This is for two reasons;<UL><LI>I then know what items I am buying when I go shopping which is usually the start of the weekend.</LI><LI>I have the ingredients in the house ready to batch cook on Sunday. Batch cooking, if you aren’t sure, is cooking meals in large batches that can then be frozen for meals later.</LI></UL><h3>Step 2</h3>Write down the meals AND SNACKS that you want for the week. Don’t forget snacks.What these will be is down to personal taste. Do you like a lot of variety or are you happy eating similar foods? Are you eating to lose weight or not? Do you have certain dietary needs?As a guide the following is generally true;<UL><LI>Those people that eat breakfast tend to have the same thing. You might want some variety on a weekend but you may find you have the same breakfast most days.</LI><LI>As you will often be taking lunch to work think about foods that are healthy and can be eaten cold. Sandwiches are always popular but don’t forget pasta, rice and soups as well. These are often low cost, healthy and easy to prepare.</LI><LI>Evening meals are the ones where you will most want variety, especially if you are cooking for others as well. This meal will require most thought and most cooking – more on how to simplify this later. Considering meals that can be batch cooked is a good way to save time and money.</LI><LI>Finally, snacks. We all snack, it is not a bad thing. The problem is when we snack consistently on bad food. Vending machine snacks are seen everywhere, are normally unhealthy and cost much more than buying food from shops. Make sure you plan your snacks for the day too.</LI></UL><h3>Step 3</h3>Set aside some time on a weekend to batch cook. I know I am pushing batch cooking but it really does save time and money.Each evening also set aside up to 30 minutes to prepare your breakfast for the morning if needed and your lunch for the following day.Then all you need to do is keep repeating these three steps each week and you will be a meal planning whizz in no time.<h2>Simple Meal Ideas To Get You Started.</h2>If you are unsure what meals might be suitable for meal planning here are some of my favourites.<h3>Breakfast</h3>Overnight oats are great and you can make them the night before then just add toppings of your choice. Alternatively a continental breakfast requires very little prep time and it’s easy to add different ingredients to keep it fresh.<h3>Lunch</h3>Literally anything with pasta/rice, a meat and some vegetables/salad items. I prefer wholemeal pasta, chicken, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes. You can then use this as the base for other meals such as rice, salmon and broccoli or beef, noodles and Chinese vegetables.<h3>Evening Meal</h3>Again, pasta and rice dishes are great as you can batch cook them. Spaghetti Bolognese, chilli and rice and casseroles are all great easy options.<h3>Snacks</h3>I prefer fruit as it is healthy and portable but equally carrot sticks and humus, boiled eggs and chicken strips are also healthy and easy to plan.It can feel like a lot of effort figuring out how to meal plan but once you get into the routine it is much simpler and quicker than the alternative. To make it even easier we have our free health and fitness worksheet that includes a meal planner. You can get it <a href="https://spurplanners.com/personal-growth/" dir="ltr">here</a>.<h3>Share this:</h3>

Do you know how to meal plan? Meal planning can save you time and save you money. Once you know how to meal plan you will not look back.

food

Food

Meal planning is not new yet many people don’t know how to meal plan effectively. In this article I will share;

Why you should meal plan.

How to meal plan for the week.

Simple meal ideas to get you started.

When people think about how to meal plan most people link it to dieting. They think of eating healthy and it being part of a fitness regime. Yes, knowing how to meal plan can absolutely help you control your weight but it has other benefits as well.

Having your weekly meals all planned out in advance and the ingredients bought saves you so much time.

<ul><li>You can bulk prepare meals on a weekend and freeze them so they are ready to cook each night. </li><li>You don’t need to think about what you are going to make for any meal as you already know. </li><li>Lunches can be made the night before. </li><li>No last minute trips to the shop to buy something for tea or to buy ingredients you thought you had. </li> </ul>

The time you save can then be used for other things that will more value to your life than trudging round supermarkets wondering what to eat.

In the UK we spend over <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/584999/takeaways-household-spending-united-kingdom-uk/">£11billion </a>a year on fast food and we are not the only nation doing this. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional treat it is clear that convenience is costly. If you plan your meals in advance there are two big benefits.

<ul><li>You know exactly what you are eating each day. You don’t get hit with that mealtime decision making problem. How often have you not pre-prepare a lunch or pre planned an evening meal and then bought something instead? This is particularly true at lunchtimes as you rush between meetings. The food you go and buy when you haven’t planned costs much more than something you pre-make. </li> </ul>

Make sure you read my article on <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-to-fit-healthy-eating-into-your-day/">How To Fit Healthy Eating Into Your Day </a>if this is you.

<ul><li>The other benefit is you only buy what you need. You will have a set shopping list so you know what you need to buy. People who don’t know how to meal plan are much more likely to be drawn to the offers supermarkets put out. You don’t need that 3 for the price of 2 on packs of sweets but the deal just sounds too good doesn’t it? Just remember, buying something you don’t need, even if it is on offer, is always a cost and never a saving. </li> </ul>

This one is always overlooked but is really important. You may know that entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs always wore the same style of clothes. Why? It reduces the decision making you need to make on lower value tasks so you have more focus on the decisions that matter. Knowing how to meal plan uses the same principles.

Trying to decide what to cook at the last minute can have you mentally scrolling through your repertoire of meals and trying to compare that to what food you have in. It can be stressful and often results in a ‘quick tea’ being cooked which isn’t very healthy or a takeaway being ordered. In turn you can feel bad for not eating healthy or not providing a more thought out and healthy meal for your family.

Meal planning in advance removes some of the decisions we need to make throughout the day. It allows us to make healthier choices that make us feel better physically and mentally.

Meal planning is not just for families on a budget. It has many benefits and can help improve your health and fitness.

Let’s get down to business. You want to know how to meal plan for a week. It’s really simple.

Decide what day you will do your meal planning. I do the planning in the middle of the week for the following week. This is for two reasons;

<ul><li>I then know what items I am buying when I go shopping which is usually the start of the weekend. </li><li>I have the ingredients in the house ready to batch cook on Sunday. Batch cooking, if you aren’t sure, is cooking meals in large batches that can then be frozen for meals later. </li> </ul>

Write down the meals AND SNACKS that you want for the week. Don’t forget snacks.

What these will be is down to personal taste. Do you like a lot of variety or are you happy eating similar foods? Are you eating to lose weight or not? Do you have certain dietary needs?

As a guide the following is generally true;

<ul><li>Those people that eat breakfast tend to have the same thing. You might want some variety on a weekend but you may find you have the same breakfast most days. </li><li>As you will often be taking lunch to work think about foods that are healthy and can be eaten cold. Sandwiches are always popular but don’t forget pasta, rice and soups as well. These are often low cost, healthy and easy to prepare. </li><li>Evening meals are the ones where you will most want variety, especially if you are cooking for others as well. This meal will require most thought and most cooking – more on how to simplify this later. Considering meals that can be batch cooked is a good way to save time and money. </li><li>Finally, snacks. We all snack, it is not a bad thing. The problem is when we snack consistently on bad food. Vending machine snacks are seen everywhere, are normally unhealthy and cost much more than buying food from shops. Make sure you plan your snacks for the day too. </li> </ul>

Set aside some time on a weekend to batch cook. I know I am pushing batch cooking but it really does save time and money.

Each evening also set aside up to 30 minutes to prepare your breakfast for the morning if needed and your lunch for the following day.

Then all you need to do is keep repeating these three steps each week and you will be a meal planning whizz in no time.

If you are unsure what meals might be suitable for meal planning here are some of my favourites.

Overnight oats are great and you can make them the night before then just add toppings of your choice. Alternatively a continental breakfast requires very little prep time and it’s easy to add different ingredients to keep it fresh.

Literally anything with pasta/rice, a meat and some vegetables/salad items. I prefer wholemeal pasta, chicken, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes. You can then use this as the base for other meals such as rice, salmon and broccoli or beef, noodles and Chinese vegetables.

Again, pasta and rice dishes are great as you can batch cook them. Spaghetti Bolognese, chilli and rice and casseroles are all great easy options.

I prefer fruit as it is healthy and portable but equally carrot sticks and humus, boiled eggs and chicken strips are also healthy and easy to plan.

It can feel like a lot of effort figuring out how to meal plan but once you get into the routine it is much simpler and quicker than the alternative. To make it even easier we have our free health and fitness worksheet that includes a meal planner. You can get it <a href="https://spurplanners.com/personal-growth/">here </a>.

How To Meal Plan - Spur Planners

Easy Steps To Start Meal Planning

Spur Planners's ideas are part of this journey:

Related collections

Similar ideas