Meal Planning 101
If you are new to meal planning, it can feel like a daunting task to plan out all of your meals for the week ahead. But the truth is, meal planning can be an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to making healthier choices and saving you time and money!
Meal planning is the process of deciding your meals in advance for the week ahead. Meal prepping is the act of preparing ingredients or meals in advance so they are ready to go when it comes time to cook or eat. According to a campaign survey conducted by Health Canada, one of the biggest barriers to healthy eating is a lack of time. With the proper meal planning and prepping tools, you can save time, decrease stress, and cut back on food waste (which also saves you money in the long run!). Even better, research shows that meal planning helps individuals purchase and prepare healthier foods on a regular basis. Win, win!
For many of my clients, a lack of proper meal planning can lead to inadequate protein, poor fiber intake, imbalances in blood sugars, and generally poor dietary choices. This can lead to poor digestion and symptoms of gas, bloating, and constipation. Not knowing where to start with meal prepping is the first hurdle to overcome. This is exactly why I’ve put together this Meal Planning 101 for beginners. Keep reading for 10 tips to get you started on your meal planning journey!
1. Start small.
You don’t need to do a complete meal prep overhaul in the span of a week. Creating a meal prepping habit is just like creating any other sustainable habit: it will likely take some time, and baby steps are often best if you want the habit to stick. Instead of planning all of your meals for the week, start with one. It could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Consider choosing the meal that gives you the most difficulty in preparing, and start reaping the benefits.
2. Choose the familiar.
Prepping 4 or 5 new recipes in a week can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure how they will turn out – delicious or dumpster worthy? Instead, begin with recipes you already know so you have reliable and tasty meals. Have a really good taco recipe? Or perhaps you just really love overnight oats? Start there! Once you’ve successfully planned a week or two with the familiar, consider adding one new recipe each week. The longer you do this, the more recipes you’ll have to pull from in the future. (Tip: take note of the ones you really love and be sure to save them in your bookmarks folder in your web browser.)
3. Make a plan and prep schedule.
Set aside an hour each week to draft a meal plan and build your shopping list. Include additional time dedicated to post-grocery shopping meal prep. This might include washing and chopping vegetables, batch cooking for the week ahead, or baking some healthy snacks.
4. Consider the different food groups.
The healthiest meal plan emphasizes a plate balanced with whole foods from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, high-quality proteins, and healthy fats while limiting sources of highly refined and processed foods, sugar, and fried foods. Take this into consideration when planning your meals.
A balanced plate should be about half non-starchy vegetables, one quarter of a high-quality protein, and one quarter of starchy vegetable or complex carbohydrate, such as sweet potato, quinoa, or rice. Including healthy fats is also very important but consider using fat more like a condiment, where you are cooking with a tablespoon of olive oil, drizzling on veggies, or sprinkling a few tablespoons of seeds over your dish.
5. Organize your pantry.
An organized pantry can be the difference between a successfully cooked dinner, and running to the grocery store at the last minute because you’re missing a key ingredient for your meal. Ensuring your pantry is well stocked with the basics makes meal prepping a breeze – and it makes it easy for you to throw together a quick meal if you prep plans go awry.
Here are some pantry basics to keep stocked. Make your own list and add in any essentials:
- Cooking oils: olive, avocado, and coconut
- Whole grains: rice, quinoa, oats, whole grain pasta
- Legumes: canned or dried black beans, lentils, chickpeas
- Canned goods: low-sodium broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, tuna, olives, coconut milk
- Baking essentials: baking powder, baking soda, flour, vanilla
- Herbs/spices: cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, thyme, parsley, paprika, oregano, sea salt
- Other: peanut butter, tahini, nut butter, mixed nuts, dried fruit, applesauce
6. Invest in good reusable containers.
It doesn’t matter how good your meal prepping skills are if you don’t have anything to store your delicious creations in! Reusable glassware can be purchased on Amazon for a reasonable price – or check Facebook marketplace to find a local deal! (I prefer glassware because it’s great for reheating and freezing, and it won’t leach harmful plastics into your food!)
7. Batch cook common ingredients.
If two or more recipes call for the same ingredient (such as rice, quinoa, black beans, or roasted vegetables), make a big batch so you only have to prep that ingredient once during the week. You may wish to choose recipes with some similar ingredients so you can cook once and enjoy multiple times.
8. Use an Instant pot or slow cooker.
These kitchen appliances can become your best friend if you are short on time. Make use of set-it-and-forget-it style recipes by throwing all of your ingredients in the pot on your way to work in the morning, and coming home to a mouthwatering and delicious meal! Chilis and hearty soups are also a great way to use up leftover veggies at the end of your meal prep week.
9. Think about leftovers.
If you don’t want to spend time cooking every day of the week, plan to make enough servings to have for leftovers. Making a few extra servings can be a great plan for lunch the next day. If you’re not keen on eating the same thing two days in a row, choose meals that are freezer friendly and freeze extra portions for an easy-prep meal at another time.
Alternatively, consider repurposing leftovers. If you had roast chicken breast one night, shred the leftovers and have chicken fajitas the next.
10. Ask for help!
If you’re cooking for a partner or family, get them involved! Ask a family member to help pick out a new recipe to try for the week ahead; get your kids involved in washing vegetables; or ask your partner to do the grocery shopping with the list you provide.
Live alone? You can still ask for help. Since the pandemic, grocery shopping has never been easier. Make use of grocery delivery services, or order your groceries online and pick them up on your way home from work. If your cooking skills are a little rusty, there’s also no shame in using a meal kit delivery service, like FreshPrep or HelloFresh. This can be a great way to dip your toe in with meal prepping because all of the ingredients are delivered to your door and you get to try new recipes.
Meal planning can be a powerful tool when it comes to eating healthier. That’s exactly the reason building strong meal planning skills is a part of my 12-week Better Gut, Better You program. With a more balanced plate, less stress, and more time on your hands, you’ll be able to rekindle a healthy relationship with your food – and combat constipation and bloating!
Interested in how nutrition coaching can help you have regular poops, ditch the bloat, and enjoy more of the foods you love? Book a free Gut Health Strategy Session to discover the 5 key steps you need to take to find symptom relief faster with results that actually last! Click here to book your free call!
