I am by no means an expert when it comes to meal planning and grocery shopping. I am sure many of you are much better at it than I. But after leaving a very long comment when another blogger asked about meal planning, I decided I did at least have some curves and advice on it. Which is where the idea for this post came from – How to Meal Plan, as part of the Healthy Tuesday segment’s.
Here I am with a second segment of How to Meal Plan. In case you missed it How to Meal Plan Part One.
How to Meal Plan Part Two
Be Flexible
Don’t worry about skipping something that is already written on your meal plan schedule. If you are just feeling lazy, something else comes up or your craving something. Go with it. Don’t let yourself be super rigid on the schedule of it. Which is why our two-week meal plan tends to last us a bit longer than those two week’s.
Sometimes you want to go out, which is fine. Just shuffle it around or push that days meal plan to the next day. You’ll stick with it better if you allow for the flexible needs or wants.
Like we just finished our two-week meal plan from this last big grocery shopping trip. But still have two to three meals left to use that just didn’t happen on the day I had them written out for.
Use Meals that Use Similar Things
Worried that you’ll buy something fresh that you won’t use it all and it’ll go bad and you’ll have to throw it out? Try and plan something in that same week that uses that/those ingredients.
That way you’ll be killing one bird with one stone, per say.
Wash and Cut Your Fruits and Veggies
Once you get home with your groceries try to wash all your fruits and veggies that day or the next couple days. Also cutting them up while putting them away how you’ll be using them for easier dinner prep. Wash with the vinegar and water rinse and they’ll last even a bit longer.
Plus I bet with the fruits and veggies being washed and cut up to eat, that you’ll snack on them even more. Bonus snacking healthy!
But, do not wash your herbs or any leafy things until right before you are going to use them.
That is it. My simple, yet efficient, ways to meal plan. I may or may not have other parts in this series as I think of them or as you give me more ideas on great ways to share with others how to meal plan!
I do hope you found some of these useful and can use them for your own meal planning in your home.
