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SALT LAKE CITY — Does the “what should we eat tonight?” panic set in for you on most nights? If so, listen up. There are a couple of things you can do to prepare so you don’t get that mid-week dread.
You may have heard the terms meal planning and meal prepping thrown around. Let’s break them down.
Meal planning is simply choosing a few meals you want to have during the week. This involves deciding which recipes to follow and purchasing the necessary ingredients. Then you just follow your plan for the week.
Meal prepping, on the other hand, might involve preparing various foods in bulk, such as rice, pasta, several protein options, snacks, or even veggie dishes that you can toss together throughout the week. Some people choose to prepare all of their meals ahead of time using this same method.
The goals with both of these is to save time and money, and not be stressed about what to eat each night.
Let's talk about logistics. Let’s say you want to try meal planning. First, start by thinking about how many home-cooked meals you’ll want for the week. I usually recommend that clients leave room for eating out for those nights when you may not feel like cooking or want to try something different.
Next, find your recipes. Search Pinterest, cookbooks or your favorite nutrition sites for recipes. I also recommend keeping a running list of meals that you really enjoyed so that you don’t always have to think of completely new recipes every week.
When choosing your meals, you want to look for a few key things. In most meals, you want:
- Carbohydrate food (rice, pasta, bread, tortillas, quinoa, etc.)
- Protein food (meat, fish, eggs, tofu, tempeh, dairy foods, etc.)
- Fat source (oils, butter, avocado, nuts, seeds, etc.)
- Fiber (fruits and veggies)
Here are some examples of meals that fit this rough layout:
- Turkey Chili from Ambitious Kitchen
- Marinated Peanut Tofu from Minimalist Baker
- Blackened Shrimp Pasta from Budget Bytes
- Cowboy Rice Salad from Recipe Tin Eats
You can decide what sounds good and how much time you have to cook each night. Some people plan exactly what to have each day of the week and that might work for you too. If you’re the type of person who likes leftovers, I usually recommend making extra food for dinner to have for lunch the next day.
Other aspects to be aware of when meal planning or meal prepping:
- Flexibility. Can you be flexible within your eating pattern?
- Energy levels. Do these meals give you the energy to do the things you want and need to do?
- Satisfaction. Do you enjoy what you are eating?
- Stress. Does your eating pattern cause you stress?
- Variety. Does your eating pattern offer a wide variety of food groups?
Do you plan your meals? What works best for you? Leave a comment below.
Editor’s Note: Anything in this article is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition; Any opinions, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of KSL. KSL does not endorse nor is it responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, information, or statement made in this article. KSL expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of this article.size="2">
