Monday, March 6, 2017

Meal Prep Part 1: Planning and Purchasing




One of the most common questions I get at FTR is about how to meal plan and meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal planning and meal prepping, for the following reasons:
1.  Meal Planning saves time, money, and aims to help you have healthy and adequate food ready when you need it
2.     Meal planning can help you stay on track with healthy eating and allow you to save money by not eating out or letting food go bad.
3.    Meal planning can help people come together around food (whether its a family or friends) and help put food as a priority throughout the week.

Meal planning is not only about preparing lots of one type of food; the goal is to have variety, too!

The Food to Recover Mediterranean Spread at the FTR 2nd Anniversary Party took lots of Planning and Purchasing, but we sure saved a lot of time and money overlapping ingredients!

Meal Planning can be broken into 3 parts: planning, purchasing, and preparing. The overall “P” is also prioritizing… you must take the time to plan and prepare your meals, which will pay off in the end!

To begin, start with the first P: PLAN:
1. Start by thinking about meals that you (and maybe your family) like to eat. Do not try and plan meals that you are not familiar with or do not know if you will like. 
2. Write out your meals for a week. You can start by focusing on one meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
3. To plan your meal, start with the protein (meat, eggs, tofu, lentils/beans, yogurt) in the meal and fill in a whole grain and some vegetables that would pair well with it.
4. Try to stretch ingredients across meals. For example: If you choose chicken as your protein, and you add a whole grain tortilla and roasted bell peppers for chicken tacos, the left overs can be put over a salad the next day for lunch. Use your meal matrix to make your grocery list. 
5. Don't plan too far ahead. Try to break your week up; many people like to prepare Sunday for their meals through Wednesday, and again Wednesday through Saturday. This helps get variety in your week.
Example of a Meal Matrix for your Meal Planning


Now that you have your meals and shopping list, let's PURCHASE:
Here are some simple ways that will make your purchases smoother and cheaper:
1) Use coupons! These can even help plan your meals...what is on sale can inspire your meals.
2) Buy in season. You can do a simple google search to see what is in season in your area, or simply ask a grocery store attendant. Typically, these foods are cheaper in the produce section.
3) Visit the bulk section. Need just a 1/2 of cup of something and don't want to buy a 3 lb package? Just buy what you need in the bins of the bulk section. 
4) Not everything has to be fresh; look at canned foods and frozen foods to jazz up your meals! Just be sure to search for "low sodium" or "no salt added" in the canned vegetable aisle, and "in natural juice" or "no sugar added" for canned fruits. For frozen products, just avoid sauces or flavorings which can pack in lots of added salt or fat. Wild caught tuna or salmon in a can or pouch can also make for a great grab and go meal.


Meal planning is just like anything else, it takes time and practice, but once you get the hang of it, it will decrease stress and ambiguity around your weekly meals! You will save money and time in the end and will feel better doing it!




1 comment:

  1. Nice piece of information to plan and purchase the stuff. My sister is looking for one of the excellent Chicago event venues for her birthday in a couple of weeks. She is thinking of Halloween theme party. Really excited to see everyone in changed personalities.

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