Tackling Meal Planning #1 (the Why)

This week I will make 15 meals for my family. Lunches, dinners, and a few fancy breakfasts. I will hand wash dishes at least 10 times and spend several hours in prep. 

In a month, I will spend 68 hours on meal prep and feeding my household.

How much time do you spend in the kitchen?

I bet it is more than you think…

I was shocked when I did a Time Inventory (from The Common Rule by Early) and realized how much of my day and week are spent on feeding my family. (This includes: sorting the fridge, grocery shopping, chopping fresh veggies, and organizing the pantry.)

[see this article for my fancy pie chart & more: WFH Without Losing Your Mind]

I homeschool, so my kids are here most days and our schedule allows for more relaxed mealtimes and homemade dishes. If you pack lunches every morning your food prep time might be even longer than mine.

I have found meal prep and planning to be essential to my week. I will spend even more than 15 hours each week if I do not have what I need or plans in place.

The first step to my weekly planning is sitting with a cup of coffee and going through all the details. After I complete my Bullet Journal Weekly Review, I tackle the next step. I clean out my fridge and then I do meal planning.

Now that I know all the details of my week ahead, I can prepare my fridge, my pantry, and the grocery list for what we need.

A crucial step to meal planning is to prepare my fridge, my pantry, and the grocery list for what we need.

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– Why should we take the time to meal plan?

– Do we actually save ourselves any work?

4 Reasons Why:

#1 – It saves us money. I am able to use up leftovers that have been hiding in the back of the fridge. I can be creative with the ingredients that we already have. And I have a shopping list that reflects what we actually need.
I am also less tempted to order pizza or get fast food on the way home. Food prepared by others is way more expensive! I would rather take 20 minutes and make my own meal from whole food ingredients that I bought at much lower prices.

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#2 – Meal planning saves time later in the week.

The ingredients are already there, organized, and waiting to be used. I don’t have to search the pantry or make a last-minute grocery trip. I would rather take the time early in the week and plan it out all at once. I do not do well under pressure when hungry kids and evening schedules are colliding.
It’s also easy for someone else to help me in the kitchen. My teens (or Jim) can see the whiteboard and what is planned, grab the ingredients, and begin making the meal. [note: this might take some teaching but it is worth it!]

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#3 – Meals are usually more exciting.

We end up eating better food and we use up our leftovers. We eat healthier because I notice when we’re eating processed foods versus fresh fruits and veggies. We also have more variety because we see what we’ve eaten a lot of already that week.
I often look at cookbooks during meal planning. I might even browse Pinterest or “chicken recipes” online. This gives me a burst of inspiration and helps me think outside of our usual meals.

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#4 – Planning minimizes decision fatigue.

This saves me from the dreaded 6pm decision-making scenario. I do not enjoy standing in the pantry at the end of the day having no idea what I’m going to make.
When I walk into my pantry I only see ingredients. It takes effort to mentally put those ingredients together into meal ideas or recipes. I do this very well when I am “in the zone” thinking about cooking and what we have in our freezer.  I can do all of the thinking at one time. Instead of spread out when my mind is occupied with other things.

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Just this month, I am going to spend over 70 hours on meal prep and feeding my household.

That is a lot of time! I want to make it worth it.

Also, having a family meal provides so many different aspects of family life that are important to me. It is more than nutrition and feeding my family. It is also about showing love, service to others, and connection.

I want my kids and guests in my home to remember meals served with love and time to talk. I want to have an old-fashioned slowness to meal times. A place to relax and connect over a plate of delicious food.

The slowing down does not happen by accident or when I am stressed. It must be planned, shopped for, and laid out so I can do each task without thinking about it.

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I am cheering for you and whatever your week holds. No matter how often you cook you can make small steps to make your meals easier.

🍝Happy Meal Planning! – April

P.S. – If you would like more ideas see this article: 4 Practical Meal Ideas For Your Day of Rest

I have much more to say about meal planning!

Here are some articles coming soon:

• Practical Meal Planning #2 (the How)
• When Meal Planning Does NOT Work

Photos from: Maria Lin Kim,  Nathan Dumlao, micheile .com,  Marjan Blan ,  Brooke Lark  and others on Unsplash

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