Sharing some meal planning tips for the busy moms out there + a template you can use.<\/em><\/p>\n Hi friends! How\u2019s the day going so far? I hope you\u2019re having a good morning! I\u2019m getting things ready for Fit Team (join us here<\/a>) and some errands to run later.<\/p>\n For today post, I wanted to chat a bit about meal planning because it is SAVING.OUR.BACON right now. (Time-wise and money-wise!) We are in the thick of evening activities and events, and if I don\u2019t know what we\u2019re going to eat, it leads to random hodge lodge meals or takeout. It\u2019s absolutely worth sitting down each week to plan our meals (at least our dinners) and making a shopping list for one big grocery stop.<\/p>\n Taking some time to meal plan each week takes the guesswork and last-minute dinner stress out of the equation, and is a great way to save a lot of time, money and effort. Planning, preparing, and cooking healthy meals takes time, and meal planning in advance can help us make healthy meals for the family on a more consistent basis. It also maximizes grocery shopping and makes mom life a bit easier overall! So, I figured it was time I shared my meal planning tips for busy moms. Let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n Set aside 30 minutes or so each weekend to create your plan for the week. For us, dinners are the most important, but I also have an idea of what I\u2019m going to pack in the girls\u2019 lunches and make for breakfasts on each day of the week. Plan out as many meals as you\u2019d like for the week, emphasizing dinner and weekly staples.<\/p>\n After you\u2019ve planned out your meals, make a master grocery list including all of the ingredients you need for each meal. Take inventory of your pantry and fridge to avoid buying duplicates, unless you like having backups on hand.<\/p>\n If you find a meal that\u2019s a home run for the family, hold it in your heart FOREVER. Until you make it again and they don\u2019t like it the next time? (Kids can be a mystery sometimes, I tell ya.) I keep a running cheatsheet in my phone of meals the kids have really loved and will come back to them. We also have some staple dishes (like the quick meals in this post<\/a>) that I know will always be a hit.<\/p>\n I like to ask the kids if there\u2019s anything they\u2019d like to have the following week and use their suggestions when I craft my list. I\u2019ll also put a few cookbooks on the table for them to choose recipes that look good to them. Sometimes they surprise me with their selections, but I love that it helps to shake things up and prevent dinner ruts. Plus, it helps me to know that they will, or at least are more likely to, enjoy what I make for each meal.<\/p>\n Before I start our meal plan for the week, I\u2019ll think about any items I have on hand that I\u2019d like to use. For example, we might have meat from ButcherBox<\/a> or veggies from the garden that I want to use. I\u2019ll search for recipes using these ingredients from my fave sources.<\/p>\n This is huge if you have a schedule with extra-curricular and after-school activities that end up being around dinnertime. On soccer nights, I\u2019ll intentionally plan Instant Pot or slow cooker meals that can be ready quickly or already waiting for us. If we\u2019re going to be home later that evening, I\u2019ll choose meals that I can prep earlier in the day.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a huge fan of making things in bulk, or doubling recipes, whenever I cam so we\u2019re able to freeze or use leftovers later. Plus, I prefer to cook certain things only once per week, so if I know we\u2019re having rice two times, I\u2019ll make a large batch and save half of it. And since a lot of dinner leftovers work great for breakfast or lunch the following day, it makes planning my lunches a little easier.<\/p>\n Ordering specific items online really streamlines the meal planning process for us, because it ensures that I usually already have meat and pantry essentials on hand. I order almost all of our meat from ButcherBox<\/a> and I get most of our pantry staples from Thrive Market<\/a>. (<\u2014 both of those links get you a discount if you decide to try it out! Thrive is 40% off your first order and ButcherBox is currently 30% off + free chicken for a year.)<\/p>\n Buying as many staple items as possible online means I only have to get fresh ingredients, like eggs and dairy, at the store. In addition to being supremely convenient, Thrive Market and ButcherBox<\/a> are significantly less expensive than grocery stores\u2019 current prices, so we save a lot of money doing it this way. Aside from that, I also like shopping at Costco because they carry a lot of our favorite brands and items (like Rao\u2019s pasta sauce, salad kids, organic veggies and berries, salsa, avocado oil, syrup, and almond butter).<\/p>\n Prepping as many ingredients as you can ahead of time is a total game-changer for busy moms. I like to wash fresh fruit and veggies, chop anything I can for dinners and easy snacking, and prep a couple of protein staples. I\u2019ll also usually boil eggs and smoke chicken for the week. Anything you can do you set yourself up for advance: do it.<\/p>\n I also like to mention that if you can splurge on more convenience items that will make your life easier (like chicken that is already cooked and cut into pieces), do it! There\u2019s no shame in doing what you need to do to set yourself up for success.<\/p>\n Using a meal planning template helps a ton if you\u2019re going to plan out meals for the week! Simply print, add in your meals, and write out your grocery list on the opposite side. Consistency is key with meal planning and a template gives you a guide that you can use week after week.<\/p>\n Here is a free weekly template I created for meal planning. If you need more help, enter your email address here and I\u2019ll send you a free copy of meal prep blueprint! It has my exact strategy for meal planning, along with some new recipes.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a sample week of eats if you\u2019re looking for meal ideas!<\/p>\n This is what we\u2019re having this week:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Sunday: Steak, roasted asparagus, salad kit, homemade sourdough<\/p>\n Monday: Chili with gluten-free cornbread and salad<\/p>\n Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (out!)<\/p>\n Wednesday: Garlic-lime chicken thighs with sweet potatoes and zucchini<\/p>\n Thursday: Greek bowls (rice, chicken, grape leaves, hummus, tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, and olives)<\/p>\n Friday: Takeout<\/p>\n Saturday: Hodge podge (mix of leftovers and\/or breakfast for dinner)<\/p>\n So, tell me, friends: do you plan your meals in advance? What\u2019s on the menu this week?<\/p>\n xo<\/p>\n Gina<\/p>\n More:<\/p>\n Our go-to easy weeknight dinners<\/a><\/p>\n 5 days of daytime eats in 1 hour<\/a><\/p>\n 5 High Protein Meal Prep Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n Healthy Meal Prep for A Week<\/a><\/p>\n \t<\/p><\/div>\n Trending Products<\/strong>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fitnessista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2022\/09\/meal-planning-tips-for-moms.jpg.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nEasy Meal Planning For Busy Moms<\/h2>\n
Setting aside time to make a weekly meal plan<\/h4>\n
Create a master list<\/h4>\n
Keep track of meals that work<\/h4>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nAsking help from family members<\/h4>\n
Create meal plans from items you have on hand<\/h4>\n
Creating themes on some days<\/h4>\n
Bulk cooking<\/h4>\n
Order staples and faves online<\/h4>\n
Prep protein and other ingredients in advance<\/h4>\n
Use a meal planning template<\/h4>\n
Free Weekly Meal Plan For Busy Moms<\/h3>\n
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