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Are you tired at the end of an already long day knowing that when you get home, you need to figure out dinner for your whole family? Are you tired of eating out all the time too because you are too tired to cook? Or maybe you’re running through the drive-through for the 3rd time this week because of your kid’s soccer or dance practice or anything else you’ve got going on?
It’s tough at the end of a LONG day and everyone is hungry to eat and it’s going for 7:00 at night. And you know your family needs to eat but nothing is planned. So, you do what’s necessary and get take-out AGAIN.
But you’re tired of it all and want a better solution.
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Well, here are 7 reasons why meal planning is your answer to all of these problems.
Time Efficient
There is less time taken each night when you know what you’re cooking. And for really busy nights, a lot of meals could be thrown into a slow cooker in the morning and it’s ready for when you get home at the end of your day. Instapots are a huge success taking a quarter of the time to cook something compared to the traditional methods.
Planning is the efficient way. The worst time to figure out what to cook is the end of the day when everyone is tired and hungry. When planning is done, time is not wasted. You know what you are cooking and you have already shopped earlier in the week to get everything you need for your meal plan.
You can also try a meal delivery service that delivers meals to your doorstep. We’ve used Hello Fresh and I’m very pleased with them. They send us 3 meals for the weeks that we use them. You don’t have to shop for ingredients, everything is portioned out so you don’t have to think later about what to use the extra ingredients on, and there’s very little time spent planning these meals, so it’s definitely a time saver overall. You may learn more about Hello Fresh here.
Saves money
When meals are planned out, less food is wasted because you know what needs to be bought each week. There aren’t extra things being bought because you didn’t know how the week was going to be planned out for meals. It also saves money because there is less eating out. It is almost always cheaper to cook at home versus eating out.
Less stress
When you know what you’re cooking the next day you can prepare for it the night before. If you’re cooking meat that’s in the freezer, just put it in the fridge overnight. It’ll be thawed by the next day to use. If there is any prep work you’re able to do the night before, do it and it will save you time and ultimately less stress. There’s no more 7:00 at night and no one knows what to cook for dinner and everyone is HANGRY and STRESSED! And we all know that’s the worst time to try and figure out what to eat!
Need help remembering to get the meat out at night? I set a reminder on my phone to tell me to take out meat in my freezer. This way, if it’s a busy night, I’ll get a reminder before I go to bed to get the meat out. There’s no more realizing right before dinner that the meat’s still in the freezer. Haven’t we all been there?
Great for busy nights
Plan quick meals when you know it will be a busy night. Have an easy meal planned out like frozen pizza or a freezer meal that can just be thrown in your crockpot in the morning. When you know you have a busy night ahead don’t add more stress to yourself. Make it easy and have a meal at home for your family.
This helps to keep a running list of easy meals you can make in a pinch. No matter how great the intentions are to meal plan, some days and weeks may slip up. When this happens, use your easy meal list until you can get back to meal planning.
Healthier options
When you cook at home, you know what’s in your food. You know there aren’t unnecessary calories, added fat, or loads of added sugar. And let’s not forget about all the extra salt you’ll consume eating out. All these things aren’t good for our health. When we eat at home, we know what’s going into our food, and most of the time, it’s a healthier option.
More Variety
When you cook at home, you are able to experiment and try different foods you may not try when eating out. A lot of people get the same thing when eating out (me included). There are so many recipes online to try something new. You’ll never run out of ideas to try.
And the thing I love most about all the various recipes I’ve made, it has made me a better cook because of it.
Easy to Find Recipes
There are millions of recipes online that you can view and print. There are even recipe builders online where you add the ingredients you have on hand and it will give you recipes based on those ingredients. Here is a site I’ve used and love. It’s very easy to use.
Another option is to just google a recipe that you want to make and many variations will come up. Then, just try one that you think you’ll like. Just make sure to save that recipe somewhere so you can make it again if you liked it.
Getting Started
To plan your meals, just pick one day (I usually do this on Sunday) and start adding your meal ideas to a calendar. When just starting out, you may want to meal plan for a couple of days to see how you feel about it before adding more days.
I have seen where families will meal plan for 2 weeks or a month at a time. If you like that option, give it a try. I like planning meals a week at a time. I can look at my week coming up and see what nights are busier for us and plan my meals accordingly.
Whether your reasons for meal planning are for healthier options or less stress on your family or if you’re just looking to save some money, meal planning is the right choice for you. Give it a try! You just might love it and it may change everything for you.
Tell me, what’s your biggest source of stress in your home? Is it meal planning or something else?
Related: 6 Ways to Change Up Your Meal Planning
……………..Stop Eating Out | 5 Ways to Eat More at Home
……………..How to Create Less Stress in the Kitchen
Pick your favorite pin to reference later:
GET YOUR LIFE IN CONTROL!
Ever feel like you're spinning out of control? Are you longing for a calmer life? My Happy Life Starter Guide will give you the 3 steps to beat overwhelm so YOU can start living a happier life. Get it now while it’s free!
