Living Well With KB LLC

Do you struggle with meal planning for the week? If you answered yes, this post will help you become a meal planner expert!

Step 1:

Figure out how many meals you need for the week. Also, you need to figure out how many people you will be serving at these meals. I really suggest getting a weekly calendar whiteboard that you can use multiple times. Write out breakfast, lunch, dinner on each day and the number of people you are serving next to that. This is going to make meal planning more organized for you. For example, last week I only need dinners for my husband and me Monday, Thursday and Friday because he had a work trip. This meant Tuesday and Wednesday I was just feeding myself at dinner. My meals for that week were adjusted based on the fact I was only feeding myself two days out of the week.

Step 2:

Look at what you have in your pantry and freezer already. I always look for what protein options are already in my house. This helps to save me money and time at the grocery store. Plus, I can start to think of recipes based on what I already have on hand. This week I had ground turkey in my freezer, frozen broccoli, right rice in my pantry and mushrooms. I decided to use these ingredients to make a ground turkey teriyaki. (Make sure to follow me on Instagram for that recipe!!)

Step 3:

Look up recipes based on what you have! I really love just using keywords to search for recipes for clients. For example, if you have pinto beans as your protein search pinto bean dinner ideas. This will pull up a long list of different ideas. If you have multiple ingredients on hand you can always add them to list to find recipes with those ingredients in them.

Step 4

Once, you have gotten your recipes together, ingredients on hand, and number of meals you need per week start to make your grocery list. I have a very helpful free grocery list template for download just click here. You want to make sure your grocery list has exactly the ingredients you need for the week. I also, advice to make sure your grocery list is organized by departments to help keep you on track in the store. This will help you save money and time at the grocery store!

Step 5:

Grocery shop! This sounds a lot easier than it sounds. If you are prepared with an organized grocery list you will not struggle at all. However, this becomes very difficult if you are not prepared with your grocery list or meals for the week. This is why I always encourage clients to plan your meals before going to the grocery store and write out a grocery list.

Step 6:

Prepare or prep the items that you are comfortable with getting ready when you get home from the grocery store. If you are not a leftover person just chopping all the vegetables, meats, and other items will help you stay organized for the week. This will save you time throughout the week. This will also, help you make healthier choices when you are hungry and exhausted from a long day. This preparation section can be adapted to your personal comfort level.

Now you are truly set for being a meal planning expert! Use these simple 6 steps to be successful each week!

If you have further questions on meal planning or would like to work with me please click here.