3 Benefits of Meal Planning
I was once intimidated by meal planning. I've seen so many posts on Instagram of people freezing food to eat for a month and it all just overwhelmed me. Meal planning, however, can be super simple! There are no "rules"; all you have to do is plan ahead!
I typically meal plan on the weekend for the upcoming week. To keep it simple, I keep my lunch the same for every weekday, and I plan one or two dinners to spread out over the five days. You can do whatever's easiest for your schedule! Maybe you plan your workdays, then keep your day off open for whatever you're feeling that day. If you want a little more variety, plan out meals for each individual day of the week. If you're worried you won't want Wednesday's meal by the time Wednesday rolls around, plan for 5 dinners and then pick the night of.
Meal planning doesn't necessarily mean meal prepping (cooking beforehand). It just means making sure you have what you need before your hunger kicks in! Plan out your week, grocery shop for just what you need for those meals, and prep as you go.
There are many benefits to meal prepping; here are my top three!
It Helps You Stay Healthy
Are you not getting enough of something in your diet? For example, maybe you feel tired all the time, or you never feel full after lunch; you might need to get more protein. By planning out your meals, you can check to see if you're getting all of your nutrients in a day ahead of time and be more thoughtful about what you're eating. Whatever your dietary needs are (because we all have them), you can do a self-check and plan out small changes to improve your health.
You'll Save Money
By planning out what you're going to eat, you're also planning out what you're going to buy. Do you ever know you want pasta for dinner, but when you get to the grocery store you forget if you have sauce at home? By planning head, you can be sure to only buy what you're actually going to need and eat this week. Stop buying things that you might want, and start buying what you're actually going to use. Which brings me to my next point...
You'll Waste Less Food
Throwing away food is not only cruel to your wallet, but it hurts the planet! The more food we can waste, the better off we'll all be! By only buying and using what you need to each day, you'll have less food that goes bad before it gets used. This is also a great way to make sure you make use of your leftovers, too! Did you order pizza this Saturday night? Plan for it to be Monday's meal!
Questions about meal planning? Send me a message!
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