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Hey guys! Kelly here. For those who don’t know me, I am a registered dietitian helping people eat in a way that takes away shame and guilt and gives you the energy to live YOUR best life.
Today I want to talk about meal planning. It’s funny how my perception of meal planning has changed over the past 13 years, when my husband and I were first living on our own together, versus now with feeding the two of us plus three kids.
Meal Planning Then…
Fast-forward a few years – I am in my dietetic internship. That meant I was gone for about 12 hours of the day between clinical hours and class. It actually worked out pretty great – my husband was in a standard “business hours” job. He was making dinner most nights, usually a protein, veggie, starch. When we would shop during that year and even the first year or two after we had our oldest child, we used a really basic form of meal planning.
I typed out all of the proteins we’d usually use, the veggies we’d use, and the starches we’d use. Then I’d just pair them up. I tried to have a different number of items for each category and it led to almost unlimited meal options. During that time, we were also part of a produce co-op. Each week the organizers would send out recipe ideas correlating with all of the produce provided for the week. That was a great way to try new foods – it introduced us to one of our favorite pasta dishes by The Pioneer Woman using leeks!
Meal Planning Now…
Now with three kids, things are a bit more hectic. Between work schedules and activities for our oldest daughter, we needed something to give us some structure. Before I went on maternity leave, I came up with a system that has seemed to work pretty well.
I created 6 weeks with 4-5 meal ideas each week. In reality, we’ve found it better for our family to focus on 3-4 meals per week (because leftovers, dining out, and random complications that interfere with cooking some nights). This has really helped to decrease our food budget (more $ for holiday expenses) and decrease our food waste as well.
Our current meal plan is a mixture between my husband’s and my favorite dishes, like the Pioneer Woman pasta with Pancetta and leeks, with a few of the kid’s favorites, like pizza and chicken strips, thrown in as well. (Stay tuned for more on picky eating with kids in January.)
Now that a main dish is accounted for, I just add a veggie (whatever looks good at the store, or we use frozen) and a starch if needed and we’re ready to go. We do a lot of fruit with dinner, as well. This gives the kids a different nutrient-rich option if they’re not crazy about the veggie du jour.
I’d love to hear…
…about y’all’s meal planning tips and ideas. Do you have a plan or just wing it night to night?