Meal Planning, My Top Tips!

Do you follow a meal plan?

I’m talking about the ones where you sit down and write out each meal you are going to have that week. If you aren't the cook in your house, do your parents?

Growing up my mum was never a big cook, and I was a fussy eater. So we didn’t really have a set plan for our dinners for the week. Going into my teens I was responsible for cooking for myself, and I certainly didn’t have a plan for any meal then. Now? I’m dependant on them.

I enjoy having my weekly dinners planned out, wether I am cooking them or someone else is, and knowing what we must get on a shopping trip. Sounds easy and totally ideal right?

Well, I thought that too!! Until you get into week whatever of making them and cannot for the life of you think of what meal to have on Thursday. Or Friday, or Saturday, or any night the whole week.

I hate being the one who does everything. It’s important for me in a household for tasks to be shared! But anyone who knows me will know I am AWFUL at delegating tasks, and even if someone does it I will somehow sneak my nose in and have input. It’s impossible.

So when it comes to writing the meal plan, and If I have no clue what to write, then we end up with a week like this one. No meal plan, and no one else writing it - leading to a big kerfuffle about shopping and actually cooking when it gets to way past dinner time.

So I’ve put together a couple of tips. SUPER easy ones, for anyone starting to plan their dinners out, like I am:

• HAVE RECIPE BOOKS! Even if you do not follow them, having the inspiration of a cook book can really help trigger an idea for a meal. I recommend the BOSH and LEON books! (Please support online student cook books, there are so many and are full of super yummy cheap ones!)

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• DO IT ON SUNDAY. Put it next to the kettle or in the middle of the coffee table so you can’t avoid it. Sit down and complete it, all!

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• HAVE A STORE OF RECIPES YOU HAVE DONE AND HAVE ENJOYED. So you can flick back when you don’t know what to cook!

• HAVE SOME CHEAP STAPLES. When money runs tight, food shopping fills me with anxiety. So I like to have recipes that I can make out of tins or stuff lying about.

• MIX IT UP!!! This may be the most important, for me anyway. I can’t have the same meal every day or every week because I get sick of things so easily. I aim to have a week or two rotation before repeating a meal!!

• MAKE EXTRA, AND FREEZE! For days when you are poorly or pushed for time, a defrosted meal heated up is a life saver.
  

Now I am no expert, but I find these things keep my meal plan chugging along okay. Saying that - I need to keep to my Sunday rule and not end up with a meal plan like this weeks!

What are your top tips for meal planning? Do you have any recipes that you could share? I am always on the hunt for something fun and new!!

See you soon,

Bethany x