How to Create a Meal Plan?

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning to shed a few kilos or save money on groceries if you don’t know how to create a meal plan. Here’s a handy guide to help you create a meal plan that works for you.

#1. Create a menu

Before you hit the grocery store, take a few minutes to jot down all the meals you’d like to cook that week. You’re less likely to pick up unwanted items if you have a plan with you.

#2. Check your freezer, refrigerator and pantry

It’s wise to take into account all the remaining food items you already have with you. This prevents you from buying the same things again and also helps you consume the food before it expires.

#3. Check out sale items

Once you enter the grocery store, scan their flyers and promotional campaigns. Chances are, you’ll find great deals on a lot of food items such as canned beans, sauces and other food items.

#4. Opt for seasonal items

While it feels great to have your favourite foods and vegetable offseason, they usually come at a hefty price. Save your hard-earned money by consuming more seasonal items. If however, you’re a big fan of, say peas, and wish to consume it throughout the year, simply buy in bulk when in season and store them in the freezer.

#5. Cook recipes with a few ingredients

Your food doesn’t have to include an array of fruits or vegetables in order to be healthy. It’s possible to maintain a healthy diet by cooking recipes that have few ingredients. Create a meal plan in a manner that it has a mix of everything so that your body gets all the nutrition.

#6. Use leftovers

Think of how you can consume leftovers. This makes a lot of difference as it helps you save cooking time but also money (in my opinion, throwing food = throwing money). For instance, you can use last night’s roast chicken for today’s lunch by using it as a sandwich filling.

#7. Make extras

If you see a big chunk of celery or carrots go waste, use it all to make a big pot of soup. If there’s a sale on ground beef, prepare three batches of lasagna instead of two. Serve the extra batches in the freezer and consume them later.

#8. Know everyone’s schedules and preferences

This applies to you if you live with your family or flatmate(s). Knowing their food choices and schedules means less food wastage. Also, it enables you to grab their favourite food items when they go on sale.

The takeaway

Meal planning isn’t hard if you follow our guide. Remember to pay attention to what’s in your kitchen and what’s on sale to save a big amount of money. For more food tips and a food guest post, feel free to follow great food blogs such as F and B Recipes.