Happy Sunday! I hope you had a great weekend. I am finally coming to the end of a very long 4 day weekend, which I am definitely not complaining about! Things will finally be out of “holiday mode” at work and it’ll be time to seriously get back to business!
The Benefits of Meal Planning:
Since it is the start of a New Year, and a time where people like to start anew, I thought it would be a good time to talk about the benefits of meal planning. Personally, I have found that having a meal plan set in advance reduces my stress of cooking during the week and keeps me accountable and less likely to be tempted to eat poorly or to go out to eat. Here are some more benefits of meal planning:
Try More Ambitious Recipes
When you meal plan, you can really take the time to think about what you want to make for the week. Since you’re not in a rush to make dinner, you can finally take on one of those intriguing Pinterest recipes you’ve had pinned for months!
Evening Time is Easier
This is especially true if you can make your meals in the slow cooker, and all the work is done for you. It’s a little bit trickier for me since I work super early in the morning, but having my meal plan makes life so much easier when I get home from work. I know what I’m doing, can get it done quickly, and as a result have more time to relax!
Sleep In a Little Longer
What am I going to eat for breakfast? How long will it take to make it? If you like to hit the snooze in the morning like me, it’s much easier to sleep in when you know you’ve already got your breakfast planned or even better, prepped in advance.
Be Less Impulsive in the Grocery Store
I mentioned last week that we were low on food, so we got groceries this weekend. In the process, I was able to make sure we picked up everything I needed to meal plan for the next few weeks. When you don’t have a plan, it’s much easier to buy things that you don’t really need or have a use for. How many times have you bought certain foods that were on sale, thinking you could use it for something but actually never getting to cooking/eating it? Meal planning helps you save money and waste less!
[bctt tweet=”Do you meal plan? This is why I love it! via @Janelle_RWNR”]
Last Week Recap:
Last week I didn’t plan too many meals during the week because of all the hoopla with New Year’s and the retirements of my coworkers. But while we did enjoy the holidays, we did eat pretty well.
Catfish and Waffles
I was so excited to get a waffle iron for Christmas, so Bret fired it up and made waffles and catfish for New Year’s Brunch! It was absolutely delicious, and I’ll be honest….it was a great meal to cure a hangover! I can’t wait to make more waffles!
Mixed Pasta and Veggies with Ground Turkey
The funny thing is about this meal was that it actually wasn’t planned. I was trying to be a bit adventurous and spontaneous in the kitchen, so I took some pasta, added zucchini, onions and peppers, spices and cooked a pound of ground turkey to make a very flavorful meal! I think Bret was even surprised at how well it turned out! I love being able to make a real hit in the kitchen–I’m such a newbie and the little things still get to me!
Meal Plan for the Week:
I’m really excited that I have some 30-minute dinners to try from Better Home and Gardens that was gifted to me by Bret’s mom. Hopefully I will be able to efficiently make some very tasty dinners this week!
Sunday 1/5:
- Lunch: French Toast and scrambled eggs and veggies
- Dinner: Pasta with Spinach Salad–still deciding how to make it
Monday 1/5:
- Breakfast: Green Smoothie and English Muffin with Strawberry Preserves
- Lunch: Avocado Egg Salad
- Dinner: Bret’s night
Tuesday 1/6:
- Breakfast: Green Smoothie and English Muffin with Strawberry Preserves
- Lunch: Avocado Egg Salad
- Dinner: Cheesy Red Pepper Pizza with Cauliflower
Wednesday 1/7:
- Breakfast: Green Smoothie with Oatmeal
- Lunch: Avocado Egg Salad
- Dinner: Bret’s night
Thursday 1/8:
- Breakfast: Green Smoothie with Oatmeal
- Lunch: Avocado Egg Salad
- Dinner: Quick Skillet Lasagna with Side Salad
Friday 1/9:
- Breakfast: Green Smoothie with Oatmeal
- Lunch: Avocado Egg Salad
- Dinner: Leftovers
Saturday 1/10:
- Breakfast: Waffles with scrambled eggs and veggies
- Lunch: TBD
- Dinner: Pork Burgers and sweet potato fries
What tasty meals do you have planned on your menu this week?
Avocado egg salad, that sounds great!! I bet I could have that on my low carb days? Is it just eggs and avocado??
Hey Sandy! There is some mayo, onions, and relish with some seasoning. Super easy to make!
Great tips! I plan our meal every week. It helps me stay on track for eating right.
Thanks! I’m always thrown off when I don’t plan my meals. Like anything else it becomes a habit!
I could not imagine my life without meal planning. it would be chaoitc at best!! I am going to give your avocado egg salad a try!!
I hope you like it…I was shocked at how good it was! Wish I came up with the recipe myself lol!
This is neat and just want i needed. I have to go back to work soon and with new mom responsibilities thus will come in handy. The onky trick is to get the hubs to eat leftovers.
So glad that this is helpful Alexcia! I usually like to have leftovers for lunch (since I’m usually a sandwich girl which can get boring fast!). Hopefully he’ll come around!
Well, meal planning definitely holds me accountable to a monthly budget and healthy eating! I plan out my trips to the market and basically just shop for the whole month! During the week, I’m not running in and out of stores after work! Monthly meal planning definitely saves me time and money
Absolutely! I still need to work on having a month-full of ideas on what to make, but having the right food staples definitely helps!
I need to start meal planning! :p I love avocado! I will have to try that avocado egg salad recipe!
It is definitely becoming one of my favorite lunches–highly recommend Sharon! 🙂
I love that you have a bunch of smoothies in your list. In addition to meal plans, making smoothies is one thing I definitely want to try it. I’m also trying to add some crockpot meals to my meal plan.
I have a Nutribullet which makes smoothies SO much easier to make, but I used a regular blender for awhile and had pretty good success! I need to do more with my slow cooker too!