Meal Planning 101 – Where To Start

Meal planning…tell the truth, who is intimidated by it?  I know that when I sat down to create my very first meal plan, it scared the heck out of me!!! 


I had no idea where to begin, but my coach was asking us to do it.  Luckily she gave me a template to start with, and I just began filling in the blanks.  I took some trial and error, and figuring out what meals my family would eat, and when I would be on the go.


Then I had to learn the hard way the importance of taking the time to actually prep it all once I knew what I was eating for the week.


There were many weeks I just skipped the prep part.  And honestly the planning part as well.  And when I did, I realized I was unprepared for when temptation hit.  For when LIFE hit!


Today I meal plan for many reasons:


1. To lead my challengers by example.
2. To share ideas and meals for people struggling with where to begin.
3. To have a plan of action for ME! 
4. To ensure that I stay on track in my OWN fitness.

It may look like I don’t struggle or have it all together, but I’m human just like everyone else.  


* I struggle with being tempted by that fabulous chicken and biscuit at the gas station just down from my office.  But I drink my shake instead.


* Life gets busy and unplanned things happen, but I have my snacks prepped and ready to grab if I need to run out the door.


* I am tired most evenings when I get home, but when I know what I have ready to go on for dinner, it requires less mental effort and keeps me from running through the KFC drive thru.


Being successful in this area of my life requires a little work.  A little effort and a whole lot of prayer!  Trust me.  I’ve tried to do it on my own, but that never worked out very well.  Having a plan is part of my goal to take care of this body.  To honor God and to make sure I’m here for my family for as long as possible.  


And today, I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for making meal planning fit into your life!

1.  Start small.  If you are completely overwhelmed by the idea of meal planning, start off with planning only your lunches for the week.  This will give you a feel for it and help you realize you CAN do it!

2. DON’T cook twice!  I know we all have a lot of picky eaters – big and small – but when you try to meet everyone’s demands, you will most definitely get overwhelmed and give up before you start!  Please don’t use this as a reason not to get started! 
Plan meals that everyone will eat.  Then slowly begin to add in new dishes and ask family members to try it.  You’ll be surprised what your family will eat when you put it on the table.


3. DO THE PREP WORK!  At first, meal prep may take you three hours on a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, but it gets easier!  Boiling eggs, cutting veggies, cooking up ground chicken becomes second nature, and the effort pays off big time!


4. Get your kids involved.  When my kids do anything with me in the kitchen, they snack!  That goes for whether we are making cookie dough or chopping apples.  The more you expose your children to the “Good stuff”, the more likely they are going to try it.  You will find that you don’t even have to ask them to!  

5. Start Simple.  Don’t plan elaborate casseroles…actually stay away from casseroles altogether… or stew that require tons of ingredients or prep work.  Think simple.  A grilled protein, a steamed sweet potato and veggie.  That makes a tasty and filling meal.  And it won’t overwhelm you. 

Here is my meal plan for this week. I created this one using my meal planning guide from The Master’s Hammer and Chisel program I an doing.  This meal plan meets my caloric needs based on my workouts and weight.  It’s not complicated, and I just plan based on my portion container system.  Matt will eat what I eat, only in bigger portions. 
It literally took me five minutes to create.  And now I will spend 30 minutes boiling eggs, bagging veggies and fruit for Matt and myself.  I will cook up some of the proteins for dinner today and make sure I thaw the others before we need them.  


Matt won’t eat leftovers that are over a day old, so I have to plan and cook later for some meals.  


And honestly, you just have to figure out what will work for you and your family.  Meal plans and prep will look different for everyone.  So don’t think it has to look just like mine.  If you would like a blank meal planning template, I don’t mind to share one of mine.  Just comment below with your email address and I will shoot one over!

For more tips on how to create a meal plan using the 21 Day Fix container system, click HERE.


If you’ve been watching and waiting to get started, don’t wait anymore!! Start today and take it one day, one week, one month at a time!


Happy Sunday!
Rachel