The first step in planning meals is to have a menu. If you feel like you are making the same dishes all the time, you need to make a list of all the recipes/meals you like. You can put them in categories of Chicken, Fish, Beef, Seafood and Pasta. You can also add a Vegetarian, but if you have a mate that only likes about 4 vegetables, it may be a wasted category. Under each category, list the dishes you would like to make.
Take this list and start making a weekly menu. Plan on having one Chicken, one Fish, and one Beef. Leave the other two categories to have as fill-ins.
Here is a sample menu.
Monday Honey Chicken
Tuesday Baked Haddock
Wednesday Beef Stew
Thursday Left overs or eat out
Friday Garlic Shrimp and Pasta
I always leave the weekends empty unless you are home bodies. Then you can fill the days in as you go. Maybe a take out or out to lunch?
Now you need to look at the menu and decide what you will be having for sides. With the chicken or fish you may decide a baked or mashed potato. Maybe rice or quinoa would work. Either way, you need to start your grocery list. Don’t forget to add a vegetable. Maybe a cup of fruit? Small salad?
Always look at the meats you will need and list those together. You will find those item all in the meat department and this will save you retracing your steps. If you have the sides planned, you could start in the produce department. If you have a freezer, it is better to shop for specials and buy a larger package of meat. This not only will save you shopping time, but larger packages of meat or “Family-sized” will save you money. You can decide what amount you will normally need for a recipe and package the remainder pieces in small individual portioned freezer bags for a later meal. This also helps if your schedule changes and you find that you won’t be going out to eat or maybe you just feel like a different meal than what you had planned
You will need to check the recipe ingredients and add them to your list if you don’t have the in your pantry or fridge. ex: honey, mustard etc. If you want to lower your sodium intake, use fresh ingredients instead of canned. Also, omit the salt where you can and use ingredients and spices like Mrs. Dash (No Salt Added) spices. Check your labels. If sodium is high (above 15%), do not add salt to your recipe. Replacing it with spices, may change the flavor a little but in the long run it will be better for you. Don’t get stuck on an ingredient in a recipe, change it up a little.
Once you have finished your shopping, place the items for each recipe together in your cabinet or fridge. This make it easier to organize when you start cooking. Most meats and seafoods can be frozen if you won’t be making the recipe for two or more days. Just remember to check your menu at night and take the protein for the next day out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge overnight.
If you are new at meal planning, this may seem to be confusing and time-consuming for you. Trust me (don’t you hate it when people say that?) but it will make things easier down the road. And you may find it even gives you more free time later.
I am just a button away and I will help you in this transition as much as I can.
Cooking for Two 