Meal planning has never been so organized

I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with various people in the past month about their struggle with food – what to eat, how much, and most importantly how to stay organized with the planning of it all.

It is overwhelming for many people. But I don’t think it needs to be.

“What to eat” becomes much easier when time is taken to plan for what to eat — for every day of the week. Whether you have 3 kids, 4 cats, 2 jobs, 4 husbands or one of each –  you need to plan. Your health depends on it. And your sanity does as well.

Plan, and you are more likely to

eat well

stay within your food budget

feel accomplished, on the ball, organized, and satiated by your food.

Don’t plan, and you are likely to

grab packaged, preservative-filled foods

buy things on a whim and apathetically

feel inadequate, un-satiated, stressed, frustrated when you shop — and when it comes time to cook.

With no plan, you feel a little out of control. And who wants that?

Having a plan will make you feel more in control.  Heck, you will be more in control with a meal plan. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy — you can write it out or type it on the computer and print it out if that feels good to you.  I’ve tried both and they work but I have found a way that feels much more efficient for me.

This dry-erase refrigerator decal definitely falls under the category of one of my favorite supplies. It will only cost you about $6 and you can find it in the Martha Stewart Home Office section at Staples.

I take about 10 minutes before I go food shopping and plan what I will make for the following week.  I use that plan to make a shopping list. Then I put each meal on the calendar and …follow the plan!  Guesswork, gone.  Stress, gone.  Pulling hair out in the supermarket trying to figure out what to buy/make for the week — g-o-n-e.

{I keep this magnet nearby as a little reminder that meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated …or stressful.}

Planning ahead doesn’t mean the meals get miraculously made. But having planned for those meals relieves stress from your mind and makes you better equipped to go forward.

It is the way to better health and absolutely to being more organized.