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Key Takeaways
Coming up with wholesome, tasty meals and snacks for yourself and your family day after day can be overwhelming. We’ve all been there - staring into the refrigerator or cupboards, hoping that something will jump out at you and spark an idea, or at least a craving. You have no idea what to eat, you end up ordering in, grazing on snacks, and eating foods that might not be as nutritious.
It doesn’t have to be this way. While we can’t guarantee that it won’t ever happen again, these meal planning hacks can set you up for mealtime success and make meal planning easy. They’ll save you time and energy and ensure that you’ll have nutritious and delicious elements at all of your meals. What to do first: make your shopping list for the week, set aside some time for prep, and you’ll be killing it in the meal department!
Batch Cook Your Grains
Make a double or triple batch of your favorite grain to use throughout the week. Grains like quinoa, farro, or millet are delicious cold or reheated, and they’re great sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These can be prepared with some fruit at breakfast like oatmeal, or the grains can be added to salads and soups, reheated and eaten as a side dish, used in a stir-fry, or in fried rice.
Roast Your Veggies
Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, peppers, beets, or squash are made for roasting - it brings out their sweetness and adds texture. Plan on roasting a couple of sheet pans worth to use throughout the week. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Cut the veggies to a similar size and cook until browned (about 15-25 minutes depending on the vegetable and size). These are delicious on their own or added to soups and salads.
Eggs, Eggs, Eggs
Eggs are an excellent protein source to have on hand. Use them to make a quick lunch or dinner frittata or omelet with your roasted veggies or serve a crispy egg on top of your batch-cooked grains. You can also hard-boil half a dozen eggs and keep them in the fridge for quick, on-the-go snacks or to add to salads.
Keep canned low-sodium beans and chickpeas in your cabinets
Canned beans (Cannellini, black, kidney, fava) and chickpeas are mealtime saviors! Like eggs, they are packed with protein, but beans and chickpeas are also loaded with fiber. They can be whipped into a dip with a bit of olive oil and herbs, added to pasta, soups, and salads, used for tacos or quesadillas, eaten plain, or roasted into a crunchy snack.
Wash & Cut Your Veggies
Wash and cut your carrots and celery when you get home from the store and store them in a container with water. These make for easy, grab-and-go snacking. They can be chopped and added to salads, thrown on a pan for a quick roast, or used with the bean dip that you made with your canned Cannellini beans!
Feel Like You Need More Help?
We can get you set up and show you how easy this can be through our Meal Planning 101 sessions.
If you're really short on time or you'd rather use your brain space for other things, our Customized Month-Long Meal Plan is for you. We schedule all of your meals, provide weekly grocery lists, and curate a plan that includes personalized, nutritious, delicious, easy recipes for you.
