Meal Planning Tips and Tricks

I keep waiting for things to slow down, for a week or weekend where we have nothing planned. But the truth is, life just keeps getting busier and we don't even have kids, yet. Between squeezing in an AM workout (tips here), working all day, running errands, laundry, and cleaning it seems like the to-do list is longer than the hours available in a day. On top of all that, trying to squeeze in a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both my husband and I. Some days I feel like I am just running from task-to-task without much time to kick back and relax. Can you all relate?

Growing up, my Mom always had a delicious homemade meal ready for dinner. When my Dad got home from work, we would sit down at the table and enjoy it together as a family. On top of that, my Mom would also wake up early and make us a hot breakfast before sending us off to school with our packed lunch in hand. Did I mention she also worked full-time? She was pretty much super-woman, still is. Although I appreciated it then, I don't think I fully appreciated it until now realizing how difficult that actually is to do! Thanks Mom :) 

Call me old-fashioned but I want to be the wife that provides for her husband and makes sure he goes off to work with a healthy lunch packed, and comes home to a nice homemade dinner that we can sit down and enjoy together. I think this will become even more important as we have kids. Now, I don't always succeed, but I try really hard!

As I mentioned above though, weeks are crazy and time is a virtue and I don't have hours to spend stopping at the grocery store and slaving away in the kitchen. That's how I have come to discover the importance of meal planning and prepping. It has been my saving grace with a busy lifestyle and helps me stay on track with healthy eating. Today, I am sharing my process for meal planning and prepping in hopes that it will help you, too!

On Saturdays or Sundays (depending on the weekend), I sit down and go through my cookbooks (my 5 favorites can be found here), Pinterest recipes, and food blogs and fill out my meal planning template shown below. I typically plan out dinner Sunday- Thursday. Friday is date night, and Saturday is always a TBD depending what we are doing. After I have picked out dinners, I plan lunches. For Tristan his lunches consist of either leftovers, or a turkey sandwich and chips. He's pretty easy! For me- it varies. Typically leftovers, a salad, or I prep something on Sunday to eat throughout the week. Then last, I plan my breakfasts and snacks and also include my workouts in this document. A little OCD I know, but it helps me! Here is an example of what my template looks like filled out:

Once my spreadsheet is filled out, I make my grocery list and head to the store to collect all my goods. There is nothing I hate more than having to stop at the store on the way home from work so this helps me knock it out at once.

When I get home, I unload all my groceries and start meal prepping. Now, this varies each week depending on what we are having, but here is what I typically prep:

Smoothies: Breakfast for me typically consists of some type of smoothie. I make these fresh each morning, but on Sundays I take out 5 ziplock baggies and fill them with spinach, either blueberries or 1/2 a banana and chia seeds. Then I freeze them! Each morning I pull out one bag, dump it in my Ninja (can be found on Amazon here- best thing ever), add protein powder (my fav is here), typically some almond butter, almond milk, and blend. Easy peasy! 

Overnight Oats: If I am not up for a smoothie, I will usually have overnight oats. If you aren't familiar with overnight oats- it's essentially oatmeal but you let the oaks soak in a liquid overnight to cook vs. cooking them in the microwave or stove-top. Saves time! I will portion out 1/4 cup oats and 2 T. chia seeds into mason jars and keep them in the pantry. The night before, I pour in 1/2 cup almond milk and let it soak all night. In the morning, I pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, mix in some almond butter and enjoy! You don't have to warm them up, but I just can't get used to the cold oatmeal texture. 

A quick tip: I use mason jars all the time, but I replace the lids with plastic lids. They are much easier to wash and maintain and they don't rust. You can find them on amazon (link here) or I bought mine at Target. 

Shredded Chicken: I always try to have shredded chicken on hand either in the refrigerator or freezer. It is so easy to top on salads, throw in pasta, or mix with some quinoa and veggies for an easy dinner or lunch. On Sundays, I put 4-6 chicken breasts in a crock pot and cover them fully with chicken broth, then cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Once they are fully cooked I shred them using 2 forks, and let them cool. Once cooled, I pop them in baggies or tupperware and place them in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Wash/ Cut Veggies, Fruits & Lettuce: Let's be real- if my options are dive into a bag of chips, or wash and cut up veggies for a snack, chips are going to win every time. BUT, if I already have veggies and fruit washed and cut up in the fridge, then I am more likely to reach for those. Washing lettuce on Sundays also makes it easier to whip up a quick side salad for dinner. 

Salads: Salads are one of the easiest things to prep. I purchased the salad bowls and to-go dressing containers shown below from Amazon and use them all the time. Once you already have your veggies and lettuce washed and cut, just toss them in your containers and top them with shredded chicken and you are ready to go! Saves a bunch of time to make them all at once!

Now, if you want to get really crazy, you can prep your dinners too. I typically just like to make those fresh each night unless I know I have a crazy week and won't have time to cook. 

I have found that although this whole process takes a little bit of time on Sunday, it makes my week much nicer! Another tip- make the process fun! Turn on some tunes and jam out in your kitchen while you're doing this. Or heck- pour yourself a glass of wine- you deserve it! 

I hope these tips and tricks help you! If you want a copy of my meal planning template either leave your e-mail below, or send me an e-mail at lulusfavthings@gmail.com and I will send it your way.

Happy meal planning and prepping- thanks for reading!

XOXO, Jenny