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Episode 2752:
Jessica Levinson shares her top five strategies for successful meal planning to help busy families maintain home-cooked meals throughout the week. From starting small and scheduling nights off to cooking in bulk and keeping track of ingredients, her tips are practical for simplifying meal prep and reducing stress around family dinners.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/better-meal-planning/
Quotes to ponder:
"Start with planning two meals and work yourself up to four or five. You do what’s best for your personal family needs."
"One of the benefits of thinking ahead and planning your meals is that you can make extra of a recipe, so you have enough for leftovers another night or to freeze for a busy week."
"The pressure I was putting on myself to make another new meal wasn’t worth it."
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[00:00:53] Das ist Optimal Health Daily.
[00:00:55] 5 Tipps für Better Meal Planning
[00:00:57] von Jessica Levinson
[00:00:59] mit RealMomNutrition.com
[00:01:01] Und ich bin Dr. Neal,
[00:01:02] Ihre Host und Narrative.
[00:01:04] Hey there, welcome back to another week of Optimal Health Daily.
[00:01:07] Das ist, wo ich zum Beispiel von den besten und fitnessen blogs auf der Webseite.
[00:01:11] Kind of like an ongoing audiobook.
[00:01:13] Und immer mit ein bisschen meiner Kommentare am Ende.
[00:01:16] Aber mit dem,
[00:01:17] wir uns zu den Posten,
[00:01:19] als wir optimieren,
[00:01:20] Ihre Leben.
[00:01:24] 5 Tipps für Better Meal Planning
[00:01:27] von Jessica Levinson
[00:01:28] mit RealMomNutrition.com
[00:01:31] As a parent of twin 4.5-year-old girls,
[00:01:34] I know how hectic and chaotic weekdays are for many families.
[00:01:38] Between getting the kids to school, shuttling them to and from activities,
[00:01:43] working and making meals, the days go by all too quickly.
[00:01:47] My only saving grace is that I'm a planner,
[00:01:49] and when it comes to feeding my family,
[00:01:51] my weekly menu plan is the number one thing I do to ensure we're eating homemade meals most nights of the week.
[00:01:58] Here are my five best tips for making that happen.
[00:02:02] 1. Start Small
[00:02:04] If you're not a planner or never meal planned before,
[00:02:08] don't try to map out a whole week of meals at once.
[00:02:11] Start with planning two meals and work yourself up to four or five.
[00:02:15] Once you get the hang of planning your meals and having on hand everything you need to implement them,
[00:02:21] you can progress to what seems like the right fit for your family.
[00:02:24] Remember, there's no right and wrong when it comes to meal planning.
[00:02:28] You do what's best for your personal family needs.
[00:02:32] 2. Schedule at least one night off
[00:02:36] Monday through Friday are the main days of the week that I cook from scratch,
[00:02:40] with weekend meals consisting of leftovers,
[00:02:42] one adult night out for my partner and me,
[00:02:44] and dinner out as a family.
[00:02:47] In addition to the weekends off from cooking,
[00:02:49] I also schedule one night during the week that I'm off duty, usually Thursday.
[00:02:54] I recently shared with my readers that there was a week when I didn't schedule my night off,
[00:02:58] and I totally regretted it.
[00:03:00] I was so exhausted by the end of the week that I scrapped the menu for that night,
[00:03:05] threw together random leftovers in the fridge for the kids,
[00:03:08] and ordered in dinner for my partner and me.
[00:03:11] You know what?
[00:03:11] I didn't feel guilty.
[00:03:12] My kids didn't cry or whine for a different meal,
[00:03:15] and my partner was happy to have takeout for a change.
[00:03:18] The pressure I was putting on myself to make another new meal wasn't worth it.
[00:03:23] 3. Keep stock of food you have on hand
[00:03:27] I come up with my menu in a bunch of different ways,
[00:03:30] including recipes I've pinned or dog-eared from magazines and cookbooks,
[00:03:34] dishes I was inspired by at a restaurant, and family requests.
[00:03:38] But the number one way I decide what I'm cooking is based on what's currently in my refrigerator,
[00:03:44] freezer, and pantry.
[00:03:45] It's the best way to avoid food waste, which is a very serious issue these days,
[00:03:49] and make sure we use up the ingredients we have on hand before buying something new.
[00:03:55] 4. Cook in bulk
[00:03:57] One of the benefits of thinking ahead and planning your meals is that you can make extra of a recipe,
[00:04:03] so you have enough for leftovers another night or to freeze for a busy week.
[00:04:07] Whenever I make sauce for a pasta dish, chili, or a batch of meatballs or muffins,
[00:04:12] I double the recipe and freeze half.
[00:04:18] 5. Plan one meal per night and that's it
[00:04:27] This last tip will not only help you with meal planning,
[00:04:30] but also in helping your children learn to eat a well-rounded diet and put an end to picky eating.
[00:04:36] Don't be a short order cook.
[00:04:38] I know many parents who stand at the stove all evening as they make grilled cheese for one child
[00:04:43] and chicken fingers for another, all the while the meal that was planned and made is going to waste.
[00:04:48] As long as there's one item on the table that you know your kids like,
[00:04:52] you don't need to make separate meals for everyone.
[00:04:54] I promise your children will not starve.
[00:05:01] You just listened to the post titled,
[00:05:03] 5 Tips for Better Meal Planning by Jessica Levinson with RealMomNutrition.com
[00:05:09] and I'll be right back with my commentary.
[00:05:11] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.
[00:05:14] As I was reading today's article, I was trying not to laugh.
[00:05:17] Only because so many of the tips today's author Jessica shared about meal planning,
[00:05:22] I do myself.
[00:05:23] It was like she was reading my mind.
[00:05:25] Jessica mentioned that she's a planner.
[00:05:28] I am too.
[00:05:29] But what happens if you feel you're not a planner?
[00:05:31] Well, I would argue you are.
[00:05:35] Now how could I possibly know that?
[00:05:37] Because right now I'm sounding awfully judgy.
[00:05:41] It's because we all plan for things every single day of our lives.
[00:05:45] Do you set your alarm during the week so you make sure you get up on time?
[00:05:49] That took planning.
[00:05:50] Do you know how you're going to get to work or school today?
[00:05:53] That took planning.
[00:05:54] We make these little plans for ourselves all the time.
[00:05:58] We just may not realize it.
[00:06:00] So we're all planners.
[00:06:01] We just may not apply the same planning skills to things like our meals or when we're going
[00:06:07] to work out.
[00:06:08] The good news then is that we can.
[00:06:10] We have the ability to do it.
[00:06:13] We just need to start.
[00:06:14] And like Jessica said in today's article, starting small by planning just one meal is a step in
[00:06:21] the right direction.
[00:06:22] All right, that'll do it for the Monday episode.
[00:06:25] I hope you have a great start to your week and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual where
[00:06:29] your optimal life awaits.
[00:06:30] Let's do it.
[00:06:31] Let's do it.
[00:06:31] Let's do it.