Smart Cooking - Meal Plans

Home cookers across the country are using meal plans to add variety to their daily dishes and be sure all the right ingredients are in the kitchen when they are needed.  Whether you are cooking for a large or small family, creating a meal plan can be a healthy and enjoyable way to organize your meal times.

Structured meal planning may seem like a challenge, and with 3 meals a day 7 days a week, you are looking at planning an average of 90 meals each month! If your meals are fancy, add in appetizers, first and second courses, and desserts to match.  Luckily, getting a meal plan going can be a simple and enjoyable process.  Follow the tips below to get started, or to enhance your current meal schedule.

The Basics. Make sure you can plan your meals in a way that makes it comfortable to browse each day's schedule.  Large calendars that display the entire month on one page and give ample of room for each day's tasks work very well as meal organizers. Being able to visually scan the entire month can save a great deal of time, page flipping, and unnecessary mistakes.  Your time is precious, so make the most of it.

Budgeting.  If you are on a tight budget, you would be surprised how much money can be saved by planning meals out ahead of time and purchasing only the necessary ingredients.  Once your schedule is set up, make a list of items to purchase during your next food shopping according to the schedule.  Stick to the list.  Much money is wasted on foods that do not get eaten, or foods that are needlessly purchased and spoil awaiting their turn.

Think Ahead.  Planning your meals at least a week ahead of time can give you a clear picture of just how much healthy food you are consuming, and just how much unhealthy food you may want to leave out in your next schedule plan.  Make sure fresh vegetables and fruits are a part of your daily diet.  Choose fresh, raw ingredients as much as possible over pre-packaged convenience items.

Variety is one of the greatest benefits of a meal plan.  Take out all the recipes that you have collected over the years and spread them out throughout the month.  Your family will appreciate the new variety.
 
Consider leftovers.  Most food can be left in the refrigerator for at least 2 to three days once it is cooked.  Consider that some days you may be eating yesterday's dinner.  No need to cook a new meal, and no need to purchase more produce.  Cooking for a few days ahead can give much freedom to cooks on a tight schedule.  If you prefer not to serve the same meal twice, reuse leftovers in a new recipe.  Stuffed peppers are a great way to reuse leftover meat and rice dishes.

Healthy in-betweens. If you like home made snacks over store-bought ones, include snacks in your regimen.  Consider using natural ingredients as they are to save time.  Nuts, seeds whole fruits such as apples and bananas require zero preparation time, are rich in healthy nutrients, and are a delicious way to fill in the times between large meals.