Keys to Weekly Menu Planning 

First Meal Plan: 

Meal planning doesn’t take long to do and it will save you time and money. Planning should be done on a non cooking day. For example, I would plan menus on a Tuesday and make a list of what’s needed. Hit the farmer market with list in hand, on a Wednesday morning and go straight to the grocery store the same day for the rest. That afternoon I’d prep my veggies a little. Marinade meats and peel, chop etc for about an hour.  I would begin the actual cooking early on Thursday morning. To recap, meal plan and list on Tuesday. Shop on Wednesday and cook on Thursday. It’s a nice flow state or routine that once developed, makes life easy and you begin to feel better. 

	▪	Start by planning three dishes that have four portions each. That’s twelve eating opportunities over the coming week. But If you start with one dish, that’s find too. Start where you are, with what you have. Look for balance and seasonality. Always begin with a good protein then add in some good fat, a little carb and good fiber. Think protein (chicken, steak, fish or lentils) then good fats (toasted pumpkin seed, full fat butter, full fat milk)  and good fiber (Kim chi, sauerkraut, asparagus, beets.) 

	▪	Choose recipes with 10 or less ingredients and no more than 3-5 steps. Always read the recipe in its entirety first and look for simple recipes that feel doable.  Don’t start with French classics but rather basic, comfort food that won’t stress you to make. Unless you’re feeling adventurous, steer clear of soufflés and beef Wellington’s for weekly meal prep. Stick to roasting, one pot stews and sheet pan prep. Don’t be afraid of semi homemade either. If the sauce calls for fresh herbs, swirl in a store bought pesto if that’s easier. Don’t over think it. If it’s grilled chicken breast over rice with pesto and veggies, so be it. We all have our “go to meals.” Start where you are, with what you have. Just stay open to new menu ideas as well. 

	▪	Can you make extra to freeze? When you’ve decided on what meals to make, ask yourself are any of them are freezable? If so, make a little extra and freeze. A shepherds pie or lasagna are fantastic dishes to portion out and freeze for another day when you might not feel like cooking. 

Second Make a shopping list and review what you’ll need to prep:

	▪	Once you have 3 solid recipe ideas, then it’s time to make your shopping list. It helps to list veggies together, protein, fruit and then dry goods, oils etc. for the grocery store. A list is really key. Saves time and money. 

	▪	Review Equipment: As you plan your menu and go over recipes, consider the equipment needed to prepare your meals. Food processor, immersion blender or vitamix etc. 

	▪	Containers: If you don’t already have them, You’ll want to order some glass storage containers with snap on lids to store your meals. Avoid the sets with the different sizes, instead source only meal size containers you know you’ll need. 

	▪	Remember to label your dishes - you can easily do this with a marker and masking tape or if you’re really ambitious, print off some labels for each meal.  

Proven Meal Prep Tips: 

	▪	Breakfast is the time to think about dinner. Here’s what I mean. When you’re making coffee or breakfast in the morning, ask yourself do I need to defrost something for dinner? If so, simply pop one of your frozen dish into the fridge and let it defrost so it’s ready for the oven at dinner time. 
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	▪	Don’t be afraid to swap out ingredients. Don’t like cilantro, use parsley. By the way herbs are medicine. Use them often. Also be open especially when it comes to vegetables. Hate kale? Try spinach or chard. etc. 

	▪	Begin the dish that will take the longest to cook, first. For example: If chicken rice and veggies are your dish, start the rice first.  Then grill your chicken and you can sauté or steam your veggies probably in the same pan as your chicken as it will add flavor to the veggies. 

	▪	Cook with friends and family! Cut the work, socialize and everyone gets portions to take home. Remember what we said, cooking is a creative outlet as well as a necessity so I encourage you to play with different ingredients and spice combinations whenever possible. 

	▪	Often times our bad vegetable eating memory can be erased by adding other ingredients like goat cheese or roasted pine nuts to Brussels sprouts. Dried cranberry with a nice sharp cheddar tossed into your greens will give them dimension and layers of flavor that will change your mind about vegetables. Speaking of veggies, plan to batch cook them. Chop, toss with oil and lay (broccoli, cauliflower, yam, carrots etc.) on a sheet pan in the oven and you’ll graze for days.