Food for Thought
Meal Planning
Part of living independently is making your own decisions about what you and maybe others in your household will eat. At times, you probably make these decisions on the spur of the moment. However, there are several reasons why it’s a good idea to plan your meals:
- It gives you more control over how much money you spend on food, which helps in budgeting.
- When you plan ahead, you can make fewer trips to the grocery store and be sure that you’re buying what you need.
- When you use what you have, you waste less food.
- It helps you make the most of your time each day to know what you’ll be eating and how long it will take to make.
- It helps you manage your time more effectively.
So how do you start meal planning? Here are some tips:
Choose the right time for planning
It might be a good idea to plan your meals at a certain time and place each week so you can establish a regular routine for planning and shopping. This also helps to prevent distractions. Plan for enough time to look at recipes, decide what meals to have on what days, and make a grocery list.
Consider dietary needs
Experts say these are the food groups that adults should make part of their regular diets:
- Vegetables of all types
- Fruits
- Grains
- Dairy
- Proteins (meats, eggs, nuts, etc.)
- Fats (such as oils)
Also, think about any dietary restrictions you or others in your home might have. For example, does anyone in your home eat a gluten-free diet, or are they allergic to seafood? Are there foods that anyone especially dislikes that should be avoided?
Search for recipes
These days, it’s easy to find recipes in cookbooks, from friends and family members, on the Internet, and even on social media. Choose a variety of recipes that include healthy foods as much as possible, and plan for meals that fit with the day’s activities. For example, choose meals that involve more time and preparation for days when you have more time and energy later in the day; on busier days, it’s a good idea to plan easier meals that can be assembled quickly.
Shop your kitchen
Another thing to consider is the ingredients. If you find a recipe with very unusual spices, for example, it may be hard to find uses for those spices in the future. You might want to choose recipes that allow you to use more of what you have. For example, if you have leftover chicken in your refrigerator, you might want to find a recipe that will help you to use it up so it doesn’t go to waste.
Go through the ingredient lists in the recipes you’ve selected, then check which items you already have in your refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Anything you don’t already have should go on your shopping list.
Make your shopping list
Making a list of groceries to buy helps to keep you from spending more money than you planned, and it prevents you from forgetting important items. Here are some tips for making a list that works for you:
- Decide what type of list to use: Some people prefer to handwrite their grocery lists, while others use smart home devices such as Amazon Alexa or apps on their phones. Amazon Alexa and the Notes app on iPhones offer collaboration, so everyone in one household can see and add to the same list. Use the method that works best for you, to ensure you stick with the habit and make the most of it.
- Group by category: Grocery stores are organized by type of food. Produce (fruits and vegetables) is in one area of the store, milk and other dairy products are in another, etc. Start by creating categories for groceries, such as Produce, Dairy, Meat, Canned Goods, Frozen Foods, Bakery, etc. Then place each item on your list in its proper category. This way, you pick up everything in the category at once, to make the best use of your time.
- Check amounts: Take note of how much you need of each ingredient. This is often driven by the recipe. For example, if you find a recipe that serves two but there are four people in your home, you might need to double the amounts. Be sure you know exactly how much you’ll need of each item.
- Add to the list throughout the week: Sometimes when we make our grocery lists and go to the store, we forget about items we need occasionally that need to be restocked. Keep a running list, and add to it as soon as you know you need an item, so you don’t forget to buy it when you go to the store. For example, when you see you’re getting low on toothpaste, go ahead and add it to your list so you remember to pick it up the next time you’re at the store.
