{"id":15022,"date":"2013-04-02T07:42:31","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T11:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/?p=15022"},"modified":"2021-02-13T11:36:35","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T16:36:35","slug":"four-rules-of-meal-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/four-rules-of-meal-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Rules of Meal Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

I loved the feedback you offered<\/a> me Friday about which topics you enjoy reading about. A popular request was meal planning. It just so happens I could talk all day about this topic. My inner organizational freak loves it and it sure comes in handy once the week begins and life happens.<\/p>\n

It all begins throughout the prior week by bookmarking, pinning or taking pictures of recipes I want to try. Then when I sit down to write out the meals for the week, I have some ready to go.<\/p>\n

However, rule number one is to BE REASONABLE<\/span><\/strong>. I\u2019d love to cook new meals 5 days a week, but chances are I\u2019ll be tired one day, or have  too much to do to want to play in the kitchen for an hour. Instead I look ahead at our schedule and plan new meals for days when I have a little more wiggle room. On the busier days I plan simple go-to meals or make-ahead meals.<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/span>– Lemoney Tomato Herb Scallops and Rosemary Bread
\nMonday<\/span>– Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
\nTuesday<\/span>– Baked Chicken with Mustard Sauce, Baked Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus
\nWednesday<\/span>– Indian Spiced Lentils and Naan
\nThursday<\/span>– Homemade Meat and Veggie Sauce over Spaghetti
\nFriday<\/span>– out<\/h3>\n

Once I list out dinners, I decided on lunches (usually bowls filled with grains, greens and beans). I plan David\u2019s breakfasts, fruit for the week and a snack option (usually hummus).<\/p>\n

The next rule I follow is BE SPECIFIC<\/span><\/strong>. I write a list of everything I need for each meal and snack, including quantity (example: 10 bananas) because it\u2019s amazing how my mind goes black once I\u2019m in the store.<\/p>\n

I stick to the list unless I catch a deal for a staple that I can\u2019t pass up.<\/p>\n

\"2013-03-31<\/a><\/p>\n

My total bill for the week from the grocery, plus the scallops (enough for two dinners) from the farmers market was $110.57.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once I get home, I go straight into prep mode. The secret of a smooth week of healthy meals is to BE PREPARED<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Dried lentils are cheap and easy. I decided they\u2019d be my protein source for lunch this week, plus they\u2019ll be ready to go for Wednesday\u2019s dinner.<\/p>\n

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I chose barley as my grain for the week (I try to mix it up weekly), so I put a pot of dried barley on to cook, too. I set timers and moved on to carrots.<\/p>\n

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I preheated the oven to 375 while I diced carrots, tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. I stuck them into roast for 40 minutes or so.<\/p>\n

Total active prep time- 15 minutes<\/span>. That\u2019s it!<\/p>\n

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When yesterday\u2019s lunch time came, it took me less than 5 minutes to throw a healthy, balanced meal together.<\/p>\n

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Spinach, barley, lentils and roasted carrots microwaved for 60 seconds then topped in La Bonne Vie spreadable goat cheese and Newman\u2019s Balsamic dressing.<\/em><\/p>\n

My final \u201crule’\u201d is to BE FLEXIBLE<\/span><\/strong>. A week or two ago when David was sick, he only wanted soup for dinner. I decided I was fine eating hummus and crackers for dinner, so I froze the meats and vegetables for later use. I also usually throw an easy meal (soup and grilled cheese or spaghetti this week) that is quick and easy. I can swap it with another dinner if the day gets hectic. It\u2019s important to have an escape route for when life gets busy.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, it offers me such peace of mind knowing that dinners for the week are lined up and ready to go.<\/p>\n

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Last night\u2019s black bean burger<\/a> (I used Emily\u2019s recipe, but subbed cashews for pumpkin seeds and subbed half the oats for breadcrumbs) with spinach, avocado and sriracha <\/em>with sweet potato fries.<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you have any tips to add or any questions?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I loved the feedback you offered me Friday about which topics you enjoy reading about. A popular request was meal planning. It…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2243,2244],"tags":[1136,136,138,997],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15022"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

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