1. MEAL PLANNING 101 What to Eat When To Eat How to Eat Maureen Wielansky - Holistic Health Expert Transform Your Body…Transform Your Life!

2. INTRODUCTION There are many payoffs when families break bread together which include bonding, better communication, learned cooking skills, and improved table manners. Children who are allowed to help with food preparation are more likely to eat what is served Girls are less likely to suffer from eating disorders when they participate in regular family meals Families who eat their meals together are more likely to have healthier eating habits A recent study showed that a healthy diet can add 14 years to your life Also, since you have planned ahead for leftovers nights, and cooked enough food to freeze, many nights you won’t have to cook, only reheat and toss a salad.

3. WHERE TO BEGIN? For many of us, meal planning sounds like one more weekly task, and it’s something we have intended to start, “one of these days”. But hopefully the benefits of meal planning has positively changed your mindset and you are excited to get started on your meal planning. Keep menu planners, grocery lists, a pen, and recipes into a folder. That way you won’t have to look around each week to find what you need. If the chicken is on sale for .69 cents a pound, this is not the week for London Broil or pork chops. After scanning the sales, determine five to seven meals that can be made from that week’s specials. Add in side dishes, such as salads, whole grains, and vegetables. Make a grocery list to take with you to the store. To make things easier on yourself from week to week, consider designing a personal shopping list.

4. CREATE YOUR SHOPPING LIST Family members are notorious for forgetting to write down, for instance, does anyone ever jot down “orange juice” after they drink the last of it? The best suggestion is to create a computerized list on the computer. Organize it by categories, or meals, such as “breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks” etc. List the foods you buy on a regular basis and make a few copies. This way your kids favorite cereal, your favorite bread, and your families favorite after school snacks are all on the list, and only need to be circled or checked off when they need to be replenished. Make sure to keep the list in an accessible place to make it more likely that your family will make use of the system.

5. CREATE YOUR OWN MEAL PLANNER Ideally, the planner will have designated areas to plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for an entire week. Keep in mind that meal planners won’t help you if you don’t make time to use them. Schedule meal planning into your calendar in order to make time and to help establish a routine.

6. MEAL PLANNING TIPS Designate a day to cook a few meals to get you through the beginning of the week. Many people choose Sunday for their bulk cooking, or possibly a Monday if your schedule allows. Ideally during the week you will be reheating, cooking simple meals, or adding side dishes to reinvented leftovers. Once your meal plan is completed, post it on your refrigerator or family bulletin board as insurance for accountability.

7. MORE MEAL PLANNING TIPS Also gives your family something to look forward to.Cook Once, Eat Three Times~ On your bulk cooking day you might spend three of four hours in the kitchen, but your efforts can produce up to two weeks worth of meals. Theme Nights~ Have a night or two that always has the same favorite family meal. Maybe Wednesday is spaghetti night, or Friday is homemade pizza night.

8. CREATE A MEAL MENU A meal menu is an organized list of meals and dishes that are popular with your family. It’s convenient to scan a menu for ideas, especially when they are categorized in an organized manner. It saves the stress of rifling through cookbooks for ideas and searching for menu ideas because it’s all laid out in one place. Favorite meals aren’t forgotten about. Encourage your family to contribute to the meal planner so everyone’s favorite meals are represented. Remember to add to it whenever a new family favorite recipe is discovered. Reduce cookbook clutter by making copies of your favorite recipes and donate the books to the library or goodwill.

9. GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS Before you leave for the store, make sure you have your list. Eat a snack before you go to make sure you’re neither hungry or thirsty. Do a quick inventory of your pantry and refrigerator to evaluate what you have leftover from the week before. Make sure your refrigerator and pantry are organized so you can easily scan the shelves and to prevent buying items you already have. Take your calculator with you if you are trying to stick to a budget. List of Needed ItemsCompleted shopping listCalculatorCoupons

10. DETERMINE YOUR BUDGET Having a grocery budget is a wise idea to help prevent buying too many impulse items. Determine your monthly grocery shopping budget and divide by four to establish your weekly budget. Divide your grocery list into two parts, foods you have to buy and foods you would like to buy. While shopping, calculate the foods prices as you put them into your shopping cart. Once you get to your budgeted allowance, reevaluate what remains on the list and what you already have in your cart.

11. MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR SHOPPING Look for bargains~ Use coupons~ Stick to your list~ Look at unit pricing~ Read labels~ Avoid prepared foods~ Save money on produce~

12. MORE MONEY SAVING TIPS Keep whole grains in reach~ Best way to buy dairy~ Shop the perimeter~ Look up and down for savings~ Watch the cash register

13. KITCHEN TOOLS Slow cooker~Food processor~Vegetable Steamer~Immersion blender~Quality set of knives~

14. COOKING TIPS Cook for later~ Keep frozen veggies on hand~ One focus during the week~ Make it simple~ Keep ingredients on hand~ Keep leftovers interesting~

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