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  • Meal Planning

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    Save five reasons and benefits to meal planning

    Meal Planning

    I can’t remember when exactly I started meal planning, but it was sometime after my now three-year-old was born. I was coming out of my post-baby funk, which was a good portion of that first year, and had the realization that I needed some sort of system to have the lifestyle I wanted. Planning and preparing meals had become something I resented, and I wanted to turn that around.

    Eliminating Stress

    Growing up, I recall my mom planning meals in advance, but I never really acquired a solid system. When it came to meals in my early adulthood, there wasn’t much of a plan. Looking back, there was a lot of unnecessary stress around meals for that reason, especially post-baby. At some point, I came across Allie Peach, an inspiration who helped me take a big step in my meal planning journey. Writing down a plan for the week on her blank printable meal planner was a game changer for me. My stress around preparing food for my family slowly disappeared. You can find Allie and her awesome work at alliepeach.com.

    I have since switched from using her printable planner guide to now using a weekly planner book to keep my schedule and meal plans in the same place. (I still praise you though, Allie!) We all have to find our right fit and it isn’t always going to be the same.

    Then & Now

    Recently, I was going through my old meal planning binder. Then and now, the meals are so different. When I started meal planning just a couple of years ago, I planned every single meal around the meat we would be eating. Now I plan meals around the vegetables we will be eating and haven’t prepared meat in nearly a year.

    Here’s my big point: Life is a journey, my friends. We are constantly gaining knowledge and making changes that navigate us one way or another. Let’s commit to bettering ourselves in every way that we can, and then when we take a look back we will be amazed at how far we’ve come.

    5 Reasons to Meal Plan

    1. Less food waste. If you stick to a list made from your meal plan when grocery shopping, then you will be less likely to buy extra food that might go to waste.
    2. Money savings. Along the same lines of less food waste, buying fewer extras that you don’t need will save you money. If you operate on a budget, meal planning gives you more control over how you spend your money at the store and less shock when you checkout.
    3. Healthier eating. When you eat on the fly, you are more likely to choose convenient foods which aren’t as healthy as vegetables and other whole foods that take some time to prepare. If you plan your meals, you can also schedule to prep ahead of time if you know you need a quick dinner. 
    4. Less stress, more enjoyment. I don’t know about you, but if it’s 5 pm and I don’t know what’s for dinner, I usually start to stress and for some reason, it becomes impossible to think of something to put together. When I have a plan, I absolutely love my time in the kitchen.
    5. Track your eating. Keeping track of what you eat can be beneficial in so many ways. My first step with any issue is always to examine things in my control and diet can often be the culprit.

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    Homemade Pizza Crust - Our Wandering Kitchen
    April 15, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    […] you new to meal planning? You can use our free printable weekly meal planner to plan out your meals for the week. No […]

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