Meal Planning Made Simple

Start by picking five or six dinners your household already likes, then make those same meals over and over. Nobody is grading you on variety. Write your grocery list straight from that short list, and you will be shopping with a plan instead of guessing in the aisles.

Next, make the cooking work harder for you by cooking once and eating twice. Make a double batch of chili, roast an extra pan of vegetables, or cook enough rice for two nights. Do the prep that ruins weeknights, like chopping onions or washing greens, in one block of time instead of five rushed jobs at six o'clock. It also helps to keep a short list of six or eight foods you always have at home, so there is always the start of a meal in the house.

Last, give yourself a backup, because hard weeks do not care about your meal plan. An appointment runs long, a phone call comes in, and a plan with no backup falls apart the first time that happens. This is where a full freezer earns its keep. Members can use our partner Magic Kitchen to quickly have ready to go meals delivered, and no subscription is needed. Having three or four dinners in the freezer is not quitting on your plan. It is what keeps the plan alive.