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Meal Prep 101: The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning

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In life, we often try to find the perfect balance. It’s hard to devote adequate time to every factor of your life, and nearly impossible to do it perfectly. You need the right amount of work, leisure, recreation, social time, exercise, meal planning, time with the kids, and so much more each and every week.

This article will help you get a little closer to finding that balance, especially when it comes to meal planning. In this beginner’s guide, we will cover meal planning 101: what it is, how you can effectively meal plan, and the benefits of a balanced diet, including lots of vegetables and some meats like Chinese sausage. So, are you ready to start your meal planning journey?

What is Meal Planning?

Meal planning is the process of choosing in advance what you will eat over a set period of time, usually a week. It involves thinking and planning about breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes even snacks, then choosing specific meals and recipes for each day. Once you choose the meals for each day, you can then make a shopping list based on the required ingredients.

Meal planning helps save time during the week because you won’t have to decide what to cook each day and find yourself at a loose end without the right ingredients. It can also help you eat healthier, avoid food waste, and stick to a budget.

Some people plan meals around their busy schedule, like choosing quick meals for busy days or ensuring they have enough leftovers for nights when they don’t feel like cooking, like after a long day in the office. Others use meal planning to meet their individual health goals, like eating more vegetables or reducing sugar or carbs. Whether you cook from scratch or include some ready-made items bought from the store, meal planning is all about being organised with your dietary choices to make life smoother and easier and your weekly meals more enjoyable.

How Different Food Meets Nutritional Needs

Each different nutrient that you choose for your meal planning plays a specific role in your health and wellbeing. For instance, carbohydrates, both simple and complex, provide energy, whereas protein found in meats and some veggies support muscle growth and muscle repair, and fats are crucial for brain function. Various vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D and calcium, are essential for your bone health and immune functions. As you can see, understanding how to plan balanced meals for yourself or your family is vital for meeting your nutritional needs and supporting your overall health, wellbeing, and your children’s development.

Fresh produce, as opposed to processed food, provides essential vitamins, nutrients, fibres, and minerals that keep your child healthy. It is recommended that you consume five or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day. You should factor this into your weekly meal planning. As such, most of your plate for most meals should be covered with bright and colourful fruits and veggies. The more variety of different colours and nutrients you can add to your shared family meals, the better.

Fresh produce is readily available in all grocery stores or from your local farmer’s markets, shared food pantries/meal assistance programs, and even subscription boxes if this is viable for your family, situation, and budget.

Meat, if you eat it, should be part of your meal plan. However, it is best to stick to lean and white meats such as fish and chicken and red meat in moderation, as too much red meat can have negative health implications. A little here and there is okay, perhaps once a week, as red meat is a vital source of iron and protein.

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Meal Plan and Bulk Cooking

It can be hard to find the time to meal plan, which is why you should utilise the weekend, when you have more spare time, to meal plan and bulk cook. You can spend Saturday writing up your meal plan and going shopping for fresh produce and protein.

Shopping with a list based on your plan and required ingredients will help you stay focused and avoid impulse buys, such as sweets and processed foods. Ensure that you stick to the outer edges of the supermarket for fresh produce, meat, and dairy, and only go down the aisles if you need something specific. It’s a great idea to plan for flexibility, too — sometimes plans throughout the week change, so have a few easy backup meals like pasta, frozen veggies, or even ready meals, just in case.

Then, on Sunday, you can aim to bulk cook and prepare your meals for the week. It’s a good idea to bulk cook a few sauce-based meals, such as curries, stir-fries, or pasta sauces, which can then be refrigerated and heated up and served with a carb such as noodles, rice (for the stir-fries and curries), and pasta. If possible, choose a low GI carb, such as brown rice or wholemeal or grain pasta, as these provide sustained, lasting energy over a quick carb spike like white rice or pasta does.

If you make enough, you can freeze some portions for a quick and easy defrosted meal to take to work or to heat up on those long days when you’re bone tired when you get home.

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