Notes from my living well health class. Any inaccuracies is the fault of the note taker.
Benefits of menu planning:
- More variety of meals.
- More healthy
- You can count your calories as you eat stuff that you’ve previously calculated for.
- Some will plan easy meals as a stand-by for a day that needs it.
- Helps you stay on budget.
- Different software provides meal options
- You can buy things in advance and not worry about having to go to the store for something yuou7 forgot.
- Clear your mind of wondering what you will have for supper.
- Eating healthy meals can become a habit.
- Improve weight management.
- Those who do menu planning eat three meals a day.
Why don’t do menu:
- You’re cooking for just one or two.
- Hard to find a variety
- Get into ruts.
- Sometimes healthy food is expensive.
- Don’t know how to cook
- Time limits. It takes time to plan and shop and cook the meal.
Solutions:
- It’s hard to have fresh food purchased once a week last for the whole week. Use up food that doesn’t have a long shelf life eat it in the first of the week.
- Buy things you know you’re going to use.
- Frozen vegetables can be an alternative to fresh.
- One way to work on time concerns is to cook in bulk and freeze into individual portions and also have a variety.
- With a menu, you can plan ahead, like buying chicken then cook the chicken for several meals in sequence.
- Instant pot makes meals in 30 min.
- Once you have menus planned keep them to recycle. Keep them a binder.
- If you have unexpected guests. Have certain foods available as backup for use on visitors.
- Planning for items on sale. Or items not in season buy frozen.
- Makes notes on the recipes you use of what your family like or what changes you made.
- See what friends are doing for healthy eating.
Do you have something to add? If so please do so in the comment section of this blog.
