How to Meal Plan Each Week
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Meal planning is a great way to save time, money, and stress for busy families. By taking the time to plan out your meals each week, you’re able to make sure everyone is eating healthy, while also avoiding costly last-minute takeout or fast food runs.
Here are some tips for families who want to start meal planning each week…
Choose a specific day and time for meal planning
The first step in meal planning is to set aside a specific day and time each week to plan out your meals. This could be on the weekend, or a weeknight when you have some free time. Make sure everyone in the family knows when meal planning will happen so they can give input and be prepared.
Create a recurring calendar event in Maple for Meal Planning so that you stay on top of it.
2. Get everyone involved
Meal planning is a great opportunity to get the whole family involved in deciding what to eat for the week. Ask each family member to contribute their favorite recipes or meal ideas, and make sure everyone's dietary preferences and restrictions are taken into account.
Create a Family Meals folder in Maple and invite those old enough in the household to contribute ideas and add to the grocery list. You could also assign each family member a night to cook, so everyone gets a chance to be involved in the meal planning process.
3. Plan for leftovers
Leftovers are a great way to save time and money during the week, so make sure to plan for them in your meal planning. You could plan to make a large batch of a recipe that can be eaten for lunch or dinner throughout the week, or plan to use leftovers from one meal as the base for another meal later in the week.
4. Consider theme nights
To make meal planning more fun and interesting, consider assigning theme nights to certain days of the week. For example, you could have Taco Tuesday, Pizza Friday, or Meatless Monday. This will give you a framework to work within when planning meals, and can make meal planning feel less overwhelming.
5. Keep a well-stocked pantry
Having a well-stocked pantry can make meal planning much easier. Make sure you have staples like rice, pasta, canned beans, and canned tomatoes on hand, as well as spices and seasonings. This will make it easier to throw together meals on nights when you don't have a specific plan.
6. Make a grocery list
Once you have your meals planned out for the week, make a grocery list of everything you'll need to buy. This will help you avoid overspending at the grocery store and ensure that you have everything you need to make your planned meals.
In Maple, shared grocery lists are an easier way for the whole family to keep track of the food you’d like to have in the house.
Use Maple to help your family organize weekly meals, find recipes, save time, money, and stress.