How to meal plan: 6 easy steps
Meal planning shouldn’t be difficult, and it will take less time as you get used to doing it. Here’s how to start:
1. Set your goals.
“A few common goals are losing weight, watching your intake of sodium, and minimizing intake of preservatives or additives,” Cording says.
2. Determine the number—and type—of meals you’re planning.
There’s no set formula here; the number of meals you plan may vary from week to week. You might only want to plan dinners, or maybe you want to figure out every meal of the day. Start by jotting down any meals you’re eating out, and then work around them. “Be realistic about your limits, schedule, and potential barriers,” Cording says. For example, many people find it’s easiest to cook three dinners a week and use leftovers and takeout for the other nights.
3. Choose recipes.
When selecting recipes, keep in mind your goals, cooking ability, and time. The WW app and website have loads of recipes, but try tapping into friends and families for ideas as well. And if you know you’re going to be super busy on a certain day, plan for a simple “recipe,” like a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken with a simple green salad and instant brown rice. “It still counts as preparing a meal,” Cording says.
4. Make a shopping list.
First, write down the ingredients and quantities you’ll need for each recipe. Then, add up the quantities of the same foods to make sure you’ll have enough. Next, check your pantry and fridge: Cross off any ingredients you already have off your list or readjust quantities as needed. To save time grocery shopping online or in-store, sort your grocery list into food categories like fresh fruits and veggies, grains, proteins, dairy, and canned foods. Don’t forget to add condiments as well as packaged and convenience foods—not everything you eat is part of a recipe! ✔️
5. Meal prep.
Meal prep might include anything from chopping garlic and stir-fry veggies to roasting a chicken or cooking a batch of grains: Your goal is to create pre-cut (and sometimes even pre-cooked) batches of ingredients to make it easier to make your chosen recipes throughout the week. How you prep for your week depends on your schedule. For example, you can do it all at once on Sunday or get cooking a few evenings a week for upcoming days. Either way, you’ll want to store your ingredients in separate containers and organize them in the fridge according to the type of food (for example, all produce together) or recipe.
6. Cook!
Since you’ve already planned what to make and prepped the ingredients, cooking should be easier than ever. Just make sure you schedule enough time to put it all together before mealtime.👍
