Meal PLANNING Worksheet

Adapting Diane's worksheet for my weekly meal planning.

(Click image to enlarge).

Planning. Planning. Planning.

The need for planning has been repeated over and over throughout the many blogs I've read. Successful people say that planning is one of the biggest contributors to aiding them to achieve their goals. It helps avoid hasty, unhealthy, expensive decisions when you are hungry/bored/emotionally drained/(your reason here).

The more I learn about nutrition, the more I realize the meals I was making at home needed an overhaul. Sometimes...a lot, actually...I didn't even make time to prepare the meals and would opt for fast-food. I wish I could say that happened once a week, but sadly, it had become almost daily. Why? Because I had not planned. I usually winged-it. And usually the wings came with pizza.

Before I began my own blog, I poured myself into Diane's blog Fit to the Finish. There, amongst inspiration, I found a meal planning worksheet (click there for a blank, printable version of the above). I printed four sheets and put them in a binder. It's taken some time, but I have almost 4 weeks of meal-planning and healthier recipes my family actually likes.

I really like it. Preparation has become easier. I'm saving money, time, calories (as long as I stop buying those *&%$ eclairs and creme horns...old habits die hard). I'm feeding my family more nutritionally-dense foods. Cooking isn't as overwhelming as before. I look forward to it, and as I become used to the recipes, I can teach my kids. And I hope it helps me to stop my binge habit.

Other changes I've made:

Sundays: I try not to cook at all. I prepare a slow-cooker meal Saturday and put it into the fridge until Sunday morning where I transfer it to the heating unit. When we come home from church, we have a meal ready, and it's there the rest of the day if anyone is hungry.

For lunches and dinner: I make enough for dinner, too, then all I have to do is reheat and maybe add a salad or veggie. I'm usually wiped-out by dinner time and busy doing other things with the kids. I think this new approach will be very helpful.

This journey is one step at a time. I have a lot of muck to undo (like portion control). With these changes to my family's meals I hope to nourish us all and replace bad habits with good. That's the plan, anyway.