It has been a while since I did a meal planning and grocery haul post and since I'm getting back on my meal prep game I thought this month was the perfect month to start back the monthly posts on this topic. Not only do I like to give my few readers organization, planning, and meal tips/tricks it is also a way for me to look back on past meal plans and recipes that I haven't made in a while.
I always plan out my meals in my Plum Paper planner for the month. This way I know what days I need to schedule something quick and easy/fast or eat leftovers like Tuesday and Thursday which are my late gym nights. I also try to schedule one day a week for leftovers just so we don't waste and then at the end of the month when groceries are slim I do what I call a pantry dump...which usually is a meal thrown together and concocted with whatever meat/veg/extras that I have in freezer, frig, and pantry. In the side column of my planner I map out my weekly lunch meal prep and snack options. (not done in the above pic)
This was last week's lunch meal prep= 1/2 cup cook long grain brown rice, 4 oz lean ground turkey, and 1 cup of steamed garden fresh green beans. I prep my lunch meals on Sunday all at once as well as any cooked or bagged snacks like rice cakes divided or boiled and peeled eggs. Prepping lunch and snacks for the week prior to Monday morning helps me hit my dietary and fitness goals. If I have it prepped there's no way I'm going to let it go to waste so I can load my food into My Fitness Pal app to ensure that I'm hitting my targeted macros each day. Dinner isn't usually prepped weekly but I do measure and make healthy choices and substitutes when cooking classics or every day recipes.
When planning the month ahead I turn to past meal plans in my planner and here on the blog as well as trusty ole Pinterest! I don't know how many times I heard growing up from my Mom, listening to friends, or telling Hendrik myself...."I'm sick of cooking the SAME THING OVER and OVER!" Thank you Pinterest now I have no excuse! LOL For this reason alone is why each month when I break out my new month and notebook paper to jot down ideas I pull up Pinterest and go through my Get in My Belly board to get recipe ideas. If I haven't pinned anything new that looks appetizing then I will search and pin new recipes that look good.
Here are a few recipes that I've pinned that are in this month's meal plan that I'm excited to try!
These are only ideas and if the recipe has butter or other unhealthy ingredients I try to cut down if not out and replace them with healthier options when possible. Once I plan my month I make a list of what we will need from the grocery store. I always keep staples like wheat pasta, brown rice, salmon, lean beef and turkey, chicken and bananas on hand at all times but other ingredients that might go along with these new recipes I try to get as well such as fresh limes for the salmon recipe above. To get a good list and make sure I don't waste time going to the store every day I go through each day and think or go through my pantry to ensure that I have enough of or those specific ingredients. We try to make one big Sam's haul a month and 1 or 2 smaller trips to Brookshire's our local grocery store for fresh ingredients as we need them.
I hope you got some new ideas and tips for meal prep and planning your meals for your family no matter the size. You can never be TOO organized or prepared in my opinion. July's haul and planning will be up in a few weeks so stay tuned.
Check out the links above for my Pinterest board, getting your own Plum Paper planner, and the tasty recipes!
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