5 Reasons You Should Plan Your Meals

What’s for dinner Mum? This is the 5 o’clock question that plagues mothers every evening. You can either go into the 5pm witching hour calm and organised or frazzled and stressed, and the number one key thing that will be the deciding factor is if you have a plan.

While meal planning can be considered a chore to add onto your ‘to-do list’, this is one chore that should be at the top of that list!

Here are 5 reasons why you should start planning your meals a week in advance:

1. A Meal Plan Saves Time

Your set grocery lists will prevent you from wandering around the supermarket aimlessly and your meal plans will save you from having to think about what to cook every evening. Once you know exactly what you’re making and how long it will take, you can schedule in those other important things, like kids homework!

2. A Meal Plan Saves Money

If you know exactly what you’re making each day of the week and have created a shopping list specifically for those meals, you’re not going to have un-used ingredients going off in the fridge. When you’re at the supermarket, you’ll only buy ingredients for the meals planned, rather than grabbing ingredients ‘just incase’ you need them. You also won’t be popping into the supermarket every few days to pick up ingredients for dinner which can be a very costly way to shop.

3. A Meal Plan Encourages Nutrition

How many times have you vowed and declared that you’re going to put a more nutritious meal on the table but once you get to the end of the day, it’s all about time and feeding the kids, so it’s whatever you can create quickly. Having a meal plan will mean you can include those nutritious meals you’ve always been wanting to make. You’ll also avoid reaching for takeaways which not only will save you money, but you’ll also be consuming more nutrient dense foods created from home.

4. Meal Planning Avoids Stress

Imagine knowing exactly what you’re cooking, how long it’s going to take and that you’ve got all the ingredients. How different would that 5pm witching hour look and how much calmer would you be?

A creative and thoughtful meal plan takes the pressure off the week and ensures that the whole family is happy. When you’re exhausted at the end of the day, you’ll thank yourself for making a plan beforehand.

5. Meal Planning Encourages Variety

Mince again…?! Nobody likes eating the same meals over and over again but that is what I hear all the time, I’m just sick of cooking the same meals every week! A meal plan will help you add variety into your dinner routine. There is always a place for family favourites but it’s always great to try something new too. Go onto those favourite blogs or Facebook pages, pour over your recipe books or include those recipes you’ve take a photo of while at the doctors (or is that just me?!).

For a limited time, get a FREE sneak peek inside my upcoming Wicked Wellbeing Kitchen Club and download a whole week of killer meals that will change the way your whole family sees dinner! You’ll also get a Free Printable Menu Planner to keep you going once you’ve finished the week of recipes.