3 tips for Stress Free Meal Planning

Stress Free Meal Planning

As a busy mom of 3 tiny kids, it often feels like a sick joke to figure out how to get proper, nutritious meals on the table daily. Given that our newest addition, Rishi Jax, joined our family 6 months ago, when we had a 3 1/2-year-old and 17 months old. Getting square meals on the table 100% had to take a bit of a backseat for a hot minute.

And then shit got real…

When we were in the trenches, those first 4-6 weeks postpartum, we were fortunate enough that our friends and family set up a meal train for us (HIGHLY recommend doing this!) where we had warm meals delivered to us daily, which was truly a life saver.  I was breastfeeding, sleep deprived, trying to get this family (and myself!) into some sort of pseudo-rhythm and it just felt like every time I turned around, someone, (myself included!), needed to eat, AGAIN, and I couldn’t figure out when or how any sort of nutritious meal was going to make it on the table.

Truthfully, I found that 50% of the stress comes from the thinking about what to make that isn’t something that can just be popped in the microwave for 10 minutes (because let’s be honest, that’s all the brain power and energy you have right now – or, am I projecting?) and the rest of the stress is the planning, shopping and cooking required.

Thankfully, I’m now 6 months postpartum and after lots of trial and error, I have finally gotten our family into a great rhythm by using some hacks and resources that have become my lifeline to my sanity, waistline, bank account, and marriage.

I’m being 100% serious! I swear to you, meal planning, or lack thereof, was stressing me out so much that I would often either have my husband fend for himself when he came home from work after I had a shake or eggs with a half an eye open an hour prior, or we would end up ordering food from one of the few places in suburbia that always ends up costing upwards of $50 and is super unhealthy, or the planning and cooking is so laborious and exhausting that after that one meal, you are so shot and over the whole thing that you say F it and can’t bring yourself to cook another meal until a couple of weeks later…(or maybe that’s just me? projecting again?)

Dinner meal plan for 2 weeks using Plan to Eat.

1. Spend 30 minutes every 1-2 weeks planning out the meals.

I have found the app Plan to Eat to be a lifesaver for our family. In this amazing meal planning app, you would save recipes (either by importing recipes from websites, adding from your “friends” recipes or simply adding your own) and you literally drag and drop into the days and meals in the week. It then populates all of the ingredients into a grocery list so you don’t have to sit like a jerk (as I was initially doing pre-Plan to Eat app) and notating each and every ingredient into my iPhone notes section which was just painstakingly brutal.

Grocery List

Plan to Eat FTW!

Also, you can edit the populated list to delete items you already have and add in other items you may want. You can adjust serving sizes so it gives you the correct amount of ingredients for the appropriate amount of people eating.  There are tons of fun features you can use to make your meal planning and execution easier, but I keep things super basic and I LOVE it! My husband also has the app so he can share the responsibilities with me as needed.

So, if he is going to the store or doing the cooking, I am not fielding questions constantly about what to get or how to make it. He has it all! I also just love that all of my go-to recipes are all saved in an accessible, easy to reference location. Anything that minimizes memory or thinking is my friend.

Pantry Shortcuts

As a busy mom, there’s no way I have the time (or brain power) to make everything from scratch with zero shortcuts. Hats off to all those out there that are able to, but this mama over here, uh uh. However, I also get super sick of every marinade or saute being in coconut aminos, olive and garlic, or some equally basic combo. So, then we all know what happens next.

You get so damn sick and tired of the same meal and flavor profile that you just throw in the towel and order take out! Now, were eating a calorie laden meal, with nutrient deficient and sub par quality food and we’ve spent 3 days worth of food in 1 sitting. No bueno.

So, what became my answer here? Stop striving for perfection and trying to do it all yourself when there are amazing shortcuts out there for you to leverage.  After all, health is not only what you feed your mouth, but also what you feed your mind. If you’re constantly feeling stressed, anxious and drained, an organic, farm fresh, home-cooked meal will only do so much.

2. Purchase clean grocery and pantry items that minimize your labor.

I personally find Trader Joes  to be a great resource for me in this area. First of all, did you know that Trader Joe’s claims the following for all products under the “Trader Joe’s” brand name: The finest quality, natural ingredients. NO artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, NO genetically modified ingredients, NO MSG, NO added Trans Fats. Not to shabby huh? That’s already more than you can say for the local thai takeout place. So, here’s a fabulous example of how I use TJ’s for meal planning ease.

No. Freaking. Brainer

Dinner last night was Broiled Salmon in Thai Sweet Chili Glaze with Asian Kale Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing. I purchased the bottled Thai Sweet Chili Glaze, a packaged bag of shredded cabbage, carrots, kale, Brussels sprouts, and the Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. Literally, both got tossed and boiled or mixed and served. 20 minutes later a baller, nutritious meal was on the table.

I could have chosen to make the peanut dressing from scratch, but WHY? The ingredients are super clean, it saved me the time and energy of taking all 15 of the ingredients, prepping them, portioning them out and mixing them, when it’s already done, and it’s easy! Or the pre-shredded veggies! So ridiculous to even think about buying all of those vegetables and shredding and chopping them when I can get it already done for me. I mean….no. freaking. brainer.

Food Even More Exciting and Delicious

Another thing I leverage is some of their dips. Having dip options always makes the meal feel more interesting and tasty. It gives the meal another dimension. I was doing a Middle Eastern Chicken kebabs and greek salad the other day and planned to serve with baba ganoush.

I had initially put the eggplant in my cart with the intention of roasting it and making the baba ganoush from scratch. But I hadn’t even checked out and I was already feeling resentful towards the eggplant and the impending time suck. And then I see that TJ’s had an Eggplant Garlic dip with sweet red peppers with a super clean ingredient. Done and done.

Now, I don’t live off of prepackaged dips and dressings. But I am a firm believer in taking the shortcuts when available. I mean, you do need to have meals on the table daily. It’s not like you or your kids get a week off of eating altogether. So, I say, find a few packaged brands that have high-quality ingredients. Just rely on them to help you add flavor and dimension to your meals.

Semi Prepped Options Even more Stress Free Meal Plan

Try to leverage some of the semi prepped options that you feel would make your weeknight meal prep a bit easier and less stressful. Be it minced garlic or shredded carrots, get on it, sister! You’re basically buying time, and as busy moms, that’s what we all really want.  Well, let’s be honest, what I’d REALLY want is a personal chef to cook me farm to table, paleo meals from scratch. But until that happens, this seems like the next best option.

Here are a couple of my favorite clean bottled dressings and spreads:

Primal Kitchen Dressings

Sir Kensingtons Mayonnaise

3. My last, but DEFINITELY not least hack is food delivery.

I think we an all agree that going to the grocery store with kiddos is no walk in the park. Even if your children are saints you still have to haul them in and out, along with all of the bags! The pure thought of the process is not only exhausting to think about, but, it’s another time suck.

I have a subscription to Starlight Dairy. This company delivers organic, fam fresh goods to my doorstep on a weekly basis. I get my farm fresh milk and eggs delivered from them weekly. They have a variety of other products from butter, meat, juice, coffee, pantry products and several other essentials to make life easier. This is always a lifesaver for me even if I do end up having to go to the store. I have the peace of mind to know that I will never run out of the basics, mainly for my kids sake. It also makes my shopping bags a hell of a lot lighter and hence the shopping process much less daunting.

If need be, there are always options such as Fresh Direct allowing you to minimize the shopping completely.

So, there you have it. Incorporate these 3 hacks and you’ll be meal planning like a boss!

1. Spend 15 – 30 minutes every two weeks saving recipes and planning meals in your Plan to Eat App.
2. Review your already created grocery list and make the relevant adjustments.
3. See if there are any pre-made sauces, dips, dressings, marinades, that you can leverage and use those.
4. Sign up to have food deliveries to your home if possible.
5. Prep, cook and serve!

Paleo Slow Cooker Meatballs

Classic Chia Seed Pudding