Busting Meal Planning Myths
When you think about meal planning, visions of an awful task can come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
In this podcast, I’m talking about meal planning myths and why they aren’t true. I’m also offering tips to help you make meal planning simpler and easier.
What’s great is meal planning can work for you even if you’re an individual, couple, or a small family.
Plus, meal planning can slash your food budget, reduce waste, and even improve the quality of your meals. Who wouldn’t love that?
How We Went from Dining Out to Delightful Home Meals
My adventure with meal planning began in a place you might find familiar, eating out too often and wanting to cut food cost.
Eating out seemed convenient, but it was expensive and left us eating not so healthy meals regularly.
Six years ago, we decided to quit eating out. We were going to only eat at home for 12 weeks. That 12 weeks turned into years.
After 6 years, we’ve only eaten out 6 times. That is a tremendous difference. It couldn’t have happened without meal planning.
Listen to the Podcast and Let’s Debunk those Meal Planning Myths that are holding you back!
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Click above to listen to the podcast or scroll down to see the common myths around meal planning. At the end, I’ll share some resources to help you get started with meal planning more easily too.
Are these 10 Meal Planning Myths Holding you Back?
Myth 1: Meal Planning is Only for Large Families
It’s easy to assume that meal planning is a practice best suited for large families. Meal planning is helpful for everyone, from individuals to couples to smaller families. When you plan your meals, you buy only what you need, reducing food waste and saving money.
Myth 2: Meal Planning Takes Too Much Time
Many feel overwhelmed at the thought of dedicating hours to planning meals. But while it may take some initial time to get the hang of it, meal planning can actually save you significant time throughout the week.
A few minutes spent planning meals for the week can prevent the daily 10-minute deliberation on what to cook, ultimately saving about 70 minutes each week.
Myth 3: You Have to Cook Every Meal from Scratch
Absolutely not! Your meal plan can include quick, convenient options. Balancing scratch-made meals with ready-to-eat foods can relieve meal prep pressure.
It can be whatever type of meal works best for you. From rotisserie chicken to ready-made frozen dinners, flexibility is key. Meal planning is about organizing your meals, not complicating them.
Myth 4: Meal Plans Must Be Rigid
Flexibility is a crucial component of successful meal planning. A good meal plan is adaptable. Your meal plan should adapt to unexpected events and shifting preferences. Just because it’s written doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.
If you don’t feel like cooking a planned meal one night, you can easily switch it with another day’s meal. You can also include eating out as part of your plan if that’s what suits your needs.
Myth 5: Meal Planning is Only for People on Diets
While meal planning is definitely beneficial for those on specific diets, its benefits extend far beyond that.
Knowing what you’re going to eat reduces the likelihood of letting ingredients go to waste and helps you stick to nutritious, balanced meals.
Myth 6: It’s Expensive to Meal Plan
The misconception that meal planning hikes up grocery bills is common. Tracking your spending on eating out versus groceries often reveals significant savings to eating at home.
Plus, meal planning can use sales and crafting less expensive meals further cuts down costs.
Myth 7: You Need Fancy Tools or Apps to Meal Plan
The simplest tools can be effective. Basic supplies like a pen and paper are all you need to plan your meals. While there are various apps and tools available that can enhance your planning experience, they are not necessary.
Myth 8: You Have to Eat the Same Meals All the Time
The fear of monotonous meal plans is unfounded. While some people take comfort in eating the same meals every week, you can plan for variety.
Rotating recipes and trying new ones can keep meal times exciting and prevent the same old dinners boredom.
Myth 9: Meal Planning is Only for Highly Organized People
Meal planning isn’t reserved for the super-organized among us. Even if you consider yourself less organized, you can start small, by planning one or two meals a week, and gradually build from there.
Myth 10: You Need to Plan Every Single Meal and Snack
Initially, planning all meals and snacks can be helpful, especially if transitioning from eating out often to cooking at home.
Once you get into a routine, it’s often sufficient to plan just your dinners. Keeping staples on hand for simple breakfasts and lunches reduces the need for meticulous planning.
How My Meal Planning has Evolved
Initially, I planned every single meal and snack to ease the transition from dining out to home cooking. Now, I focus mainly on dinners, finding breakfast and lunch easy to manage with staple ingredients. Here’s a glimpse into my routine:
Breakfast ~ Regular weekdays feature simple meals like eggs or sausage with toast. Weekends are for indulging in waffles or pancakes.
Lunch ~ Typically comprises leftovers, sandwiches packed with veggies, fruits, or a hearty soup.
Dinner ~ This meal requires the most planning but it’s also where you can get the most creative and cost-efficient.
More Meal planning Resources
A done with you meal planning solution…
Want to answer about 5 questions and have a meal plan complete with recipes and grocery list prepared for you?
Check out Plate and Plan. It’s my chatbot that can do the heavy lifting of seeking recipe ideas and making them into a plan that is customized for your needs.
Learn my meal planning system…
Consider enrolling in my Meal Planning Simplified Course that teaches efficient weekly planning and creative use of leftovers.
Ready Made Meal Plans…
If you are interested in done for you meal plans with recipes and a grocery list, join the waitlist here. I’m working on making a few specific meal plans that are done for you. If you sign up, I’ll let you know when they are available.
