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Why Meal Planning is for Winners

Why Meal Planning is for Winners

Meal planning saves time, saves money + reduces food waste. Here's how to do it right.


Expert Meal Planning Tips: An interview with Staci Ducharme.


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Staci Ducharme + her husband ditched city living in 2008 + gave homesteading a try. They never looked back. These days, they live  with a menagerie of animals on a small homestead in upstate New York. 
Staci successfully meal plans as a way to pay off debt + simplify their lives. She discusses homesteading + simple, homemade living on her blog, Life At Cobble Hill Farm.

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Grab your Meal Planning Cheat Sheet here.

Expert meal planning techniques, step by step.

This FREE PDF bullets Staci’s proven meal planning technique, step-by-step.

There’s an actual meal planning template for you to print + use, too. 

 


Why meal plan + prep?

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To save money.

You’re guaranteed to purchase only what you’ll use that week.

 

To eat better.

When you’re prepared, there’s less opportunity of defaulting to unhealthy take-out options.

 

To prevent food waste.

You plan meals around what you already have + what needs to be eaten.

 

To stress less.

Expert meal planning means you’ve answered the dreaded “What’s for dinner?” question, forever.

 

To save time.

 You’ll spend less time wandering the aisles of the grocery store when armed with a list.

You’ll spend less time preparing meals if you prep ahead + in batches, too.

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What is meal planning, exactly?

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 Meal planning is a method of planning meals for the entire week, all at once.

Expert meal planners first take inventory of their refrigerator, freezer + pantry. Then they create a list of next week’s meals based on what they already have as well as what needs to be eaten.

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Meal planning got us out of debt. We don’t live off Ramen, either. We eat good meals.


Staci’s meal planning tips:

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– Factor in your family’s schedule.

Are there days where you have very limited time to make dinner? Consider making that a slow-cooker day.

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– Schedule a way to use leftovers.

Will leftovers be eaten for lunch? How about a “leftovers” dinner night?

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– Create a list of your family’s favorite meals, then pull recipes together.

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– Take an inventory of your freezer, refrigerator, and pantry.

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– Use your template (found in this week’s FREE download) to help you stay organized as you plan the week’s menu.

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– Create a shopping list based on the menu you create + go to the supermarket Just. One. Time.

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– Consider keeping a couple of freezer meals on hand, just in case.

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– Consider maintaining an ongoing inventory to save time. Simply cross off what you use + add what you purchase.

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– Incorporate new recipes a couple times a month to expand your family’s favorites.

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Staci’s expert meal prepping tips:

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– Ask yourself, “What can I prep in 10-15 minutes that will make cooking for next week easier and faster?”

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– Determine a meal plan day, shop day + prep day, then stick with this schedule weekly.

 Staci meal plans on Thursdays, shops on Fridays + preps on Sunday night.

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– Looking at your menu plan, determine what can be prepped ahead + prep on your prep day.

Wash + chop vegetables. Shred cheese. Make marinades. Cook grains.

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– Going forward, consider cooking in bulk + implementing the “Freeze Half” Rule.

On the evening you create meatballs, for example, make a double batch + freeze one.

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Meal planning saves time, saves money + reduces food waste. Here's how to do it right.

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The Sustainable Minimalists Podcast
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Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.

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