As an entrepreneur and time optimist, there are always too few hours a day. The work day never quite goes according to plan and the everyday rush is real. Besides being an entrepreneur, I'm also the single mother of two teenage girls, one of whom has recently jumped out as a pescetarian. So when I get home from work, I put my "mom cap" on and make sure to put food on the table. The easy solution is obviously the Vietnamese restaurant on the street corner and I'm not going to lie and say I don't use that option once in a while. But I love to cook, especially with my kids. We get to talk about our day and I get a small glimpse into their secret teenage lives :-) A few years ago, we started making a weekly meal plan. We make it together week by week and it has given more structure to everyday life. First of all I shops all the things I need and I actually use it all – that's another thing I care about very much: limiting food waste. I get so upset and frustrated when you hear how much food is wasted while there are people around the world who starve. It just doesn't work! One last thing that I'm happy about with the meal plan is that my homemade food is healthier than many other alternatives. With that said, delicious and healthy takeaway (from the Vietnamese ;-) ) does exist, but I like to know what I put in my mouth.
I'm a sucker for a great meal plan, but I also know that getting started can be a little hard. That's why I'm going to share my meal plan with you week by week.
So why is it a good idea to have a meal plan?
1. You save time
One of the biggest advantages of making a meal plan is that you save time. By planning the week's meals, I can make a shopping list with what to use for the different dishes, and I don't have to shop several times during the week. For me, it requires one purchase and I have the primary ingredients I need for the week's cooking. Then I can spice it up with artisanal treats during the week.
I also get the opportunity to tailor every meal to our liking. For example, if there's a day where I get home late from work, we'll eat leftovers or make one of the very easy dishes.
I also don't have to spend time twisting my brain for ideas day after day. At home we'll sit together and come up with ideas on what we should eat in the coming week. My girls are full of creativity and are more motivated and committed to eating and cooking when they have helped to decide and make the dishes themselves.
2. You minimize your food waste
One of the biggest reasons I started making meal plans at home was that there was always food in the fridge that I never used. We focus on making meal plans where we recycle produce and the leftovers from the previous dishes. In this way, we minimize our food waste, not only in order to minimise food waste. For example, one of the favourites in our home is risotto and we always make a large portion of this. That way we can make delicious Arancini which tastes at least as good as the dish the day before. Or a toast bread that has been used for cowboy toasts can turn into crispy and delicious croutons in a Ceasar Salad the next day.
By planning your purchases, you avoid day-to-day shopping, and thus also impulse purchases, which is why you ultimately risk having a crowded fridge with food that gets too old and can't be used.
3. You save money
Another reason why the meal plan is so brilliant is, of course, also that you save money, and who wouldn't like that? I shop once a week and by planning my purchases I avoid the impulsive purchases with things that weigh heavily in the budget and which I really do not need. By shopping meal for meal I eventually also end up having a crowded fridge, with food that get too old and boring and can't be used. I always shop so I can use the ingredients in several of the dishes.
4. You get more variety
It can be hard to always be creative and come up with new dishes. I'm not at the height of creative thinking when I'm in a supermarket after a long work day - while feeling hangry. No, on the contrary, it is in these situations the Vietnamese restaurant comes in to save us. When we sit down during the week and plan a week ahead, we have time to search for new dishes to throw ourselves into during the following week. This way we can replace 1-2 of our usual dishes and thus bring new variations into our private dinner catalogue. It doesn't have to take any more time with a new dish, as long as you've put it in your food and shopping plan and more of the "new" dishes can quickly become family favorites. And now that my youngest daughter only eats fish, this has become even more important, so there may be a little more different fish dishes on the menu.
5. It's easier to be healthy
The one with the Vietnamese is, of course, a major reason. We plan to avoid slipping, and that happens sometimes, but it's easier with a meal plan to stay on track. We make varied dishes and we will no doubt eat more different vegetables when planning for it. We have no firm rules on meat-free days, etc., but when we make the meal plan, the vegetables are actually often the focal point, because if you buy a celeriac, it lasts a few days (i.e. unless you are incredibly enthusiastic about celeriac :-)
I hope that my and the girls' meal plan can inspire you to start making a meal plan. You will find the meal plan right here: meal plan , and you will be able to find inspiration for dishes every week and how you can make your dishes stretch for several days. Follow our Instagram, where we will announce every week when there is a new meal plan on the website.
Bon appetit and happy planning!
Aviaja
