Meal Planning: Do I really have to do that?

In my opinion, the most important part of weight loss is meal planning. This isn't just, "what are you going to cook for your family for dinner?" This is what are you going to eat everyday, all day, day in and day out. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks...

It is time consuming while you are getting the hang of it and at times I don't want to do it. This is so important to my success though and to yours too. I can get bored with food pretty easily so I really don't eat the same thing for more that 3 days in a row or through out the week.

My family...okay my children...are pretty picky when comes to dinner. I am always trying to please everyone and make it healthy. Well, healthy-ish that is. This is where portion control and willpower come in. Sometimes they go M.I.A. Ugh.

Grocery shop once a week. Typically produce lasts this long before spoiling and I find that I save the most money doing it this way. I've tried to shop for two weeks at a time and plan to go back for produce and bread in between those visits...and I always spend more money than needed. Going to the store less than once a week...ain't nobody got time for that!

Once you get in the habit of meal planning it becomes easier. Plus the simpler you make your food, the simpler the planning is. I am not a chef and do not claim to be. I do have a Pinterest board named  YUM!!! with a ton of recipes if you need ideas. (I can't promise they are all super health though!) My sisters and I also pin things we have made to my board Tested and Approved!!! I try to keep recipes to 5 ingredients or less. I also rotate meals. We have our staples that I make often like tacos, meat loaf, chicken, jambalaya and spaghetti to name a few. I use ground turkey majority of the time for it's cost effectiveness and less calories/fat.


I typically eat 5-6 times a day. I always have a drawer full of snacks at work. I also bring lots of produce. I was blessed with a love for almost all fruits and veggies. My go to items are carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, celery, grapefruit, watermelon, bananas, apples and berries. I will have pretzels with either peanut butter or cheese. Luckily no one at work eats other people's food so I can bring in a few days worth of produce and safely store it in a crisper drawer. I also keep oatmeal packets, almonds and prunes on hand. This prevents me from wondering over to the vending machine on breaks and I am able to stay on track.   

Each week I make a grocery list. I always double check my cabinets/fridge to take a quick inventory of what I already have and what we are almost out of. Then I will plan a meal for each night. I will shop for my produced based on what is in season...you can usually tell based on the price. I do 90% of my grocery shopping at Aldi. I do not go out to eat for lunches but maybe a few times a year. I am pretty frugal and I refuse to spend money when it's not necessary. We may grab fast food once a month or so, go out to eat for a special occasion, or if we are out of town. Even when we go out of town I pack healthy snacks. Otherwise, I prepare all of our meals at home. It's the only way to control what I am eating and it's cost effective as well.