The biggest dilemma of today’s world is what to eat today. This question has a separate fan base because it is the most uttered question all over the world. With the variety of choices in food and beverages, it is still difficult to choose a particular meal every time, a person has to dine. In Asian families, this question remains unsolved although, they do come up with an answer and prepare a meal.
A weekly meal planner is a tool for organizing and arranging meals for every day of the week. It allows you to be prepared for making a meal without stressing about it. All the meals of the week are pre-decided which makes it easier to prep.
Weekly meal planners are considered ideal because these planners can be managed on every off day of the week and early preparations can be done to make it smooth during weekdays. Moreover, early planning helps in incorporating all sorts of proteins and fats into your diet which is considered essential.
A well-defined meal planner makes it easier to perform the following chores without any issues,
- Buying groceries for the week
- Marinating meat for a meal
- Washing, cutting, and sticking veggies
- Stocking fruits and snacks for munching
- Preparing half-cooked meals for easy dining
Advantages of using the planner
Early meal planning has several advantages which are given below,
- It allows you to include all sorts of essential components into your diet which can either be a part of a meal or a snack.
These components may include,
- Seasonal vegetable
- Fruits
- Meat (beef, chicken, fish, mutton)
- Nuts
- Desserts
- Fruit juices
- Cocktails
- Early preparations of a meal make it easier to make a meal quickly because it saves the time of washing, drying, and cutting different items.
- It prepares you beforehand regarding the time required to make a specific meal so that you plan your work according to it.
- Weekly planners make it easier to arrange a limited grocery list and plan a week as compared to the monthly planner which requires a long grocery list and mostly you are out of many items sooner than a month.
- Meal planning saves you time by limiting your grocery runs. Along with meal planning, grocery lists of required items can be prepared for making those meals.
- Money can be saved because dining out is more costly and can drain you quickly.
- Eating home-cooked food keeps you healthier.
- A weekly meal planner can be customized to break each day into 3 meals i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner but mostly it is preferred to prepare dinner at home because breakfast is mostly cereal and eggs whereas, lunch is done at the office or workplace.
Tips to design a successful planner
Tips for devising a successful meal plan include,
- List down all the favorite home-cooked items of all family members.
- Plan a meal for each day along with a late-night snack.
- Do not repeat the same meal within the same week.
- Try incorporating different cuisines and condiments to make the meal exciting.
- Include family members for prepping.