The Wandering RD

I am frequently asked to make meal plans. It seems like a reasonable request. And I really want to help you eat better. But fundamentally, I just can’t bring myself to do them. Here’s why. And read on to find out how I’d rather help you–step by step–learn to eat mindfully.

Here’s Why I Don’t Do Meal Plans:

1. What I eat may not be what you like to eat. As a result, meal plans are not simply a matter of me writing down for you what I eat; it can be a very overwhelming, time-consuming prospect to build individualized meal plans. There are sensitivities, intolerances, and allergies. There are so many real foods, so many different cuisines and flavors, some of which you may not like. Even if I interview you and figure out what some of your preferences are, I’m sure we will forget to mention some that end up in your meal plan, rendering it ineffective.  Plus you simply may not have the desire, time or inclination to make and eat what I have planned for you on a particular day. Which leads me to the next point…
2. You won’t follow a meal plan. This is not a judgment; try as you might, you can’t. Meal plans are temporary. So many factors affect your meals, such as your location, mood, the company you’re keeping at meal time, or the time it takes to cook the meals. Inevitably it’s a waste of time to create meal plans. (And did I mention it takes a lot of time?) And when you can’t follow them, it creates shame and blame. You possibly blame me, or even worse, yourself; either way you feel like a failure. Thus, meal plans are definitely not a positive and productive use of your time or mine. So, what is a productive use of our time? Mindful eating…
3. Meal plans don’t teach you how to eat mindfully for life. The number one way to learn to eat mindfully is to plan what you will eat ahead of time. That’s the goal right? Anyone can help you lose weight. I want to teach you how to change your behaviors and stick with it. If I’ve done the work of planning your meals, there is a point when you will come to the end of the meal plans (or throw them out the window mid-week) and still not know (or care) what and how to eat. If I do it for you, it’s not mindful, it’s meaningless.

So, all this begs the question: how do you make your own meaningful meal plans and learn to eat mindfully? I’ll take you through the steps I take weekly–sometimes begrudgingly, I’ll admit!

Yes, I don’t always want to sit down and do this. And truthfully, sometimes I don’t. But when I don’t, I’m scrambling during the week to provide healthy meals. And let’s face it, when you’re scrambling, you’re lucky if the meals provided are healthy.

So, do yourself and your family a favor, take 20 minutes and crank out these simple steps. It gets easier and quicker the more you build up your collection of real-food recipes. Check out my recipes to get you started. And check back frequently, I add a few new recipes each week! You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest where I showcase easy, real food.

Here’s How To Make a Simple Weekly Meal Plan:

1. Start with planning only dinners. This keeps it simple, especially if you’re just beginning to meal plan. Plus research shows eating together as a family, as many evenings as schedules allow, is beneficial in many ways beyond health.
2. Plan the easiest meals for the busiest nights of the week. At the beginning of the week, look at your calendar and decide which evenings you need easy, low maintenance dinners. The days you work late, or your kids have evening activities, choose real-food, slow-cooker recipes, plan for leftovers, or buy a rotisserie chicken and just cook simple vegetable side dishes.
3. Look at recipes or ideas online to gather varying ideas for dinner. I usually try to choose a variety of meat entrees to rotate for the week. Chicken, beef, pork, fish or seafood, vegetarian, for example. Seek out real-food options as much as possible. Once your family accepts a recipe, it’s perfectly okay if you rotate through some of the same recipes every week or two. You don’t have to win any culinary awards for creativity.
4. Round out the meal with a vegetable or two to prepare alongside the meat. If the main dish involves a marinade or something more time consuming, I usually keep the vegetables simple, such as roasted or grilled vegetables. If the main dish is simple, sometimes I’ll spend more time on the side dish, such as creamed spinach or grilled vegetable caponata. I always try to use what’s in season and vary the color of my veggies, too; it looks pretty and is a simple way to vary the nutrients.
5. Complete each meal with a simple salad. This “autopilot” side dish comes together in 5 minutes and provides extra texture and nutrients, and fills the plate (and hence your belly) without adding refined carbs and/or excess calories. 
6. Keep it flexible. I make myself a “flexible” weekly meal plan that includes about 4 to 5 meals for which I’ve purchased the ingredients. Assuming I don’t have evening commitments, I decide each day which meal I want to eat because I am allowing myself to be “in the mood” for what I feel like eating or making–give or take only a few days (to avoid waste).
7. Have a leftover night. By Thursday or Friday, I’m tired of cooking. Yes, I get tired of cooking, too! So, whatever main dish meats we haven’t eaten as lunches, we pool together for a “leftover night.” Then I sort of “take orders” of what each of my kids wants, like a waitress! (It’s the closest I get to being a short-order cook because I will not prepare separate, typical kid foods.) If there aren’t leftover side dishes, I add an easy vegetable, maybe even frozen green beans or broccoli, and/or a salad. Definitely no culinary awards to be had here, but I feel pretty darn good about not wasting food–and about not having to cook now and then!
8. Consider making double batches. Even when you don’t need leftovers, you can freeze an entree that will make another night that much easier. Just label it before putting it into the black hole that is your freezer. And you might want to keep a very informal list on your fridge detailing what’s in your freezer, so it’s a quick reference when you’re looking for a quick meal to thaw and serve. Soups work great and most meats can be frozen as well.

Final Thoughts

You may find meal planning services useful in the short term, and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if you choose healthier meal options. Just don’t let trendy meal planning services make you believe you need fancy, photogenic meal plans to eat easy, real food. Real life with real food is simpler, less expensive, sustainable and worthwhile if you build a healthy meal-planning habit week by week.