How many times have you opened the frig or pantry to just stare blankly wondering what you are going to eat? Once? Twice? Or more like a dozens of times? We have all been there!! So meal planning might not be fun or sexy, but it does ensure you know what you are going to eat! For my type A’s I know you don’t need to be convinced, you hear the work plan and you are on it!! But this is for my type B’s who would rather do anything or come up with any excuse to not plan! So let me help shine some light on all the benefits to meal planning making it worth spending that super valuable hour to meal plan! 

1. Control

You can take control over the crazy work week when you meal plan. Meal planning allows you to work with food either in the process of cooking (crockpot with timer) or pre-cooked and ready to be warmed (Sunday meal prep food). It is a great feeling getting home from work and just walking in the door to food being ready or a quick warm-up away from being on the table. Now you can sit down and enjoy family time. Controlling the exact foods that go into you and your loved ones body is important too.  I know you think your health is important, now it’s time to take action and get started with meal planning!

2. Learn new skills

My cooking skills when I first started meal prepping were limited. Through family (thanks mom), friends and YouTube I have now learned many new skills I use weekly. Slowly, I learned the difference between mincing and dicing, how to multiply and expand recipes and how to multitask effectively in the kitchen. These are all invaluable skills and if I relied on my desire to cook at the end of a long day or early in the morning before going into work I know I would have eaten more processed food, visited more drive thru’s or just not eaten.   

3. Save money

Shopping sales, buying in bulk, reducing food waste all play a role in my planning each week. Knowing our local supermarket will have half price chicken breast on Tuesdays, allows me to plan ahead and my end of week meals include it. Meal planning allows me to stick with my grocery lists and not be tempted by all the extra food that I know I don’t need which saves me money. 

4. Reduce stress 

One of my favorite quotes is that discipline = freedom. To me this means that if I am disciplined and routinely have good habits I will have freedom to do more of what I want. It sets me free from the burdens of responsibility, wasted time and other stressors. I know I will have food ready to eat whenever I need it, and my discipline has relieved my stress of having to cook and prep food when I am tired. Meal planning also reduces the stress of having to make one more decision after a long day and removes the excuses for going to a fast food restaurant. 

5. Save Time

This one seems counter intuitive until you really think about it. “I’m spending my whole Sunday meal prepping and planning” or “I still have to do the cooking” are common complaints and concerns I hear. I understand. It would be really nice to have my own personal chef, but the reality of it all is that cooking at home is healthier. To keep my health a priority, I have to make cooking a priority. Am I going to keep making excuses or switch my priorities around? I will say that having a schedule and cooking in bulk drastically cuts down my cooking time. Just like any skill, it gets better the more you do it and prepping becomes a habit. You learn what recipes work best for the week, while also learning what your family enjoys eating as a family. 

Meal planning can truly improve your life and allow you to have more freedom if done correctly. Ready to give it a try? Need some help getting started? Try my free meal planning guide.