Meal Planning: Hectic Schedules are a Chance to Get Organised

Meal planning in September can be a nightmare in the making, or a blessing in disguise!

With a return to school for the children, and perhaps a return to the work environment for the adults, never has a greater strain been put on meal times.

With that comes the inevitable quick rush to sort out food for lunches as well as evening meals, and that can let in convenience foods as opposed to healthy ones.

However, with a little planning and looking ahead, you can save money and keep the calorie-count down as life steps up a gear after the summer holidays.

We’ve got a few helpful tips to save time and still deliver the meal types you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle:

Meal planning with purpose

By committing yourself to meal planning for the week, and sticking diligently to this, you will save on just cooking for the sake of convenience and put plenty of variety into your weekly meals. It will also help with the cost of your food shop as you’re only buying what you need and not what takes your eye as you walk around, including unhealthy snacks.

Cook in bulk to save on time

A big part of meal planning involves cooking when you have the time. By identifying key dishes for the rest of the week, you can cook on a weekend and slot the meals into evenings so all the prep is done and it’s just a case of reheating; far less time spent prepping when you’re in a hurry.

Many meals can be chilled for short-term use – consume within the next couple of days – or frozen and kept for much longer. Just remember with the latter to take it out of the freezer in the morning to allow time to defrost.

You’re still getting the same delicious meals with wholesome ingredients while avoiding time restraints that come at the end of the school and work day.

Aim for five-a-day

Any balanced diet involves as many of your five-a-day as you can get. The eating of fruit and vegetables can come in many forms; as a snack between meals, as part of a main meal or even as a pudding. Substituting vegetables into meals can help you on your way – for example, turn a chicken curry into a vegetable version – and ensure you hit your target of five portions of fruit and veg a day.