Every weekend, you walk into the kitchen asking yourself and your significant other, "what do you want for dinner this week"? Thus ensues the- "I don't know, what do you want?" back and forth until someone gets annoyed and you decide to figure it out later.
You're a busy person, you know you need to eat but making that decision every single week never gets easier. Especially, if you have kids, you may feel like a short order cook in order to make everyone happy.
We've been there, and it is often a conversation in our own kitchen when trying to decide lunches and dinners. It is never easy but it always seems like that decision falls back on me.
Especially at the end of a workday, figuring out what to make or have for dinner can make the decision fatigue feel heavy and a burden.
But, don't worry. We are here to help you with this week's blog! Inside of Nourished with Emily, we spend a lot of time helping families learn how to build healthy meals and plates, plan for them, shop and then execute without a fight breaking out in the process. In fact, we have an entire Masterclass training dedicated to how to meal prep inside of our video library the Nourished Membership members have access to. You can get access to that training and more here when you scroll down and enroll in The Nourished Membership!
So, where do we start with the meal planning process?
Well, before you even decide what you're making, let's look at what you have going on this week. Planning out your week in advance with every obligation before, during and after work that has to do with meals should be accounted for. Knowing what is coming up will be a huge help in determining what meals you're going to make.
After you've planned your week, start to decide what TYPE of meal you need in each area. Got a lot of late nights? Maybe a crockpot or leftovers would fit in well there. More time? Maybe you're making a meal that has more separate parts like roasting, grilling and pan frying. Determining the type can help you narrow down the kind of recipes you're looking for. Inside The Nourished Membership, we try to include recipes like one pot meals, crockpots and even fancier options to help you fit your needs throughout the week.
Once you've determined what you need for the week, making your list comes easily after you've surveyed what you have available and whats on sale. One pro tip we love: grabbing some quick sides like the steamer veggies make balanced meals easy and cheaper, too! If you're an impulse shopper, try using an app like Instacart to help you shop and not buy the additional items. Instacart and shopping from the app can save you time, too!
The prepping side of the meals can be done many ways. Some people like 21 meals ready to go and to reheat whereas you can just do partial prep and take advantage of some of the convenience items to make prep easier. We like to prep breakfast for the week completely, like in a casserole or the breakfast egg rolls, and partial prep our lunches like cooking meat and the carb ahead of time to make the meal easier. Find what you have for and what works for you in the long run.
The decision of fatigue with meals CAN get better, we just have to put some steps in place to help you over it. Need help with planning and prep and want assistance? Join our Nourished Membership and get access to over 200+ recipes, 200+ video training modules, handouts, monthly Q and A with a Registered Dietitian and a new Masterclass training every month! Sign up to join us here: https://buy.stripe.com/9AQ8xib7MaLr5Og14A