Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
In short: Meal planning means deciding in advance what you’ll eat for the next few days and shopping for it once. It saves time and money, takes the stress out of the evening, and makes healthy eating far easier, because the good choice is already in your fridge. Start with a few evening meals, keep them simple, and let the plan bend when life does.
It’s Wednesday, a little after six. You’re standing in the kitchen with your coat still on, and someone asks the question you’ve been dreading: “What’s for dinner?” You have no idea. There are things in the fridge, but they don’t add up to a meal, and going back to the shop now is the last thing you feel like doing.
If you’d like to eat better, meal planning is one of the best places to start. A little thought at the weekend changes the whole week. Here are the eighteen questions people ask most often about it, with my answers.
Frequently asked questions
Getting started
What is meal planning?
Meal planning simply means deciding ahead what you are going to eat over the next few days, and making sure the food is in the house. That is all. You choose a handful of meals, write a shopping list from them, and perhaps prepare one or two things in advance.
It is not a strict schedule, and you do not need a colour-coded chart. A plan can be five evening meals scribbled on the back of an envelope. Its only job is to spare you the daily question “what on earth shall we eat tonight?” at the very moment you are too tired to answer it well.
Why is meal planning worth the effort?
Because it puts you back in charge of what goes on your plate. When a meal is already decided and the ingredients are waiting, you eat proper food. When nothing is decided, you eat whatever is quickest, and that is rarely what your body would have chosen.
The benefits reach further than the plate. Your energy is steadier through the day, and your mood with it. You spend less, because you buy what you need and throw less away. You save time, with one shop a week and no last-minute dashes. Evenings are calmer. You may rediscover the pleasure of cooking and trying something new, and when the family joins in, it becomes a moment you share. Over the years, eating well most days is one of the kindest things you can do for your health.
How do I get started?
Start with the evening meal, as that is where most of us come unstuck. Look at your week first: which evenings are you home late, when do you have a little more time? Then choose four or five meals to match. A quick one for the busy days, something slower for the weekend.
Write your shopping list from those meals, check what you already have in the cupboard, and shop once. If you can, do a little preparation when you come home: wash the salad, cook a pan of rice or lentils, chop the vegetables for tomorrow. Then stay flexible. If Tuesday turns into Wednesday, nothing is lost. You will find plenty of ideas among my easy, healthy recipes.
How do I make meal planning a habit?
Begin small and repeat it. Plan two or three days, not the whole week, and do it at the same moment each time: Saturday morning with your coffee, or Sunday evening. Tying it to something you already do is what makes it stick.
Keep the meals simple, keep your plans in a notebook so you can reuse a good week, and make the moment pleasant. Put some music on. Ask the others at home what they would like. If an app helps you, use one, and if paper suits you better, paper is perfect. Telling a friend what you are doing, or planning alongside someone, helps you keep going. I explain more about how habits settle in why change is hard, and how to make healthy habits stick.
Planning for everyday life
How do I plan healthy meals on a budget?
Planning is already the biggest saving, because you buy what you will use. Beyond that, build your meals around whole foods, which are often cheaper than anything in a packet: seasonal vegetables and fruit, oats, brown rice, eggs, dried or tinned beans, lentils and chickpeas.
Buy what is in season, at the market if you have one nearby. Buy grains, pulses and nuts in larger quantities. Cook at home as often as you can, cook a little extra, and turn leftovers into the next day’s lunch or freeze them. A few herbs and spices make the simplest ingredients taste generous. I go into more detail in how to simplify your grocery shopping.
How do I plan meals for a busy week?
Give yourself half an hour at the weekend to decide, and choose meals that ask very little of you: a soup, a one-pot dish, a tray of vegetables and fish in the oven, something from the slow cooker. On a Tuesday evening after a long day, dinner should be on the table in the time it takes to lay it.
Cook double and eat it twice, or turn it into something else: roast vegetables become a salad, a stew becomes a pasta sauce. Keep helpful shortcuts in the house, such as tinned beans, frozen vegetables and frozen fruit. Plan your snacks too: fruit, a few nuts, some seeds. And if the week runs away with you, adjust the plan and do what you can with what you have.
Can I meal plan if I don’t like to cook?
Yes, and you may be the person who gains most from it. Planning is there to make life easier. It does not ask you to become a chef. Choose meals that are more assembling than cooking: a big salad with tinned fish or chickpeas, a wrap, an omelette, a quick stir-fry.
Use everything that saves you effort: ready-washed salad, pre-cut or frozen vegetables, tinned pulses, a slow cooker that works while you are out. Read the labels on ready-made foods, though, as some are much better than others. And if your budget allows, there is no shame in letting a good local caterer or a meal delivery take over now and then.
How do I bring variety into my meal planning?
It is easy to cook the same seven dishes round and round. A little variety keeps meals interesting, and it gives your body a wider range of nutrients. One new recipe a week is plenty.
Let the seasons do the work for you: what is on the market stall in October is not what was there in June. Change your protein, with fish one day, lentils or beans the next, then eggs, chicken or tofu. Borrow from other kitchens: a mild curry, a Mexican-style bean dish, a Thai soup. Use different herbs and spices. And try theme nights, such as a soup night, an Italian night or a meat-free evening. They make the planning quicker too.
How do I make sure my meals are balanced?
Use your plate as a guide. Fill half of it with vegetables, a quarter with whole grains or other carbs, and a quarter with protein, then add a little healthy fat such as olive oil, nuts or avocado. Fruit fits in at breakfast, as a snack or at the end of a meal. If most of your meals look roughly like that, you do not need to measure or count anything.
Then think in colours. Red, orange, yellow, green, purple and white vegetables and fruit each bring something different, so the more colours you eat over the week, the better you are covered. I explain this in why eating a rainbow matters. For portions, let your own hunger and fullness be your guide: eat slowly, and stop when you are comfortably satisfied. Snacks can add something useful as well, such as fruit, raw vegetables, nuts or a plain yoghurt.
Planning for different needs
How do I plan for dietary restrictions or allergies?
Start with a clear list of what has to be avoided, then look at what can replace it. If dairy is the difficulty, there are plant drinks and yoghurts. If gluten is, there are rice, quinoa, buckwheat and potatoes. Courgette ribbons or spaghetti squash can stand in for pasta. Many dishes are naturally free from the food in question, and they are the easiest place to begin.
Read labels every time, as allergens hide in unexpected places and recipes change. My guide on how to decode product labels shows you where to look. When you cook for other people, ask them beforehand what they can and cannot eat. It is a kindness, and everyone feels welcome at the table.
How do I plan meals for a family with different dietary needs?
Cooking three different dinners every night is nobody’s idea of a good evening. Look for the common ground: the meals everyone likes, built from parts that can be put together differently.
Plan together, so each person has a say. Cook a shared base, such as rice, roasted vegetables or a big salad, and offer different proteins alongside. A vegetarian lasagne with meatballs on the side for those who want them. Tacos or bowls where everyone fills their own. The simpler the meal, the easier it is to please the whole table.
How do I plan meals for a special occasion?
Think of your guests first: is anyone vegetarian, is there an allergy? Then choose a simple thread for the menu, guided by the season. Grilled dishes and fresh salads in summer, soups and slow-cooked dishes in winter.
Write down every dish, and work backwards to see what can be made the day before. The more you prepare ahead, the more you will enjoy your own party. A celebration is a lovely excuse to try a new recipe, though perhaps test it once beforehand. For a large gathering, or if your energy is limited, a caterer is a perfectly good solution. People remember the warmth around the table far longer than the menu.
How do I make sure my meals are environmentally sustainable?
What is good for your body is very often good for the planet too. Choose seasonal, locally grown vegetables and fruit, which have travelled less and needed less energy to grow and store. Eat meat a little less often and enjoy more meals built on beans, lentils and vegetables. I share ideas in how to make plant-based meal planning and cooking fun and easy. Buy organic where you can.
Avoid unnecessary packaging, and take your own bags and containers. Above all, waste less: plan what you buy, use your leftovers and compost the peelings. Start with one or two of these and build from there. For more, read the waste-free kitchen.
Keeping it going
Can meal planning help me lose weight?
It can help, in a quiet way. When your meals are planned, you eat regularly and you come to the table hungry but not starving. You choose your food with a clear head and not at the end of a tiring day. There is less temptation to grab a snack or order a takeaway, because something good is already waiting.
Plan meals with plenty of vegetables, enough protein and some healthy fats, so that you feel satisfied. And please do not use your plan to eat as little as possible, as that always backfires. I explain why in why you need more food, not less.
How do I track my meals and stay accountable?
A simple food diary can teach you a great deal. For a week or two, write down what you ate, roughly when, and how you felt afterwards: your energy, your mood, your digestion. No counting. You are looking for patterns, such as the afternoon when you always run out of steam.
Choose one small goal at a time, such as vegetables with every evening meal, and tick it off. Share what you are doing with a friend, someone at home or a group, because it is much easier to keep going when someone is alongside you. From time to time, look back at what has changed. If you have a difficult week, be kind to yourself, learn what you can from it, and carry on.
How do I deal with cravings and temptations while meal planning?
First, give treats a place in your plan. If you know there is a birthday cake on Saturday, enjoy it, slowly and with attention, and it will satisfy you far more than something eaten standing at the cupboard.
Do not skip meals, as hunger that has been ignored for hours comes back as a craving. Drink water through the day. When you would like something sweet, try a piece of fruit or a square of dark chocolate. And ask yourself what the craving is really about: tiredness, stress and boredom all look like hunger. I have written more in where cravings come from and what they are telling you.
How do I stay motivated to continue meal planning?
By keeping it light. Plan a few meals at first, not all of them. Choose dishes that are easy to make and need few ingredients. Make the planning itself pleasant: a cup of tea, your favourite music, a cookery book open on the table.
Remind yourself what it gives you: calmer evenings, money saved, better food. Keep a note of the meals that worked and the ones you would change, so that each week becomes easier than the last. You will not get it right every time, and you do not need to. Meal planning is a practice, and it soon becomes part of your routine.
When should I talk to my doctor?
Speak to your doctor before changing the way you eat if you have a health condition such as diabetes, heart, kidney or digestive trouble, if you take medication, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you suspect a food allergy or intolerance, ask for proper testing before cutting out whole food groups.
See your doctor too if your weight changes without explanation, if tiredness does not lift, or if thinking about food and planning starts to make you anxious. Planning should make your life easier, never tighter.
Would you like some help?
Planning meals that fit your real week, your tastes and your family is something we practise together in my group programmes in nutrition and health, such as Six Tuesdays in Montignac. If you’d like to hear when the next group opens, write to me at hello@catherinepolet.coach.
Would you rather work one to one? I also coach online. Book a free 20-minute call, and bring your busiest weekday with you. We’ll plan that one first.
About Catherine
I’m Catherine Polet, a holistic nutrition health coach, yoga and autogenic training teacher for more than 30 years, author and speaker. I help people find a way of eating and living that suits their own body, online in English, French, Spanish and German, and in person in Southwest France.
