ISO meal planning tips, tricks, advice, formula, etc.

[ttubbs]

I’m one of the few male readers of CL, and really enjoy cooking. After browsing the web, the bookstores, and even this site, I still have not found much help with my current problem. I am guessing from the posts I read here that you all will be able to provide me with the help I need, or at least point me to some resources that I can study.

The problem is that my experience in the kitchen would fall under the class of experimentation, and not your everyday meal preparation. My motivation has now changed. We now have kids that are old enough to eat the same foods as us, and the doc and nutritionist have told me to watch my cholesterol a bit better. I am finding that trying to plan out a well balanced and healthy meal plan for just a week is a royal pain in the behind. Perhaps this was something moms passed down to their children in the past, but my wife and I didn’t seem to retain these instructions. I can’t help but think that there has got to be an easier way to go about this than trying to memorize the food guide pyramided, and the differences between men, women, and children. So is there an easier way? I’d really appreciate any insight you have on anything from how you go about making you shopping list, to how often to shop, to always purchase broccoli and x, y and z, to the proportions on the final plate (like ½ complex carbs, ¼ simple, ¼ protein), or whatever else might make this process easier.

Or maybe you can just tell me it’s not that hard, and if I haven’t gotten it by now, then there is no hope for me.

[Nirak]

For a long time I "improvisational cooked" so I would go to the store each week and buy my favorite produce, like red & green peppers, mushrooms, kettuce,etc. and then my favorite pantry items like cereals, canned olives, rice and pasta, etc. And then I would buy some basic meats, like chicken or hamburger. I always bought in bulk and then put family-size portions in zip lock bags in the freezer. That way, I could control our portions (much easier to have will power with raw meat than it is with a completed dish!)

Since I've been trying to shed some pounds, I started what I call the cooking light diet. I use the magazine to make a weekly meal plan and that is what I shop for and make for dinner. That means cooking from a recipe every night which I find kind of stressful since I like to "wing it". However, it helps keep portion size and calorie/fat content under control. I usually can do this for 3 out of 4 weeks in a month. I have lost 12 lbs. since Feb. which isn't a lot but I think the gradual approach has helped keep it off.

You might want to look at Jane Brody's book, Good Food. It is a cook book, but about half the book is devoted to nutrition, meal planning, and working all this into your life. She even has menu ideas if you like that sort of thing.


Another good book is Pam Anderson's Cooking without a book. She talks about how to stock a pantry and how to approach those weeknight dinners without being tied to your card file.

About the food pyramid: We have loosely used this approach with our DD who pediatrician said needed to cut back on calories at age 3. We tell our kids that each meal can have no more than one item from a food group. If you have toast and are still hungry, then you can pick a fruit or yogurt, but not cereal. Of course, we would always say yes to extra fruits and veggies, but this helped them gain independence when selecting food and (I hope) will help them make good choices away from home.

Good luck.

[clarksmom]

Listen, we all started with those feelings so don't even stress. Most inportantly welcome to the board. Everyone here is just great. You'll find yourself checking this place out a bit more often than you expected.
The key is start with basic things that you know work for your family. iF you have 3 dishes that work and they all love them then start there. Then take a look at them and think about making them a bit healthier if that's what you want.
CL mag comes out and alot of us try a few recipies. We'll share how easy they were or not, what we liked, substituted etc. If you get a chance try one of the recipies that someone suggests. Then add it to your family staples if they like them. If you keep finding new stuff you'll have more to rotate and suddenly "you're cookin"
Please don't hesitate to ask even the simpliest of questions or just panic "guys - what should I make for dinner with 2 cans of beans" we'll be glad to help you out.
I just joined too and I am knee deep in food thanks to these guys.Read what interests you and don't be afriad to post. We're glad to have ya!:D

[lindrusso]

I’d really appreciate any insight you have on anything from how you go about making you shopping list, to how often to shop, to always purchase broccoli and x, y and z, to the proportions on the final plate (like ½ complex carbs, ¼ simple, ¼ protein), or whatever else might make this process easier.

First, take a deep breath and relax - this will be good for your mind and your heart :) . Then you just need to take it one step at a time. For some, it may come naturally to eat healthy, but for others (myself included) it takes a conscious effort. But, if you do it a little at a time, it will become habit like anything else.

You might want to start by reading as much as you can about nutrition. There are many sites on the internet as well as books that can help you - perhaps you can visit your local library or even get an appointment with a nutritionist who can point you in the right direction. You can also start right here at CookingLight.com - go to the home page and click on "Healthy Living" - there is good information there as well as links to other informative sites.

As you read, you will get a better picture of what your diet lacks or where your diet is strong. Once you get a better idea of where your diet may be lacking and the types of foods you may need to add to your diet, try new things a little at a time. I started by adding more whole grain foods to our diet - switching to whole wheat couscous, 100% whole wheat bread, etc. I also tried adding more high fiber cereals to our list to up our fiber intake. And it goes on from there. I've been trying to add a new, nutritious food at least once every two weeks. This week we are trying fresh beets! You will find that there are some things you really like and some you don't. Don't force yourself to eat items just because you're healthy or you're not likely to stick to your eating plan. Eat things because you truly like them and it will be easier. There are so many, many nutritious foods out there that there will surely be things you enjoy - so no need to waste time on the stuff that really doesn't appeal to you.

Along with this may also come the elimination or cutting down of "bad" foods. Perhaps you're family eats too much red meat - you can start trying more lean cuts such as chicken and fish, etc. However, if you focus on adding new foods to your diet, you'll naturally start eating less and less of the fattier, not-so-good for you foods. Again, go slowly If you try to do everything at once, it can become overwhelming and frustrating and your family may become resistant!

Planning, especially in the beginning can be extremely helpful. I sit down on Sundays and go through my cookbooks and magazines. I make a list of recipes for the week and then make out my shopping list. Having meals planned and all the ingredients on hand makes me much less likely to make poor choices. I try to make sure that at least 75% of our meals are low-fat. We still have the weekly splurge or take-out meal. Keeps my kids happy and keeps me from bingeing! :) Cooking Light is a wonderful, wonderful resource for tasty, nutritious, low-fat meals. I generally shop once a week, but that's just because it's easier for me.

Once you start making changes, it can become fun! I really have a bad image of beets, but I'm looking forward to cooking them tonight to see if I can't change my mind! I also find that trying new recipes on a regular basis (along with trying new foods) keeps things exciting and opens up possibilities that I didn't know existed! It's an adventure.

Also, beware that changing to fast can be especially hard on kids. Make sure to give them a one or two familiar items on their plate along with the new, healthier fare. They may turn their noses up at first, but keep putting these items on their plate and eventually they are likely to come around!

Starting now and helping your kids develop healthy eating habits early on is a wonderful gift that will last a lifetime. Good luck!

[ttubbs]

You guys are great, hasn’t even been an hour and the responses are already coming. However, things are not going in the direction I had hoped. Even though I find the information so far to be helpful, I’m going to try and steer this in a different direction.

I’ve talked to the doc and a nutritionist, and both pretty much point at the food pyramid. I also have a good feel for where our diet lacks, and where it is ok. I certainly appreciate the recommendations to go about this in a slow and steady manner, and intend to do so. We really should get in more fruits and vegetables, and my first goal is to try and incorporate more of them. However, our overall planning strategy leaves a lot to be desired, and that is where I really want the advice. You guys have stated that you get out the cookbooks, paper, and magazines and plan for the week. My question is how does that process work? Do you have a method or formula for that process?

Do you plan for leftovers, or do you plan 7 dinners every week?
Do you plan 7 different lunches, or eat the same lunch all week?
Do you try to get in a certain number of chicken, fish, red meat, and vegetarian dishes in a week?
If a recipe calls for a cup of buttermilk or a tablespoon of coconut milk, what do you do with the rest of the cartain or can of milk?

Reading this over, I even think it sounds like I am an idiot, but let me explain my reason for asking. We usually plan too little, which means we have the main dish but lack the fruits and vegetables, or we plan too much and by the end of the week half the fresh produce we bought has wilted, browned, or softened too much to have any appeal left. So we end up throwing out half what we bought. Milk and Orange Juice is always on our list every week. I’m trying to get my wife to add broccoli as a reoccurring item on our list too. It’s green and very healthy, and I don’t see burnout happening buy eating it once a week. We butcher beef every year, so have a well-stocked freezer of that, but we do buy chicken frequently.

PS. I do have How to cook without a Book, and really like the ideas, although I’ve not put them to use yet. We seem to always kick ourselves the day after we have spaghetti or rice for not making extra for lo mien or fried rice.

[RunnerKim]

Welcome TTubbs,

Let me try to answer your questions from my perspective

I do work off a weekly menu and pretty much shop once a week. Once or twice a month my husband will stop at the store on his way home because of a forgotten item. When I do my weekly shopping though, I go up to 4 places (farmer's market, health food store, regular grocery store, Trader Joe's). We don't have kids yet and food shopping is fun for us.

The way I do my menu has some form to it. I plan to have fish once a week. 2-3 non-meat meals, 1 chicken and maybe a pork or beef or tofu. One of these meals is always pizza. I always plan my side dishes too but these tend to be pretty boring (steamed broccoli, grilled green beans) - at least a veggie and sometimes a bread/rice/starch. I keep a binder with all our favorite repeater recipes in it categorized by type. I'm also starting to write down what side dishes I made with it, if I liked how it went together. If you do this, it will eventually make meal planning easier - almost multiple choice.

Yes, I plan for leftovers. Both my husband and I work outside of the home. I normally make 3-4 servings and keep the leftovers for lunch the next day. There was a time when leftovers just wound up further and further back in the fridge, but we eat such a variety of foods now that it's nice to get to eat something twice! It wouldn't work for us to eat the same thing all week - we'd get burned out on that. That answer's about planning our lunches -- the sides are pretty standard though. Carrot or pepper strips, fruit and perhaps a roll or slice of bread (I love bread baking). My husband is a distance runner and gets additional food (nuts, yogurt, dessert).

Somehow we're pretty good at not wasting food. This BB has helped a lot - in finding out you can freeze tomato paste for instance. I think you can even freeze buttermilk -- I do have powder, but buttermilk seems to keep for a long time. I do choose items for my menu based on what I have on hand and need to use up. I'm also fortunate that my husband can really consume anything he wants and is happy to finish off the half & half with some Kahlua. I will also bake things and take them into my office (or my husband's).

I don't think your questions are stupid at all - almost all of us struggle with these things. There was a time we wasted so much food - our food bins particularly would be full of rotting things. For me, making a menu and sticking to solved that. It helped to have a list of tried & true recipes - and then add in new ones as our interest/time allow.

When I'm in a really anal mood I have a spreadsheet where I keep track of the nutritional values of my food - I can see the percentage break down of carbs, protein and fat -- just a little different view than the pyramid. I know I'm in the ballpark and I'll go for awhile with just that sense and then get anal and track things for a week or so again to keep me on track. It's always the toughest when you're first getting started. The biggest help to keeping on track for me is using a scale - no fudging on what a 1/2 cups means, etc. And generally just trying to make healthier choices -- using more whole grains, beans, tofu, vegetables (i.e., I mix in some whole wheat flour in my pizza dough, use brown rice, try new recipes that have beans in them, etc.).

Good luck and keep us posted.
Kim

[Claudia S]

I shop once a week (for a family of 4) -- I usually buy fresh fish for that night, and 2 other meat selections for the week (chicken, ground turkey) and a package of tofu. If I don't think we need all of the meat selections, I'll freeze it for future use. Because I'm a working mom with a desire to eat healthy but not much time, I prepare main dishes with leftovers for the next nights' meal, plus if I have any extra meat but not enough for a full entree (like roast chicken), I'll plan a 3rd meal around this by throwing the meat in tortillas, add to pasta, etc. For veggies, I buy a head of broccoli (can get 2-3 dinners out of 1 large head), one other veggie selection (seasonal), and some salad fixings. To encourage your kids to eat more fruit, try adding apple slices or other fruits to your salads. I usually prepare enough salad for at least 2 dinners, because I don't have much time for washing, chopping, etc..) -- I may need to add an ingredient or 2, but it saves time.

I'm not a huge planner, but I usually have several dinners planned out, while thinking of ways to make creative use of leftovers.

Hope this helps some.

Claudia

[Nirak]

I usually plan for 5 dinners and end up making 4. One of those nights ends up being leftovers. I leave the weekends open because we want more flexibility or might crave a certain food and I don't mind running out and getting a few odds and ends. Or sometimes, I end up making that 5th meal. With cooking light recipes, we find that if it says it serves 6 it is perfect for our family of 4. My husband gets a larger portion, 1st daughter and I are about the same, and 2nd daughter gets a little less. We don't have seconds, but I know we give ourselves a little more than the recommended serving size. I stay at home and try to have simple lunches. I pack lunches for the girls and they buy once or twice a week. So, the lunch stuff falls into the "staples" part of the grocery list and I get the same stuff week to week. DH eats lunch out every day as a large part of his job involves taking either sales reps or customers to lunch. He knows dinner will be "cooking light" so he has more flexibility with what he chooses at lunch time.

See if you can find the Jane Brody book at your library. It does have an entire section on meal planning that might help you get started.

[lhall]

I shop once a week. DH and I are both doing the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet so I fix one BIG salad that's good for all week.

I'll plan 5 or 6 dinners a week and make enough for leftovers for us to take for lunch, and have for dinner once or twice. I don't mind eating the same thing the next day, but I think DH doesn't so I try to make sure the leftovers can be rotated.
This week I'm making soup twice and since that makes a lot I'll actually get 4 dinners by freezing the leftovers to eat later.

I almost always buy green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower. Mostly I just steam veggies, and have one high carb/starch with dinner. I like some of the recent ideas I've seen for roasting or sauteeing them.

I've just recently started doing more planning. It helps me if I have the sides planned too since I work out of the home and we have 2 kids. I try to make it fun for me. I've just gotten Mastercook 6.0 and I used Word to print a nice colorful menu for the week to post on the fridge.
(I only plan dinner so I don't need the 3 meal/day menue MC prints) I can just swap which day I'm going to cook something easily.

I try to plan a vareity of main dishes with chicken, pork, beef, vegetarian. DH does not come from a big fish eating family so we have that maybe once a month. DD does not eat much fish either. One example is last night I used tomato paste. I'll try to cook something later this week or next week that uses more tomato paste.

I like the freezing idea, didn't know you could do that with tomato paste. I know you can freeze milk so I would assume you could also freeze buttermilk. I'll have to try that too. Buttermilk pancakes are better than regular milk ones, but I never need 2 cups of buttermilk.

Leigh

[gertdog]

I've written about how I plan meals and shop on other threads (the one area of my life where I'm totally organized and maybe obsessed is meal-planning :) ), but I'll blather on some more here. My method does seem to work well for me in that I feel I'm eating much better than a year or so ago, I don't ever make extra trips to the store, and I waste very little. Of course it takes experimenting to find what works best for you!

I used to only plan the main dish for each night and then just buy some extra veggies at the store and hope to cook some to go with each meal. But I never did. I'd make the main dish and forget about the veggies, and then have to toss them when they went bad. So now, for each main dish I plan, I choose a vegetable to go with it and I write it on my menu. I specifically buy those veggies at the store in the right amount for each meal. For some veggie heavy dishes like stir fry, I don't bother with a side, but most nights now there's something green (or orange) on our plates alongside the main event. And planning this way I can also guarantee variety throughout the week. For a veggie side for two of us, here is the amount I generally buy: one bunch of asparagus (= 2 dinner servings plus leftovers for my lunch), one broccoli crown (= 2 dinner servings), 1/3 lb. of green beans (= 2 dinner servings and maybe leftovers), 1 lb. bag carrots (= enough for more than one dinner), 1 large or 2 small zucchini = 2 servings, etc.

I do also try to balance my main courses each week. I try to include tofu/soy in at least one meal, and beans in at least one. I try to limit pasta/pizza to once a week, and to work in whole grains whenever possible. I try to ensure that we balance green veggies with orange ones. I try to make only one cheese-heavy dish per week, etc. When I've planned a week of menus, I look at the whole thing once more to ensure that I haven't planned 3 tomato-based dishes out of 4 or beans, beans, and more beans.

I definitely plan to have leftovers. My DF doesn't eat them, but I do for lunch every day. Lunch isn't always exactly the same as dinner the night before. Sometimes there's more left over of one thing than another. I try to put a balanced meal into my lunch bag... staples in the fridge like yogurt and baby carrots help to round things out when the leftovers are not enough.

I do not plan 7 dinners a week. More like 4, and then I either improvise or eat out the other nights. I do not plan breakfasts, but generally choose from cereal, toast with peanut butter, yogurt, fresh fruit, smoothies, and (my guilty pleasure) meatless sausages.

As for things like leftover buttermilk, I try to find a recipe to use it up. Buttermilk specifically often ends up in muffins or in a batch of soup. Most leftover/overlooked veggies find their way into one of my improvised meals or at the very least into a stock to be frozen and used later. Leftover ingredients, for me, are usually dairy products and cheeses, some of which need to be used the same week they're opened and others of which can be included in meal plans for future weeks. Sometimes I have extra tofu, which I cut into strips and add to a wrap for lunch. Rarely do I end up with extra veggies, fruits, etc.

It's all a challenge, isn't it? I often worry, am I getting enough vitamin A? Vitamin C? Folate? Calcium? Iron? What about those Omega-3s? Soy protein? Ack! The only thing I know for sure is that I'm getting enough calories. Yep, that I know. :)

[DmOrtega]

Planning meals for myself or myself and my husband are not the same as planning meals that will include our children. Ours are still pretty picky. They have a limited number of foods that they will eat and they are old enough to eat what we eat.

What we do is cook on the weekend enough to carry us through 2-3 days extra days. If it is something, like lasagna, that everyone likes, I will try to double the recipe. We then fill in the other days with staples, like tacos or pasta. We will cook pretty much what we want to eat and then add a few dishes that we know our kids will eat. They may or may not try what we are eating, but they always have the option. Having leftovers are a godsend when we are busy and we are busy most of the time, leftovers will carry us through lunches or dinners with very little fuss. We keep cooked pasta available to fill in with whatever we can get our kids to eat.

Now, I try to balance what we eat. I guess that can translate to variety and the more color, the better for us. We eat salads, vegetables, pastas, burritos, meat (mostly chicken), fish and miscellaneous other things and we do try lots of different kinds of recipes. We always have fresh fruit in a bowl, available to cut and add to a meal anytime. It seems to work for us.

[clarksmom]

My deal is similar to Gerts in that I plan for a few meals in the week and I try to vary the choices. Also it is good to pick up a few extra veggies as the will go bad, but if you sit down and try to write out (way impressed by the spreadsheet by the way!) what you're having you can plan to include those veggies with other meals. Start with a basic plan.
Maybe try a 5 day meal plan and stick it on the fridge. I just started doing that since a few days ago I just asked everyone here for help on meal planning. That way you glance at it as you open the door and kind of train yourself to put spinach on 2nd shelf for tomm night in your head.
I should also tell you that I found a significant change in my diet and eating in the last 4 months has helped me considerably. My rule is simply that I alternate between protiens (chicken, tofu etc) and a few hours later have some sort of fruit. EG Up in Am have some oatmeal and a glass of juice.A few hours later I'm having some fruit or a fruit shake. For lunch I'll chop up some chicken and have it on a salad, or wrap it up in a tortilla, afternoon maybe another peice of fruit, for dinner depending on how late my hub and I work turkey joes, or tofu salad or spinach pasta etc. I have found that alternating protiens (keeping veggies involved bigtime) and then fruit later I can eat a bit more often and not feel too hungry This routine did help me pay attention to the nutrition I was getting form my planned meals. Before that I never paid attention to anything. Please don't try this diet specifically yourself, you need your doctor to tel you what to eat. I'm just saying I was often anemic and spent my days running a busy staff by drinking 3 coffees and 3-4 reg cokes a day and rarely eating anything of substance. So much caffine that I couldn't sleep. I was a mess. I'm not trying to make this about me, I just want you to know that I had to relearn everything and I am 37 years old! We all have to do it.
I digress only to say that it all seems a bit overwhelming. Relax - exhale. Take it one step at a time. Try to incorporate a few items that you need to have daily and get familiar with them. Simplify your life and take on a little at a time.
There are lot of books and articles. DOn't feel overwhelmed. If you hit the bookstore take your time and find something that makes it all simple. Read a few pages and really see if you need to know what it is telling you, or if it is just another book on the theory of getting healthy, or someones philosophy of "how to get better"
The tree sounds logical and perhaps easy to follow.
You are abosloutely NOT an idiot and all of us have felt this way. Every 10th question of mine is a cooking/nutrition 101 question. Try to be a little more pateint with yourself. These other messages are great. I can't help you with kids since I have none but DMOrtega's suggestion of understanding planning for kids meals is different than planning for your own is something I never thought of. Just stick around and ask.
Sorry for the long one - not sure I answered anything but I hope it helped a little.