Week 1- Shannon's Meal Planning Sat 9/3

Hey guys!  I just wanted to show you what my meal planning looks like for the week so you can get some ideas.  I like to write everything out on paper, but of course, you can just use the notes in your phone if you prefer.  I found that "What to Eat" pad at Books-a-Million :)

Under each day, I write in what I plan to fix for dinner that night, but as the week goes on, I may wind up moving things around.  And that's ok!  As long as I have a blueprint that shows me everything I'll be making for the week, I know I will have those ingredients on hand.  

I tend to choose 3-4 breakfast and lunch items to keep handy and just pick which I want on each day.  I'm ok with lots of repeats, so that makes things easy for me.  I also make sure to always cook more than needed for dinners so I can have leftovers for lunch!

I also make a list of quick bites to have available in case I want something between meals, or I can use these as side items to build a quick meal, also.

Once the meal planning is done, I write out my shopping list.  I double check items in my fridge and pantry to be sure I have enough left of items I already have.  I like to make a Sam's list, a Brookshire's list, and a Fiesta Nutrition list, when needed.  It just makes the shopping trips easier and faster to already have it divided up!  

That's it!  Planning and shopping are done, so the prep work comes next...

Week 1: Make a Plan

Want to print out the above meal planning sheet to use?  Download it here

The number one reason I see people fall off track of any training or nutrition program is a failure to plan.  If I could only assign one task to help you improve your nutrition habits over a lifetime, it would be to plan ahead.  Your task this week is to learn how to do just that.  This goal has 3 parts: plan, shop and prepare.  

1. Plan

Over the weekend (by Monday night at the latest) map out what you're going to eat this week.  Write down what you plan to fix for dinner every night, and also what you plan to have for breakfasts, lunches and snacks.  Your plan doesn't need to be fancy!  It's important to take your schedule for the week into account to create a plan that is doable for you.

Ask yourself what your three biggest obstacles will be this week when it comes to preparing and eating your meals, and plan 3 structures to put into place to overcome them.  For example, maybe an obstacle is that you will be at the ballpark late on Thursday evening and won't have time to cook dinner.  A structure you can put into place to overcome this is to cook a crockpot meal that night, or cook some chicken in advance and throw a salad together when you get home.  Your structure could also be to eat out that night... more tips on that at the bottom of this page!  

We will go into more detail down the road on what you should be eating, so for now, just try to make smart choices but don't completely deprive yourself.  If you love pizza, work that into your meal plan once per week.  If chocolate is your weakness, put an after dinner piece on your plan each day.  Wine lover?  Write down when you'll have wine, and how much of it you'll have.  Make a plan that will work for you and stick to it.

2. Shop

Using your meal plan, write out your grocery list.  Be sure to write down amounts of everything you'll need, so you don't run out before the end of the week, and check your pantry and fridge for items you already have to be sure you have enough.

3. Prepare

The next step is to start preparing anything that you can ahead of time.  If you have marinades to make, get those done and stick them in the fridge until needed.  Get items chopped and organized together for each recipe, so you can quickly grab everything you need, when you need it.  Prepare and portion out your lunches so they're ready to go every morning.  Cook up anything ahead of time that you can!  You get the idea.

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Tip: keep it simple

There's no need to choose complex recipes for every meal.  You can easily prepare a bunch of protein and sides in advance, which will enable you to throw together a quick meal anytime.  Pick several protein sources: try slicing up chicken breasts, season and saute them; make a batch of tuna salad; boil some eggs; cook up some hamburger patties.  Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are both convenient protein sources, too.  Now prepare some veggies and complex carbs: chop salad veggies;  roast carrots and broccoli;  sautee mushrooms, peppers and onions; cook some quinoa, some brown rice and some sweet potatoes.  It's also a good idea to have some condiments available to keep meals interesting- hummus, hot sauce, etc.  In 1-2 hours of time, you can have your fridge full of everything you need to throw meals together all week!

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What about eating out?

Doing all this meal planning doesn't mean that eating out is off the table!  When you do your meal plan for the week, just write "eat out" for those meals when you know you'll be doing that.  If you tend to eat out EVERY night of the week, make it your goal to prepare at least 2 meals at home, and you can gradually work more at home meals into your plan.  A good tip for eating out is to decide in advance where you'll be going, and go ahead and choose what you'll order, so you won't even look at the menu once you sit down and are already starving.

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Remember that this task needs to be done by Monday evening at the latest!