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Banks County
UGA Extension Office

Meal Planning Quick Tips

Fall always seems to be the busiest time of year.  School is back in session, fall sports are in full swing, and our calendars are filling up fast. The hustle and bustle can force healthy eating to take a backseat. Who among us hasn’t run through the drive-thru or settled for a prepackaged snack instead of a home-cooked, balanced meal? 

Meal planning and preparation is a great way to ensure that a busy schedule doesn’t prevent you from eating healthy meals.  If you’re new to the process, here are some quick tips to dive right in:

  • Start by only planning for one meal of the day.  In other words, don’t plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the whole week for the whole family.  Keep it simple and just plan dinners to start.
  • Keep a running list of your family’s favorite meals, as well as new recipes you’d like to try.   (Bonus points for recipes that incorporate lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats!)  This list could be taped to the inside of a kitchen cabinet, it could be a Google Doc, or it could be a note on your phone.  Keep it where you’ll have easy access to it.  When you sit down to meal plan, you will already have a list of recipes from which to choose.
  • Sit down with a calendar or simply a piece of paper and assign a meal for each day of the week.  Make sure to account for any evening activities.  You probably want to avoid planning a labor-intensive meal on the same night as soccer practice!
  • Make a grocery list based on the recipes you chose.  Double check the pantry and the fridge to make sure you don’t already have some of what you need.  Also, I always make sure to eat before I head to the grocery store to avoid buying impulse snacks!
  • Wash and dry produce when you get home from the store.  That way, it will be ready to go when you need it.  You can also pre-chop many vegetables: carrots, onions, broccoli, celery, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes, among others.  Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
  • Plan to cook double portions of some meals.  Leftovers can be taken for lunch the next day or even frozen for future busy nights.  In our house, we always double dinner recipes and eat the leftovers the next evening, which means we only have to cook every other night!  Make sure to store leftovers in the fridge or freezer within two hours of cooking.

Meal planning and preparation does not have to be fancy or complicated to help us eat healthy, home-cooked meals on a busy schedule.  For more information on nutrition and healthy cooking, visit myplate.gov, fcs.uga.edu/extension, or contact me at the Banks County Extension Office (706-677-6230 or susie.burton@uga.edu). 


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