Do you also dread the ‘What’s for supper?’ question?
As a working mom, I honestly understand the struggle to work full-time and get supper ready at a decent time every day, without having to spend hours in the kitchen.
Don’t let this part of your day deter you from turning meal planning into a very useful habit. This can make your life so much easier and take away the stress of rushing to get a meal on the table every evening. It’s really not difficult! I would love to help you with some practical tips, tools, and easy recipes to make you feel like a meal-planning guru.
Why meal plan & meal prep?
Well, there are three things we all would like to have more of: time, money and better health. Making an effort to plan your meals and even do some meal prep when you can, has these benefits:
A. It saves you time
B. It saves you money
C. It’s much healthier
A. Saving time: Planning makes all the difference and it’s not difficult.
Planning makes all the difference, and it’s not difficult.
If you can make it a regular habit to plan your suppers once a week, it will make all the difference. This means one less thing to stress about and there’s less scrambling at the last minute to think of a meal or the temptation for regular takeaways or another convenience meal.
It takes a bit of commitment, but once it’s done, you don’t really need to think about the week’s meals again because you took the time to plan
Tips to make it a habit:
1. Choose a time of the week, e.g. a Sunday afternoon or evening to plan the meals for the week. You can work with a two-week rotation if that’s easier for you.
2. Use the Balanced plate model as a guide to keep things healthy. (see the icon on the Menu planner below and read more about it here).
Even if you just plan the protein for the day and know that you have a variety of veggies and salad ingredients to serve it with, that’s already a great start. I often make extra protein over the weekend and just roast veggies like brinjal, broccoli, cauliflower or baby tomatoes in my air-fryer to use as a side dish or to add to a salad for a meal on a busy day.
3. Print out the weekly planner below so that you can see it all in one place. Some people prefer to laminate the page and write with a wipeable pen, to use it multiple times. You can even stick a magnetic strip on the back to keep it on your fridge.
4. Plan suppers and lunchboxes all at the same time OR make extra for supper, to use for lunch the next day. Leftover chicken is great in a salad, or pack meatballs with some fresh veggies for an easy finger lunch.
My top tips:
1. Make a note on your planner, when you need to thaw something for supper, so that you take it out in time. (Last-minute thawing in the microwave is seldom successful.)
2. Label containers with prepared food or leftovers – whether it’s in the fridge or freezer. This makes it so much easier to remember what’s available and what can be used for lunchboxes.
REMEMBER this guide: First IN; first OUT! To ensure freshness and reduce wastage, make sure to first consume the things in your fridge, freezer and pantry that were bought first.
The next steps:
1. Now make a shopping list according to your planning.
2. Know what’s in your fridge and pantry– this way you can make the most of what you’ve already bought.
3. There’s no problem with repeating meals that your family enjoys. Serve it in different ways from time to time, to keep things interesting and different.
4. Plan what you want to bulk-cook and when: e.g. a big stew and double batch of mince over the weekend or two chickens on Monday evening while the oven is on.
To plan a meal: Use the meal plan table below as a guide and keep the plate model in mind. (See the Planning table below and the plate model icon on the weekly planner.)
1. Choose the protein for the meal.
2. Decide what the format of the meal should be. Are you making a one-pot or a protein with a separate starch and side dish?
3. Choose a high-fibre starch to complement the meal. A small portion of brown rice or cauliflower mash is delicious with a saucy meal and some green veggies. In summer you may want to opt for a salad and corn on the cob or baby potatoes in the skin.
4. Plan side dishes using fresh fruit and non-starchy veggies to fill your plate. Lightly steamed green veggies with toasted sesame seeds are delicious. OR just a simple salad of rocket or baby spinach leaves and a seasonal fruit like papaya, pear or apple is already a great way to include something fresh.
5. Plan the amount of food and portions according to the size of your family, so that there is enough for supper and any other meals. Doubling up and freezing proteins for later in the week also saves a lot of time.
6. Plan to include healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olive oil, peanut butter or avocado in your meal, whether it’s in a salad dressing, as part of a salad or the fat you use for cooking the meal.
7. Choose the cooking method that will give the best results according to the ingredients you are planning to use. For instance, tougher cuts of meat are best slow-roasted. Choose a healthy cooking method like grilling, roasting or air-frying, rather than deep-frying.
B. Saving money
– Planning, limits the need for last-minute shopping, takeaways or another pre-prepared meal. Buying these can become quite expensive, very quickly.
– There’s less waste, as you will make the most of what you have bought and cooked already.
– Seize what’s in season, as seasonal produce is often more affordable and extra flavourful. See the Seasonal produce list.
– Using leftovers in lunchboxes or for another meal means that you don’t need to buy unnecessary food or resolve to takeout, cafeteria or convenience foods every day.
– One great way to save money, is to store food in airtight containers to keep it fresh for as long as possible. This is true for fresh produce as well as things like cheese, salad ingredients, veggies and herbs. Watch the video below.
– Planning to bulk-cook means that you can cook two suppers in one go – if the oven is on, make the most of it.
C. Keep things healthy
Remember you eat what is in your fridge – so make it good!
– I love the concept of the 80:20 rule. If you can eat healthy foods for 80% of the time, it’s all good to enjoy a treat or something “less healthy” for the remaining 20% of the time.
– Portion control is so much easier when you can dish up only as much as you need for a meal and not feel ‘obliged’ to finish the take-away portion, or just mindlessly finishing it all.
– When food is cooked from scratch – you know what’s in your meals. Convenience and pre-prepared meals can be much higher in added salt, sugar, unnatural preservative and colourants than you may not realise. Even pre-prepared foods like marinades, cook-in sauces, salad dressings and other condiments can be much higher in these elements and are expensive too.
– Using natural and fresh ingredients as seasonings, like lemon, garlic, herbs, ginger, chilli and dry spices are not only more affordable, but definitely healthier too. Not only will you be omitting some unhealthy foods, but in fact be adding lots of healthy ingredients.
– It’s so much easier to make better choices when you are cooking at home, as you can enjoy a good variety of foods and have more balanced and nutritious meals.
Jamie Oliver says: Real food doesn’t have ingredients; real food is ingredients.
Recipe ideas for your meal planning:
These are some of the things I often prepare in bulk, to make cooking supper easier:
Roasting two whole chickens: use one for supper and debone the second one to use later in salads, a chicken and broccoli bake, pasta sauce or other one-pot meal.
Italian tomato sauce: this is a lifesaver, as you can make a big batch and freeze it in the right portions. It’s perfect to add to mince or bake meatballs, chicken or fish portions in. You can even bake eggs in the sauce. Same sauce, many different meals!
Mince: serve it with pasta, turn it into a brinjal bake, add some spices and serve it nacho-style.
See more recipe links below to make you feel like a chef in your own kitchen! I have a huge range of recipes on this website to choose from. You can also use the SEARCH function on the website, to look for more recipes with a specific ingredient, like chicken, eggs, fish or tomatoes. OR use the CATEGORY LIST on any of the recipe pages to find your next favourite family supper. For most of the suggested ideas on the Meal planning table shared in this blog, you will find a recipe on my website.
HERE are links to some of my go-to recipes on the website for easy bulk cooking & suppers: Each word in bold is a live link to the recipe, so just click on it to get to the relevant recipe pages.
1. Basic tomato sauce = one sauce, many ways: Here is just one of the delicious ways to use this flavourful sauce. See the tips below the recipe for more ways to use it.
OR make this simpler tomato sauce version when you are short on time,
2. Chicken tray bake: You can use any combination of veggies that will roast in more or less the same amount of time, or add more delicate veggies, like broccoli or cauliflower towards the end of the chicken’s roasting time. You can even substitute the chicken portions with pork bangers for a completely different meal. Use this tray bake as a guide or look at this comforting combination of Chicken with brinjal and citrus flavours. Do look at the tips for more ideas.
3. Easy meatballs: to enjoy with your choice of sides and salads. Or combine them with one of the tomato sauce recipes above, to enjoy on any pasta.
4. Basic mince: This is another fabulous recipe to have as part of your regular repertoire, with an easy variation to make a Greek mince & brinjal bake.
5. Fishcakes: After many years, this remains one of the most popular recipes on my website, so I have added both an English and Afrikaans version on the page. Serve this in any of the suggested ways, use them for lunchboxes or freeze them for another meal.
For more ideas with tinned fish, make a Pilchard bake or this easy One-pot chilli.
6. Chicken fillets: This is my tried-and-tested way to prepare juicy chicken breast fillets – no more dry, tasteless chicken fillets for supper.
And then, a few basic condiments can make all the difference to the most basic of meals. Toasted sunflower seeds are delicious over a salad. Or have you tried toasted sesame seeds over steamed or air-fried broccoli? Having any of these condiments on the table, can turn a simple side dish or meal into something gourmet.
1. Caramelised onions: One of the most useful extras you can have in your fridge. Read about the many ways you can use it, in the recipe.
2. Dips: here are two easy dips to use in a number of tasty ways. Include it in a lunchbox or use it as a sauce with your choice of meat or veggies.
OR make your own hummus – it’s really easy to do. I have a number of versions and creative ways to use it on my website. Have a look at a typical hummus or try this ‘loaded’ one with lentils added for an interesting taste and texture.
3. Nut and seed sprinkle: Use this condiment in any of the suggested ways or have a look at the pan-fried version. Alternatively, homemade dukkah can be enjoyed in a multitude of meals and side dishes.
4. My homemade vinaigrette (salad dressing) can be whipped up in minutes and is so versatile that it can even be used as a marinade for chicken or veggies.
5. This all-round Braai rub is also great to have on hand, as it’s equally delicious as a rub on red meat, chicken or veggies.
Happy planning, prepping and cooking!