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    Meal Planning Tips

    Eating a healthy diet starts by making a plan for WHAT you're going to eat. Read these articles and find a system that works for you and your family.

    Meal prep and meal planning can save you from stressful situations throughout your week.

    Learn more about meal planning and how it can help save you time and money in these articles.

    benefits of meal planning

    Meal planning has made life with young kids do-able, without sacrificing the quality of our food. It's easy to cook dinner from scratch every night when you have time and energy, but what happens when you don't?

    That's where meal planning comes in. A meal plan provides a roadmap to follow to get healthy and homemade meals on the table for your family night after night.

    Think of a meal plan like using the GPS to get somewhere. It's kinda nice to just follow the directions. Especially if you're trying out a diet that's unfamiliar (like clean eating, whole 30, Paleo, or gluten free).

    Whether you decide to use a meal planning service, or use a meal planning template and make your own, keep reading to make it work for you.

    Save Money

    Meal planning is just one way to save money on groceries.

    One of the many benefits of meal planning is saving hundreds each month - just by making a meal plan. When you make a meal plan, you'll go to the grocery store with a complete grocery list in hand - ready to ONLY buy the ingredients you need for the week.

    Save Time

    By taking a few minutes each week to make a meal plan, you'll be saving hours throughout the week when you would have been cooking. Meal planning, meal prep and batch cooking work hand in hand to give you time back in your evenings.

    MEAL PLANNING RESOURCES

    Do a quick Google search for "meal planning" and you'll see I'm not the only fan of meal planning out there. And for good reason. Meal planning helps people stick to their healthy eating goals, lose weight, eat better, spend less money on food, and reduce food waste.

    meal planning for beginners

    Are you a beginner at the whole meal planning thing? I've got some articles that can help.

    The Ultimate Guide To Meal Planning For Beginners

    The Ultimate Guide to Meal Prepping for Beginners

    Meal Planning Templates

    I'm a huge fan of meal planning templates. After years of making the same outline on a piece of paper, I decided to create a collection of templates and give them away here on Scratch To Basics.

    Check out all the templates here, including some digital options. And read this article for a step-by-step walk through of my meal planning system using a PDF template.

    Whether you make a meal plan with a paper template, or use a digital meal planning app, the important thing is that you find a system that works for you.

    Pre-Made Meal Plans

    When you're getting into meal planning, sometimes it's easiest to use pre-made meal plans instead of making your own.

    I love Prep Dish - they provide weekly gluten free and Paleo meal plans. Here's my review of Prep Dish.

    But they're not the only one. Here are five meal planning services that provide you with pre-made meal plans.

    Here's a sample 7-day gluten free meal plan and a two week Paleo meal plan I created for YOU!

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! I’m Megan. Wife. Mom. Jesus follower. Chocolate lover. I'm passionate about helping you simplify healthy living and make healthy food taste good in your own kitchen. More about me →

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    How to Get Your Kids to Eat 30+ Fruits and Veggies (with a Smile)

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    Simplify Your Life. Make a Meal Plan.

    weekly and monthly meal planning templates
    Get the FREE meal planning templates here!

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    Trending on STB

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    5 Best Meal Planning Services for Stress Free Dinners

    Hello! I’m Megan. Wife. Mom. Jesus follower. Chocolate lover. I'm passionate about helping you simplify healthy living and make healthy food taste good in your own kitchen. More about me →

    Search STB Here:


    How to Get Your Kids to Eat 30+ Fruits and Veggies (with a Smile)

    Learn about how it works & how to get FREE product for kids HERE.

    Get 20% Off Clean Beauty at Beautycounter

    image of beautycounter products
    Get the coupon code here and then take the skincare quiz!

    Simplify Your Life. Make a Meal Plan.

    weekly and monthly meal planning templates
    Get the FREE meal planning templates here!

    Ad - Web Hosting from SiteGround - Crafted for easy site management. Click to learn more.

    Trending on STB

    20+ Meal Planning Templates For Stress Free Dinners
    How to Use a Tortilla Press to Make Homemade Tortillas
    Crowd Cow vs Butcher Box - Which is The Best Meat Delivery Service For You?
    tomato paste pizza sauce finished
    How to Make The Best Pizza Sauce Recipe With Tomato Paste
    5 Best Meal Planning Services for Stress Free Dinners

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