Planning Is So Worth It – Every Time!

Cooking supper seven days a week is not necessarily something we enjoy doing all the time. Whether you are comfortable in the kitchen or not, getting into the habit of planning your weekly meals and cooking in bulk from time to time, can have many benefits to lighten the load of this daily chore. Heleen Meyer shares some of her practical advice on the advantages of this. Planning what you have for supper every evening can be as basic as knowing what the protein for each meal will be. If you have a good variety of fresh ingredients to choose from, half the job is done. Knowing what you have in your fridge, freezer and kitchen cupboard or pantry is a great starting point for side dishes.

10 BENEFITS of planning your meals and menus:

1. It’s a time-saver: Making it easy to take the necessary ingredients out of the freezer the night before or early in the morning. When it comes to cooking, things are so much easier already – no last-minute rush to thaw a solid chunk of mince, chicken portions or a soup before you can get going with cooking supper.
2. Simplify shopping lists: Knowing what to cook, means that you know what to shop for. Remember to first see what you already have at home, before going to the shops. Taking a bit of time to plan the week’s suppers and menus makes it easier to keep meals interesting, healthy and balanced and shop accordingly.
3. Budget-friendly: A meal plan prevents you from shopping for unnecessary ingredients or buying more than what you really need. Planning allows you to make the most of special deals but be clued up on what ingredients cost or what the price per kilo is. Buying in bulk doesn’t always mean you’ll save money. Fresh and seasonal is also more cost-effective to buy than pre-prepared or convenience options. Planning means that you can make the most of what the season has to offer. These ingredients are typically also more affordable and easily available.
4. Healthier: It’s easier to have a good variety of fresh and unprocessed ingredients in your kitchen when you work with a plan. Make the most of what’s in season and cook from scratch. A simple salad made with a season fruit, like pears or papaya, feta and a few rocket or lettuce leaves makes a delicious side dish with meat, and it’s so quick to prepare. Try to avoid using too many prepared sauces, marinades or convenience meals. Remember, homemade is always best for your body and your wallet.
5. Colourful and balanced: Spending a bit of time planning, saves you a lot of time and frustration to make sure that you include a good variety of wholesome foods. Choose different sources of protein during a week and then decide on what to serve as sides and salads. Start with the choice of meat (or even plant-based protein) and add a side dish or two from a variety of fresh fruit and veggies. Keep side dishes varied and interesting – like Heleen always says: ‘eat the rainbow’. Yes, bread and potatoes are easy options but remember to always include some colour on your plate. Green vegetables like broccoli or green beans are quick and easy to prepare. Keep every meal balanced to ensure that you eat wholesome and nutritious food.
6. Less waste: Making sure that you use the ingredients in your fridge before they perish, it is so much easier when you plan ahead to use them purposefully.
7. Less stress and worries: That dreaded question of, ‘what’s for supper?’, is much less of an issue, when your meals are planned, whether you are only cooking for two, or have four or six family members around your table every evening.
8. Bulking it up: While you are in the kitchen, it’s not that much more effort to prepare double of something like a mince mixture, soup or stew. Why not roast two chickens or extra veggies in the oven and have some on hand for another meal?
9. Have enough for tomorrow’s lunch: If you prepare a bit extra for supper, then you don’t have to worry too much about having a nutritious (no-need-to-cook) lunch the next day. Making a salad with leftover meat or adding leftover roasted veggies to a soup, is also a great way to use everything you have prepared.

Try to cook something over the weekend to use on a busy weekday or when you don’t have time to cook one evening of the week.

10. Make it a habit: Doing the right things right, for long enough, until it becomes second nature, is always worth it. Pick a day of the week to plan your meals for the week, like Sunday late afternoon or Monday evenings.

Visit Heleen’s website for more recipes like this.

Image: @AdelFerreiraPhotography