Tips and Ideas for Meal Planning

Exactly three years ago today, I published my first post on this blog. Now, three years later, I am concluding this blog with a practical post about tips and ideas for meal planning. 

I may occasionally still share here, but from now on, posts will become extremely random and eventually fade out. I have basically shared all that I wanted to share on this blog.      

When I think of the month of September, I think of "back to school". When I was a young girl, we didn't start school until the first week of September. If I was a homeschooling mom, I think I would try to start school close to or even in September if I could. To me, August is a summer month - too hot to be in school.

September slowly begins to cool down in the Untied States. September is also a month that makes me think of daily routines and schedules, things that go with "back to school". That makes me think of meal schedules too. Overall, I think schedules are a good thing. 

When I was a girl, I learned a lot from my mom, not only in school, but also, by observing. They say that "more is caught than taught". So true. 

One of the things that I observed and learned from my mom is meal planning. Admittedly, I've never gotten to do that myself, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year because I've never had a home of my own. But, it is something that I look forward to incorporating in my own home someday because of watching my mom do it. 

Growing up, on Sunday evenings after church, we enjoyed popcorn and sliced apples (something we still do) and any other leftovers in the house that we might be hungry for. My mom would have a pen and paper out, ready to write down meal ideas for the upcoming week. If my mom was tired on Sunday evenings, she would wait until Monday morning to do her meal planning for the week. 

Sometimes, my mom had ideas of what she wanted to make that week, occasionally bouncing ideas off of us. Other times, if my mom was tired and couldn't come up with meal ideas, she would ask us if there was anything that sounded good to us. Her plan always seemed to work well. Usually, my mom only planned meals for the week ahead, and her grocery shopping day was often on Monday so that she could pick up the groceries she needed for that week. (for breakfast, lunch, and supper along with any extra snacks) I would do the same in my own home someday. I personally think that mothers should not only teach their daughters how to make meals, they should also teach their daughters how to plan meals. Meal planning does not have to be hard, and actually, it can be quite fun. 

When I was growing up, I think Monday was some kind of Italian or pasta dish for supper, things like: spaghetti, lasagna, mac n' cheese, etc. Tuesday and Wednesday were open for ideas. Thursday was Mexican or tacos for supper, and Friday we usually had pizza for supper. Saturday was always some kind of breakfast meal for supper simply because my mom grew up that way. And Sunday evening was popcorn and apples and any other snacks or leftovers in our fridge. Some of these my mom still does to this day. 

Having a basic plan for meals helped my mom tremendously when planning. If something came up, and my mom needed to change her supper plans, she would swap certain meals she had written down for the week. Or if my mom was completely exhausted and didn't feel up to making supper, we would occasionally bring something in which was always a treat. My mom was not "bound" to her meal plan; rather, her meal plan served her. And in my opinion, my mom's weekly meal planning worked beautifully. 

Just this week, I saw this neat chalkboard sign in a store and couldn't resist taking a picture. If I was a wife and mom, for just $15, I would have likely purchased it.      

How fun to write in your meal plan each week? 

In our home, breakfast and lunch have always been very simple and easy -  things that take little to no thought. Once again, I would do the same in my own home. I like simple, basic, and easy meals. In general, I don't make fancy, gourmet meals except for special events and holidays. Then, those special meals are fun, enjoyable, and very fitting. But on a day to day basis, I like simple, basic, and easy. 

 

What do breakfast and lunch look like in our home? 

Breakfast includes things like: fruit, cereal (hot or cold), toast, a bagel, an English muffin, eggs, yogurt, or a smoothie on a summer morning. (we usually just eat one item here with maybe some fruit.) 

Lunch includes things like: a sandwich, a salad, soup, or leftovers from suppers that week.

Very simple. 

Beyond meal planning, I also watched and learned how my mom incorporated fruits and vegetables into our meals. That is especially what I want to share in this post.

If you have been reading and following this blog for the past three years, you know that I have written a lot about the importance of eating more plant based foods and less animal products. When I say plant based foods, I'm referring to things like: fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, and spices. 

Plants are what God originally created for man to eat. (Genesis 1:29) If you are healthy, eating some animals products is okay, but the more plant foods you eat, the better!

Elizabeth Blackburn won a Nobel Prize for recognizing this fact! 

Amazing, isn't it?! 

Although I am not vegan myself, a vegan diet (no animal products at all) is the healthiest way to eat. Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables have the most nutrition because of being uncooked. There are so many plant based recipes on the internet today!

How did my mom incorporate fruits and vegetables into our meals in a simple way? 

For breakfast, my mom would encourage us to eat some kind of fruit like a banana, an apple, an orange, some berries, or melon with our breakfast. In the morning, your body needs more natural sugar (found in fruit) the most. 

For some reason, fruit tends to cost more than vegetables. I'm not exactly sure why that is, but my mom incorporated fruit in with breakfast. We may not have always eaten fruit with breakfast, but often, we did. So simple. So easy. 

For lunch, we usually had a sandwich or sometimes leftovers. If we had a sandwich, it was almost always peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey. (my favorite) If we hadn't eaten any fruit with breakfast, my mom would encourage us to eat some fruit with our sandwich for lunch. Or, if we had a meat and cheese sandwich (rare for us growing up) or an avocado sandwich (a special treat) my mom might serve fresh veggie slices instead of fruit - things like baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices, or bell pepper slices.

For supper, my mom almost always included a cooked vegetable or a salad with our meal. Sometimes, she would include fresh, sliced veggies like I mentioned above, something she still does to this day when she makes supper. To me, that is so simple and easy. Not hard. 

If you are on a tight budget, purchase fruit that is in season which is often sold for a better price. We eat more berries in the summer because, naturally, berries are in season and are usually cheaper then. You can never go wrong with apples, oranges, and bananas - fruit that you can usually purchase for a decent price. 

As I've gotten older, I've observed that, when it is warm outside, you don't usually want to eat things that are hot. You want colder items. God made us that way. What is in season in the spring and summer? Berries. Melons. Fresh salad vegetables. And how do we usually eat those things? We eat them in their raw form. We don't cook them. God designed that. Amazing isn't it?  

In the fall and winter when it is colder outside, what do we usually want to eat? We want food that is warmer, food that is cooked. Once again, God designed us that way. Soup and many other delicious, cooked meals are the types of things that we usually enjoy eating when it is colder outside. We have to cook things like hard squash and potatoes which are in season in the fall. God designed that. I believe God meant for us to eat more cooked vegetables in the fall and winter, and more fresh vegetables (salad stuff) in the spring and summer. Those things are in season then.      

God is so amazing, isn't He? 

Just thinking about potato soup simmering on the stove with onions and other herbs and spices is enough to get me excited about the upcoming fall season. Soup is a favorite of mine. 

Obviously, with all the grocery stores we have today, you can switch food around in any season, eating hot soup in the summer and fresh salads in the winter, but that is not what usually appeals to most people. 

After reading about meal planning and how to incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies into your meals, you might be thinking, "Duh, Erin!" Everyone knows this.  

If you are thinking that, and if you already include fresh fruits and veggies in your daily meals, good for you! It is important. 

A quick word here on animal products. There are many people who believe that eating meat every day is an absolute must. I have news for you. That is not true. 

If you feel that you must eat some meat or animal products every day, may I make a suggestion? (I wrote a post about meat on this blog awhile back, but I will share it again briefly in this post.) 

If you eat meat every day, I encourage you to limit it to once a day, not three times a day. Leaner meats like fish, turkey, and chicken are much better than beef. (stay away from all pork products completely!) 

Beef has some health benefits. I have some recipes in my recipe binder using beef, and I enjoy it. (I especially love ground beef in tacos!) However, beef and anything that comes from a cow such as milk, butter, and cheese is often high in saturated fat. Saturated fat is something that you do not want to eat a lot of. Saturated fat is not so healthy for you. It is a good idea to limit that. Dairy is not only high in saturated fat, it is also inflammatory. 

Beef and chicken are two meats that many Americans like to cook with. Chicken is a much better choice (not as much saturated fat), and today, there are so many recipes online for cooking with chicken. 

I believe that fish, especially salmon, is the best meat you can eat. Salmon is full of omega 3's. Some eggs are also a source of omega 3's. I believe eggs and fish are the best animals products you can eat.  

Suppose you had a nice vehicle that did not run the best at times, and later, you found out there was nothing wrong with your vehicle - you had just been putting the wrong fuel in it! 

The human body operates a lot like that. We don’t operate the best at times simply because we are putting the wrong fuel (food) into our body. 

To conclude this blog, someone might ask: 

If we are all going to die someday, why bother with this? Why bother learning more about health? 

As I stated when I first began this blog three years ago, having good health is one of life's greatest blessings. In many ways, health is our greatest wealth on this earth. Without good health, it can be harder to serve the Lord, serve others, serve your family, and enjoy life. 

Me personally, I want to feel good. I want to have energy. I want to be a blessing to others. I want to be healthy and fit to serve a family of my own. 

Yes, I get sick like every one else with things like the common cold and the stomach flu. We had Covid go through our home twice. I get sick with normal stuff, and I am not immune to things like cancer. I hope I never get cancer, but if I did, I have a home waiting in heaven for me. My heart is right with God, and I have been purchased with the precious blood of Christ. That is what is most important. 

While we are living here on earth, God wants us to enjoy good health as 3 John clearly states: 

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, 

even as thy soul prospereth." 3 John 1:2 

Hopefully, in some small way, I've been able to pass on some simple health tips to others through this blog.    

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, and I have no medical training. The things I share on this blog are simple, practical things that I've learned help with good health.