The Secrets of Stress-Free Cooking: What is Meal Planning?
Many of us are finding our lives becoming much busier, and dedicating time to prepare different tasty, nutritious meals every night can seem like too much effort. Fortunately, HelloFresh has a solution that will help take the stress out of planning your daily meals.
Meal planning is a simple process that involves creating a set list of recipes to be cooked during the week. It is a useful way to organise your weekly meals and ensure you always know what to prepare each night. That way, you won’t ever be caught short by the lack of preparation or ingredients.
There are many more reasons why creating a weekly meal planner is a good idea. Not only does having a meal plan take the stress out of preparing meals, it can help you stick to a more nutritious eating pattern. Planning meals can help save money by reducing the temptation to eat out at expensive restaurants or get takeaway, and it also cuts down on food waste.
Here at HelloFresh, we aim to take the stress out of preparing meals by offering meal kits filled with a variety of fresh ingredients and delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes. To help create your own weekly meal plan, download our free meal planner template below.
Transform Your Kitchen Routine and Enjoy the Benefits of Meal Planning
Meal planning not only makes meal preparation much easier but also a lot more enjoyable. Let’s look at some of the main benefits of meal planning when it comes to your kitchen routine.Perhaps the most noticeable benefit of meal planning is how it saves time on meal preparation. You will no longer feel stressed trying to come up with something new and interesting every night, only to fall back on the same old recipes because you lack time or ingredients for anything new. With all meals planned out in advance, you can take the time and effort out of your kitchen routine.
Another big advantage of meal planning is that it helps you save money. Instead of expensive trips to the supermarket or local store for those last minute ingredients, you will have everything you need ready ahead of time. In addition, by having the right ingredients on hand, you can cut down on food wastage, which helps the environment in the long run.
Finally, meal planning is the perfect way to ensure you stick to any health or dietary goals. Without a plan in mind, it can be easy to slip into unhealthy eating habits, such as takeaway orders from fast food outlets. Having an established meal plan helps you keep on top of your diet, especially with HelloFresh’s range of healthy recipes.
Plan Like a Pro: How to Create a Weekly Meal Plan
Now that we’ve established the benefits of meal planning, you might be wondering where to start. Here are some tips to help you start family meal planning like a pro each week.First, set aside enough time to create a weekly meal plan. This can be on weekends or any time that you feel you can create a plan without interruptions or distractions. By taking the time to make your plan you can ensure you have everything ready when it comes to time to prepare meals.
Next, consider what recipes you want to include in your weekly meal planner. Include the name of the recipe as well as any ingredients you need to prepare it. This will enable you to prepare meals ahead of time and make sure you have everything you need.
Finally, as you create your meal plan, check to see what ingredients you have available. If any ingredients are missing or you don’t have enough, include them in your next shopping trip. With HelloFresh, you will always receive the exact amount of ingredients you need for each recipe, but it is always a good idea to check beforehand to avoid any unnecessary emergency shopping trips.
Meal Planning in 6 Easy Steps
Allocate Time for Planning
Make sure to set aside enough time each week for meal planning. Try to pick a time when you are less likely to be disturbed or distracted.
Inventory Check
For each recipe, check to see what you currently have available to use. If you need extra ingredients, include them on your next shopping visit to ensure you're well-stocked.
Favourite Meals & New Recipes
Try to find a balance between what you know and love and new recipes you wish to try. This helps keep the meal planning fun and dynamic.
Use Leftovers Creatively
Rather than letting leftover food go to waste, find ways to reuse it in new recipes. This not only helps the environment but also saves you money.
Cook in Bulk
Rather than trying to cook each ingredient separately, learn how to cook multiple dishes and recipes at once. This helps you cut down on meal preparation time.
Optimise Ingredients
Check to see what ingredients can be used for multiple recipes, and try to have enough in stock each week. The more you can reuse the same ingredients, the better.
Meet Your New Kitchen Companion: HelloFresh
Meal planning offers the perfect solution to organising your kitchen routine and making meals easier to prepare. You can improve your routine even further by signing up for a HelloFresh meal kit subscription.HelloFresh is a meal delivery service that offers delicious, easy-to-prepare, and affordable recipes every week. All you need to do is sign up and choose your recipes. We will then deliver the ingredients to you, along with recipe cards that make preparing meals easy.
With HelloFresh’s diverse range of recipes on offer, you can easily use them to complement your existing meal plan. From family favourites like homestyle beef meatballs & cheesy mash to international cuisine dishes like Southeast Asian chicken & garlic rice, we offer a wide range of recipes to add to your fridge meal planner. We also cater for all diets and food preferences, including veggie, low-carb and flexitarian diet options.
Best of all, HelloFresh provides all you need to make delicious meals in every delivery. No more trips to the supermarket for any missing ingredients. We provide high-quality ingredients, pre-measured to give you exactly what you need, freshly sourced from local producers. You can always be sure you have exactly what you need for your weekly meal planner with HelloFresh.
Reduce Waste and Discover Unique Ingredients Delivered to Your Door
Have you ever spent time in your local supermarket trying to locate that one unique ingredient, only to find it either sold out, too expensive, or in the wrong size for your needs? If so, you’ll love the way that HelloFresh provides you with the right ingredients delivered directly to your door.When you sign up to HelloFresh and select your choices from our recipe collection, we do the rest of the shopping for you. No matter how rare or unusual the ingredient, if it’s in our recipe, we’ll provide it for you in your weekly delivery, sourced fresh from local suppliers. This offers the perfect opportunity to explore foods and spices that you may never have tried before.
Not only do we provide you with unique ingredients not easily found in stores, but we always ensure they are in the right amounts. All ingredients are pre-portioned before delivery so that you always have just the right amount for your meals. Not only does this mean you only pay for what you need, but it also helps reduce food wastage overall.
Delicious Recipes to Complement Your Weekly Meal Plan
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Meal Planning FAQs
What is meal planning?
Meal planning is the process of listing all the recipes to prepare in advance, as well as any ingredients needed to prepare each meal. It allows you to organise your meals better, reducing the risk of stress or last-minute shopping trips for missing ingredients.
What timeframe should a meal planner cover?
While you can set any timeframe you prefer for your meal plan, the best timeframe is usually a week. This will help you plan out meals in advance but not too far ahead that you might lose track.
How can meal planners help with feeding kids who are picky eaters?
Kids can be choosy when it comes to meals, and having a meal plan ensures fewer surprises in store, especially when it comes to meal times. You can always involve your kids in the meal planning process so that they can choose what they like ahead of time, and you can prepare them for any new recipes in advance.
Can meal planning help me save money?
Meal planning helps you stick to a set diet and reduces the risk of expensive shopping trips or fast food deliveries. With HelloFresh, you can also save money by having pre-portioned ingredients delivered straight to your door.
How can I use leftovers effectively in my meal plan?
If you have any leftovers, consider using them in other recipes rather than throwing them away. With HelloFresh, you will only get the amount of ingredients you need for each meal, thus reducing the risk of leftover ingredients or food.