The Benefits of Flexible Meal Planning (and Why I Can't Always Do It)

So, truth here, I just don't prioritize meal planning. Most of the time I plan dinner a day or two in advance. Sometimes, I plan it that very morning. And I admit, there are times I "plan" dinner as I'm pulling leftovers and odds/ends out of the fridge at 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

All that said, there is a huge benefit to meal planning in advance, even just 3 days in advance. The real benefit to me in meal planning is I can consolidate prep work that either I dislike or is time-consuming by doing it all in one block.

Time Savings

If I have planned 3 dinners in advance that will use chopped onions, minced garlic, or cooked rice, I can do all of that work for all three meals in one go. I may not need the onions for all three meals, but I may need them for 2 of the 3. Ditto with the rice or garlic. I may want sliced carrots to use in some way with 2 of the meals. I can do that prep work for both in one afternoon.

It may not seem like much time savings, but if I save time by combining some of the prep for multiple meals, those minutes can add up. It takes an extra minute or two to get ingredients out or wash carrots or wash the cutting board/clean up strays from the counter each time I perform that task. I may save 5 or 10 minutes when I combine the pre- and post- work for multiple days. 

The Unpleasant

I also get that less pleasant work out of the way, so the remaining nights of the week are simply a matter of combining pre-prepped ingredients. I'm not a fan of chopping onions or peeling lots of garlic, especially those small cloves of garlic.

The Real World

Let me give you an example of how this played out in my own kitchen this week. I planned 4 dinners in one go. I treated prepping the 4 dinners as a single batch, allowing me to complete the meal prep for each in minutes on their night. 

The meals were: 1) meat and vegetable stuffed cabbage leaves with rice, winter squash ,and tomatoes on the side, 2) teriyaki chicken and vegetables with watermelon, leftover squash and leftover rice, 3) pot-roasted beef with carrots, onions, celery, gravy, bread and butter, and tomatoes on the side, and 4) leftover beef and gravy on bread with whatever vegetables and fruit need using at that point.

I prepped all of the onions, garlic, and celery that I would need for those 4 days. I cooked extras (squash and rice) and planned for their use as the week progressed. It doesn't read on your screen as a lot of work taken care of in advance. But it made a huge difference in the ease it created as I cooked the remaining meals of the week.

At the same time that I planned these 4 dinners I sifted through the chest freezer to find the meat I would need and placed those in the fridge to thaw. This chore definitely saved time doing it in one go than if I'd done this 3 times separately. Although I recently emptied and reorganized the freezer spaces I have, finding a particular cut of meat that I want is still something of a challenge.

How it actually turns out, I wind up making the main dish that I've planned. But for me it's perfectly okay to be flexible with the side dishes, adding or subbing what most needs using in that moment. I may add some fresh fruit to the meal or sub out one of the veggies or starch dishes, but the main will be what I planned. A little flexibility goes a long way. When I am too rigid in adhering to the original plan, I push too hard to make the original plan work, but things go wrong.

Meal planning cuts down on the daily stress of decision fatigue. After that initial plan is made, I know what I'm making for the rest of the stretch of days. It saves time as I can prep large batches of ingredients to be used over many days. And it saves money. I have time to consider the budget-friendly ingredients that I have on hand. I make a plan for using the leftovers before the meal is even served, so waste is minimized. And I avoid last-minute runs to pick up fast food.

Does meal planning require one to sit down at a desk or table in order to plan? You could do it that way. But I don't. I do the planning while I am taking care of another task. This past week's meal plan came together as I harvested tomatoes.

Am I likely to meal plan every week? No. Flat-out no. I don't like to be too rigid about anything I do, including making myself meal plan every week. Forcing myself to do a task like this is the surest way for me to fail, and then feel badly about myself for failing.

But I may meal plan again next week, if I feel like it. I may make a plan for 3 or 4 nights, but not the full 7. Or I may plan the main dish for all 7, but not for the sides. Or I may simply plan what protein I'll use each night, but not assign it any particular recipe. I'll see how I feel when next week rolls around.

How do you feel about meal planning? Have you done this over a long stretch of time now or in the past? What would be the biggest benefit to you if you meal planned?