By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. --Benjamin Franklin

​While the title may be a bit dramatic, it’s also pretty accurate when you think about how it can apply to your life & MEAL PLANNING.  A key to succeeding at any goal – be it a strategic business goal or a personal health & wellness goal – is to have a SMART goal that acts as your PLAN. “I want to be better at planning my meals” is more of a desire than a goal.  A SMART goal around meal planning would be “I will prepare at least 5 dinners this week from food on hand, eating dinner out no more than 2 times”.  

• The second statement is much more Specific – you are going to be preparing dinners more and eating out less, pretty straightforward. 
• It’s Measurable – you can count how many dinners you made and how many you ate out.  Now, I hope this isn’t the case – but don’t forget to count any dinners that you failed to eat.  Your goal is 5+2=7, to be successful you need to eat all 7 dinners!
• The goal is Achievable (for some, maybe not you) – it takes into consideration that you have, or will, grocery shop and have the ingredients, knowledge & skill to prepare the meals you and your family want for those 5 dinners. 
• It is also Realistic – assuming you grocery shop and prepare meals on a routine basis… if you haven’t prepared a meal at home in a month, starting with 5 dinners in a week may be unrealistic.  And if you prepare every meal at home, this goal isn’t for you either! Remember, while the strategy is the same for business & personal goals – meal planning isn’t likely a Key Performance Indicator for you and you can adjust the goal to be more realistic for you and/or your family. 
• Additionally, this goal is Time-bound: you have 1 week to meet your goal.  You will either succeed and repeat/improve or miss the mark, see where you have opportunities and adjust your goal or make a plan to address your gaps.   In order for the goal to be achievable and realistic, it’s important to know where you are starting. 

So, stop for a minute and ask yourself two questions (referring to the 6 statements below): “What is my current level of meal planning?”   and “What level of planning do I want to reach for?”     

1. I write a plan for all meals for my family for each week.
2. I write a plan of 1 or 2 meals each day for a couple days ahead.
3. I think about meals for the next few days & foods I will need before going to the grocery store.
4. I think about the meal I am going to eat or fix when I get to the grocery store.
5. I think about what to order while driving into a fast food restaurant/calling for take-out
6. I think about what I am going to fix or eat when I am hungry and my family is ready to eat

Where you are in your meal planning and where you PLAN (not want) to go will guide your specific next steps, here’s a few things to get you started with your plan:

1. Reference “MyPlate” for a guide on how much of each food group you need based on your age, height, weight and activity level. 
2. Dedicate time each week for meal planning.  It’s an important meeting with yourself that you shouldn’t cancel.
3. Think about cooking extra to use leftovers for another meal.  Either exactly the same for lunch or dinner the next day or use it another way, tonight’s leftover grilled chicken, corn & veggies will be great chopped and tossed with lettuce, olive oil, lemon juice and a handful of raw veggies for a satisfying salad tomorrow!
4. Prepare as much as you can all at once to save you time.  Personally I do not like to mess up my kitchen (the way that I do when I cook) more than once a week.  There are some things that can’t be prepped ahead of time, but most veggies can be sliced or diced, meat can be marinated or even cooked and grains can definitely be batched cooked.
5. Prepare your grocery list according to the layout of the store.  This helps ensure you won’t get home and realize you forget a pretty key ingredient.  Also, keep this list handy to you and the family and add to it as you run out of things throughout the week.
6. Keep you pantry (fridge & freezer too) staples well stocked.  A balanced meal is fruits/veggies, lean protein & whole grain.  Can you think of at least 1 item from each of these groups that you can keep on hand for a last-minute meal?  I’ll help: Frozen spinach, frozen cooked grilled chicken breast, can of unsalted diced tomatoes and whole wheat noodles.
7. Use the FIFO (First In First Out) method to avoid food waste.  Base your next meal or snack on what is going to go bad first.  Have some bananas that are really ripe?  Peel & toss them into the freezer to use in smoothies later or mash them up & create some Energy Bites [RECIPE BELOW].
8. Get input and buy-in from those who you share meals with.  This will go along way towards success (again, similar to your business goals and getting the key stakeholders on board!).
9. Practice portion control.  This is especially important if you are planning to use some of the food for another meal.  Portion what you need to save and put it in the refrigerator right away to ensure the safety of the food – both from food borne illnesses as well as second-dinner sneaks that may lurk in your house.
10. Repeat successes.  Keep track of meal plans you and your family really liked and rotate through them – you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every week!

My Back Up Plan: Salmon Salad

​Ironically, I was invited to present “Meal Planning Strategies” at a worksite earlier this week.  In preparing for my presentation, I let my meal prep portion of my plan slip.  The night I came home from the presentation I had to go with a back-up plan and re-work the rest of the week to be sure nothing went to waste!
 
Some of my most favorite meals have come about as a result of needing to rely on staples or leftovers for a back-up plan.  What is your favorite or go-to “back-up meal”? or is it a drive thru ;)

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Energy Bites
Makes 20 large or 60 small bites

• 2 small ripe bananas (or 1 really large)
• 1/3 cup nut/seed butter (I’ve had success with both peanut & sunflower seed)
• Dash Cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp honey, optional
• 2 ½ cups Old Fashioned Oats
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Mash banana and thoroughly mix in the next 3 ingredients, as well as honey if using.   Add in the oats and chips, mix and cover.  Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make forming the bites less stressful!
1 large or 3 small bites prepared as above will provide 100 calories, 4g fat, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein