Happy New Year!
If you are like half of all Americans, you probably made a 2024 New Years Resolution to
1) spend less money
and
2) get healthy by exercising more and eating better
In my 16 years as a dietitian, I've learned that the #1 most effective goal you can make to save money and eat better is to:
Meal plan
Kinda boring huh?
If you.....
Plan 5-7 days worth of meals (using some tips from a dietitian)
Only buy the foods you need to make those meals
Cook the meals you planned (don't go out to eat)
You will eat healthy and save money.
But if you......
Plan meals
buy ice cream and soda in addition to what you need at the store
go out to eat instead of cooking what's on your meal plan
You won't save money or eat well
The trick is to have self control at the following 2 points in time:
#1 at the store (when you don't waste money on food you don't need)
and
#2 at home (when you actually cook what you planned to cook, and prepare lunches/snacks to take to work so you aren't tempted to eat out)
Easier said than done right?
The key to successful meal planning is to have a Registered Dietitian help you.
If you are interested in meal planning ask your Family Advocate to schedule a free visit with the DDI Vantage Registered Dietitian.
You can also Subscribe to this blog (hover on the word "blog" at the top of the page) to get an email every time I post a blog about meal planning. I plan to post about meal planning every Tuesday for the next 4 weeks in January 2024.
Happy New Year!
PS
Here's my meal plan for the week.
Saturday: taco soup for lunch, early new years party snacks for dinner
Sunday: Big green salad with apples, pecans, sweet potatoes and homemade croutons
Monday: cheese fondue with apple, mushroom, broccoli and whole wheat bread dippers
Tuesday: elk stew + homemade whole wheat cornbread + orange slices
Wednesday: spaghetti squash topped with ground elk goulash + orange slices
Thursday: broccoli + walnut stir fry over brown rice + pineapple
Friday: meal plan grocery shop
I'll go through it piece by piece over the next 4 weeks to show you everything I think about when planning a menu so that I'll actually cook what's on it.