[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] I[/dropcap]s meal planning something you struggle with?
Well you’re definitely not alone!
Whenever I talk to Stonesoup readers about their biggest cooking problems, meal planning it always near the top of the list.
Last minute changes in plans and chaotic schedules are some of the most common problems.
As is the fact that meal plans often ‘fall apart’ because you don’t ‘feel like’ eating what you’d planned to cook that night.
Then there were the people who struggle to come up with new ideas and feel bored with their current meal routine.
And running through all this is the costly problem of wasted ingredients and leftovers going bad and having to be thrown out.
What IS the No. 1 Meal Planning Mistake?
It’s deciding what you’re going to cook in advance and then building your shopping list around that plan.
Having a list of set recipes or dishes is problematic for a number of reasons…
First, it takes a lot of time to figure it all out in advance.
But the biggest problem is the lack of flexibility to cope with the changes that naturally come up with modern life.
It’s nearly impossible to predict that Wednesday is going to be unseasonably cold and you’ll be craving a comforting bowl of soup, rather than the light salad you had in the meal plan.
No wonder meal plans tend to get broken…
How Do I Avoid This Mistake?
You just need to learn how to ‘reverse’ the process.
It may sound a little scary, but in practice it’s a really liberating way of approaching meal planning.
And it’s actually much quicker and easier than traditional meal plans.
Shopping and cooking this way, based on what looks best, is a skill that anyone can learn which is why I wrote the ‘2-Minute Meal Plan‘.
Speaking of which…
2 Minute Meal Plan eCookbook
The 2-Minute Meal Plan is easily the most unusual book that I’ve ever written because it shows you the easiest way to ‘reverse’ your meal plan and cook with the ingredients you have on hand using ‘template recipes’.
This frees you from the constraints of shopping lists and traditional recipes while providing the support you need to get healthy meals on the table with minimum fuss or effort.
For more details go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/2mmp/
Big love,
Jules x
ps. Not sure if the ‘2-Minute Meal Plan’ can help YOU?
Here’s what Rellie and Juliana have said about it…
“Your book has changed my life! I LOVE it! I am the crappiest cook ever but my confidence has soared (as have the amount of meals my family actually eat!) It is so simple and easy to follow.”
Rellie, 2MMP owner
“Brilliant book. The title doesn’t quite do the book justice. I know how to cook, I know how to shop, I know how to plan…I didn’t really NEED your book, but I love it! There is something fresh about this book. The template recipes are us such a nice change from a regular cook book. Thank you and keep up the good work.”
Juliana, 2MMP owner
pps. Here’s the link again:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/2mmp/
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Being a college student, I totally relate to this. Meal planning is something that has yet to work for me in my four years of living on my own. I’ve tried time and time again, but it always fails. I’ve found my crockpot to be really helpful, other than meats, what do you use a crockpot for?
Hi Jessie! I don’t have a crockpot because I prefer to just slow cook things in my oven… But if you’re looking for meat alternatives beans are great slow cooked as are soups and curries…
Jx
I’ve done it both ways.
Meal planning a week in advance, shopping on the weekend, does generally work for me. But I am a planner in all facets of life :)
But recently, I’ve switched it up. I still plan what five meals I want to cook in a week, but now that winter is over, I don’t mind passing by the store on my way home to get whatever vegetables look good. I’m not wedded to a particular dish and can switch it up. I still get canned goods etc. on the weekend. This is also less stress inducing for me because my partner’s mother will often call us at the last minute to come over for dinner and then I am stressed about having vegetables go bad and thus in a bad mood because my plan was disrupted!
Love it Heather! Having that flexibility is key!
Jx
Jules, your timing couldn’t be better for this offer – when I went shopping yesterday there were three major ingredients I couldn’t find, which meant three meals I’d have to re-plan… Needless to say, I have invested in the ebook. :-) I’m not certain how this is going to work for me, as I’m older and pretty set in my ways. Plus I have a large collection of recipes I really like. So it will be interesting to see what happens. My experience yesterday made it clear that it’s time to be doing something different, and just when I needed it you came to the rescue. Thank you for that. And congratulations on the 3-year anniversary of this book. As with your other books, I’m sure I’ll get something good from this one.
Thanks for your support Susan! Look forward to hearing how you get on with it! You can still use your favourites as a base and tweak them as required…
Jx
What a great article! Thank you for posting! It is so true. I can tend to have these grand ideas for meals for the week and then life comes into play. You can still have beautiful meals as long as you keep your recipes flexible. Thank you for posting!
PS….that sweet potato hummus sounds amazing.
Thanks Michelle!
And I can’t say enough good things about the sweet potato hummus!
Jx
It seems you have found a good hole in the cookbook niche and filled it! I’m like most others, suck at planning and then sticking to it.
Anyway, great idea and well priced, I hope sales are going well for you :)
Thx Stu!
hi jules, may i ask what kind of tahini did you use in this recipe? thanks :)
Hi Pia
I just use regular hulled tahini (I find the unhulled one tastes too healthy… and not in a good way)
Jx