Whether you’re new to eating low carb or been following a whole foods lifestyle for years, I hope to give you some meal planning tips for success that can save you time and money AND help you reach your health and lifestyle goals. Following a low carb lifestyle that prioritizes protein doesn’t have to be expensive especially if you take time to plan ahead. Low carb (and keto) can be successful no matter what your budget is!

These tips will save you so much time and energy and you’ll no longer be standing in front of the fridge asking “What’s for dinner?”. Going to the fridge and finding “ingredients” with no plan can make it seem easier to just order in pizza. Having a plan can help you stick to your healthy eating goals.

Now don’t panic and think you need to plan every single meal for your entire week – the goal is to plan some of them and leave a few negotiable spots to allow for leftovers or an evening out (but still within your healthy eating plan). At the end of this blog post you will find a FREE  meal planner template that you can use to plan and make your weekly meals a success!

The first step is to check your schedule and see what’s happening in the week ahead. Some days can be very hectic and trying to cook a meal may be asking too much of yourself. This might be a day to just take a meal out of the freezer that you prepared ahead of time and just thaw, reheat and serve. Easy peasy! Pick out the days that time allows for cooking and plan your meals and put them onto your planner and mark the days you are reheating a dish from the freezer or dining out.

Check your freezer/pantry/fridge and see what you have that you can use. Are there veggies that need to be used? What do you have in your freezer for protein? Knowing what you already have on hand will save time and money and might just inspire a meal in that weeks meals plan. I always place fresh produce into the fridge sort of in the order it needs to be used – put the more perishable items to the front and things that can sit a bit longer to the back of the drawer so that when you open the fridge, you are reminded of what needs to be eaten next.

Peruse the weekly grocery store flyers for an idea of what types of recipes you should choose. If you find a fantastic sale on something and can afford to buy 1 or two extra for the freezer or plan a double recipe of something that freezes well, do it! We always buys extras of things so we can almost always throw together something with quality ingredients. Shopping the flyers and using coupons is a great way to save money. Also consider shopping with your local farmers market or local farmer. We buy several things directly from the farm and we also plant a garden!

Choosing your recipes is the fun part especially when you’ve found a sale on something you’d love to have for dinner that week! When you’ve done the first 3 steps above you’re well on your way to enjoying a tasty week ahead! I wouldn’t attempt more than one new recipe a week unless you love being in the kitchen and cooking. If cooking is not your forte, choose simple recipes with fewer ingredients until you feel comfortable. Your meal planning can be as simple as cooking a protein – pork chops – and adding a side of sheet pan Brussels sprouts or as complicated as a low carb lasagne! Keep a binder with recipes and meal ideas you like so you can repeat them and make planning quick and simple.

Now you want to put your recipes into the planner – you can use an app, spreadsheet, chalkboard, calendar, the template at the end or any other way you want. You may want to skip this step but it’s a good idea to have your meal plan written out somewhere that’s visible so you can see it and stick to it. Plan your meals to use fresh ingredients up sooner than a meal that is all from frozen ingredients. You’ll throw out less. When we get to the end of the week, I tend to make a dinner that is an “everything omelette”. I take that ¼ of an onion, the couple of mushrooms, 2 strips of bacon, left over chicken and whatever other bits are in the fridge and toss it in – they do need to be suitable for an omelette and those are some of the best omelettes!

Now it’s time to make your grocery list – shop in your pantry/fridge/freezer first and then make a list of what you actually need to buy. There are plenty of shopping list apps – we use AnyList and we can share it and add to it. If you’re not an app lover, pen and paper works too! I love the app because I add things (and so can Dan) and it organizes it into categories of items that are usually together in the store – think produce or dairy items. When you shop, stick to your list and I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, don’t go grocery shopping hungry! Buy what’s on the list and get out!

Fantastic! You did it, meal plan complete! Each week you do this, it will get faster and easier. You’ll save time and money AND it will help you stay on track with your health and weight loss goals. Making a plan is rewarding and you will feel good about sticking to it! And as promised, here is your FREE meal planner template that you can download and print off as often as you need! Happy planning!