Hi there, my name is Erica, and I am the BFC Virtual Dietetic Assistant! You may have heard my name mentioned in a few LIVES from Steph, as I have helped with graphics, handouts, social posts, presentations, and more. Over the years, Steph and I have had many conversations about meal planning, and we are noticing many differences between our two families.

First, a little about me. I graduated from Kansas State University (go, Cats!) this past May with my Bachelor of Science in nutrition and health, Bachelor of Science in Dietetics, and Minor in gerontology. I have been married to my husband Tj for almost 21 years, and we have two boys (Jarett and Tyler).

Both my husband and oldest son are in the military, too! I am lucky to be able to work from home for two dietitian practices. Still, I will soon apply for a dietetic internship and Master’s degree program.

Pssst! Grab a free mini menu for three simple dinners that won’t overwhelm you!

How we make food work for us

While my oldest lives in another state, we often talk about planning meals that work for him. My husband is an Army recruiter and is on the go constantly, so finding breakfasts or lunches that work for him is another challenge. Shew, that’s a lot of info all at once! But all that being said, meal planning can feel overwhelming at times!

It is abundantly clear that every person, family, and household has challenges when planning out meals. Some weeks are amazing with planning, preparing, and even consuming meals. While other weeks can feel like a dreadful attempt to figure out what we want to eat.

When planning out your meals, it’s helpful to know a few things :

1 What is your meal plan goal?
2 What has yet to work for you in the past?
3 What meal plan style works best for you (now)?

>>> So, what is my family’s meal plan goal?

That part is easy for me to answer.  We strive to create balanced and flavorful meals that everyone will enjoy. This sometimes means considering substitutions. I really like to create meals that have shared ingredients. This can help with food storage, costs, and food waste.

Once or twice a week, I ask for input from my family on what they would like to eat over the next few days.

For example, I always ask my 18-year-old son (Jarett) what fruit he wants for that week. This can be apples, pears, grapes, oranges, you name it.

^ It will be something that can be added to a dish or even paired with a snack throughout the week.

I mentioned substitutions, and that’s because not everyone in our house care for the same types of foods. My husband (Tj) loves foods like steak, burgers, chicken, broccoli, green beans, and undressed salad. While Jarett, Tyler, and I will try just about anything, but we only care for some red meats.

Planning meals is extremely personalized to your household situation. I have tried many things over the years and seasons, and I *think* I finally found a groove that works for us (at least for now)!

But first, here is what didn’t work for my family:

Freezing prepared foods in advance.

I really tried to be the person who can make and freeze foods ahead of time.

I’m so bad at leaving items in the large freezer and forgetting about them. Plus, this feels like leftover food, and sometimes people don’t want to eat it. We will try to do leftovers, but more often than not, they are thrown out. (Ya, I know…)

My work around?

I will prep the protein or veggies a day or so in advance and keep them in a safe container in the fridge. I pay close attention to make only enough to eat once or twice (depending if the ingredient is used in two or more recipes).

Delivery meal kits

I have tried various meal delivery services over the years. These work some weeks, but sometimes the flavors aren’t what we want. We do put these in rotation once or twice a year because my youngest enjoys making the dishes.

Over the last month, planning meals has been slightly different in my house. We recently made a military move from one state to another. That meant we had to eat and meal plan with the food we had on hand. Sound daunting?

Surprisingly it was not. Little did I realize I had been setting our kitchen up for success!

Here is what DOES work for us

Having go-to quick meals in the freezer, fridge, or pantry

One of our favorites is sheet pan dinners with…

Protein: chicken sausage or turkey kielbasa
Veggies: frozen broccoli, carrots, or asparagus
Carbs: gnocchi or stuffed tortellini

Have another person help with planning

Again, I know that not everyone will say what they want to eat for that week. So make it simple.

Ask them to pick a protein or veggie they are interested in and find a dish with those items to prepare.

When my kids were younger, I would find ways to get them involved with meal planning. At the grocery store, they would pick one or two items (and it could be any protein, vegetable, or fruit) that they would like to try.

We would find a recipe and prepare that ingredient together. This was a fun way to incorporate new foods and practice planning / preparing meals.

We always have a DIY IT day each week.

People call this night different things. We see BFC members put OWO on their meal plans which means “on your own.”

This can be a mix of leftover foods or eat something they want from the pantry, freezer, or fridge. By all means, these dishes are not elaborate.

However, I should point out that my boys are amazing cooks, and sometimes they would pick a meal they would like to plan and prepare for that week for the entire household. You may have a top chef in your house!

Keep a list of favorite recipes

I’ve worked with Steph at Bariatric Food Coach for over two years, and I will be the first to tell you that I LOVE using their website to navigate and plan meals!

Her recipes are a short list of ingredients I often already have at the house. I also know that most recipes are focused on lean protein – therefore, I do not have to worry about that!

Not to mention, I do not have to stress about leftovers. Plus, she has a keyword search on the side of the page. So if we know we want chicken – I click the button, and many recipes pop up!

Some of our favorite BFC recipes are:

Banana Nut Protein Pancakes

Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Kickin Chipotle Beef Burgers

Turkey Sausage and Veggies Packet

Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Keep it Simple

If planning out an entire week’s worth of meals feels overwhelming. (Because, by golly, sometimes I have no idea what we will be craving in a few days.) Then remember, try to keep everything simple as possible!

Plan and purchase meals for the next 2-3 days (Steph has some “mini menus” for just 3 nights to make it less overwhelming! Grab your free one here!)

Not a fan of shopping, use grocery pick up or delivery – it is a HUGE help, and some stores do this free or even provide special coupons for this service!

If I go inside the grocery store, I put my grocery list in the “checkout” cart section of the store app. This helps me keep an eye on the price of groceries and be mindful of what I intend to buy inside the store!

I know this is a lot of information. But I wanted to let you know that you are not alone and try to not let meal planning overwhelm you.

Check out the Meal Planning Styles blog written by Steph to see what your style is like. If you feel like you need some additional support, always feel free to reach out and ask.