creating a meal plan
save money, eat healthier, stress less about what's for dinner
Welcome to mamaeats, a twice-weekly newsletter (Tues. & Sat.) inspired by a simple + seasonal home life. I’m a mother of three, avid reader, gardener, and home cook who focuses on nourishing, whole food meals with a focus on plants. This newsletter is my labor of love, and it means so much that you are here. If you are not already, and are able to do so, please consider becoming a subscriber to support my work here. This gives you access to all the archives and recipes (find the recipe index here), as well as cook-along videos which go along with most recipes.
A bit of housekeeping before we begin- for the next week (through April 12th), I am offering a spring sale of 20% off annual subscriptions.
As I mentioned in my newsletter on simple finances, I cook almost all of our meals at home and have always done so, for many reasons: the food is healthier, it’s more economical, creates less waste, it’s how I was raised, and I find cooking a pleasure most of the time. It soothes me, smoothing the edges of the day over and taking me out of my head. We also have a small backyard garden which means that there is usually something that needs cooking or eating, I joke that I’m always processing food.
This newsletter today is intended to flesh out the “how” behind my weekly meal plan newsletters- how I arrive there, and some little tips on how to make the process more efficient. I think with the warnings of recession and prices of everything increasing steadily, many people are looking to cut expenses, and I think cooking at home is one of the best ways to do that, while also enjoying the many other benefits described above.
I used to just fly by the seat of my pants, and figure out what to cook in the early evening, but as our children get older and everyone’s schedules swell, I have found a meal plan to be an essential. It takes away the stress and annoyance of thinking about what make each night, creating mental space for other things. It also means that I can plan ahead and spread the prep work over a few days, if needed, and that I save quite a bit of money by only purchasing only what I need. Here’s my process- if you’re not used to meal planning, it may seem like a lot- I’ve tried to explain everything well- but it actually takes me very little time.
how I do it:
The first thing is to take a quick stock check: a look in the pantry and freezer to