What suits you?
Do you like grocery shopping, or feel it is a chore?
Whether you do it for the entire month or weekly meal planning it is just plain awesome!
When you just get started it may take a good part of a day to plan out an entire month of meals but it is so worth it because………………………
- it keeps you on track for whichever dietary plan you follow
- you never wonder what’s for supper
- you have to shop less ( which I LOVE)
- you spend less on groceries ( Yup ! Honestly)
Just because my studio is in our home doesn’t mean I have all this extra time to do all these extra things. Sometimes it is just the opposite and I try really hard to keep regular studio hours as much as possible. During the crazy market season (Oct-Christmas) our meal planning is even more important because I can spend upwards of 12-16 hours a day working in the studio and we still need to eat!
Personally I meal plan for an entire month.
I have never really enjoyed grocery shopping all that much, but this system has actually changed that. Now I find it kind of challenge every month and have really lowered our groceries bills substantially.
Costco is my main grocery store of choice and I can usually get almost everything I need there. Fresh herbs, some vegetables and odd items I get at a local grocery store. But for the most part Costco is my one stop shop. Yes, I really shop once for the entire month. I pick vegetables that have a long shelf life, the ones that don’t go on the menu first and then use frozen.
We have used this system for almost two years now and I wouldn’t do it another way.
Now I have a master list of Dinners that we love and keep going back to but I am constantly adding to it . I love to cook and love Food Network so I am always adapting recipes to make them Keto friendly.
How to Start
We are pretty boring when it comes to breakfast and lunch. Remember if you are following keto, breakfast can be as simple as bullet proof coffee.
Breakfast options on our plan (2 parents, 2 adult children)
- bullet proof coffee (I’m the only one who chooses this)
- boiled eggs and breakfast sausage (my husbands go to on weekdays)
- eggs & bacon
- meal replacement shake (contact me for my go to shake)
- toast (our two adult children do not follow but still support the keto lifestyle so I always have extras for them)
Lunch options
- eggs, bacon & spinach (my go to lunch when at home)
- meal replacement shake (if I know I’m not going to be home)
- Dinner left overs (husband if he has somewhere to warm them up, or children will pick this if they work late)
- sandwiches (husband and son if they need a bag lunch)
- cheese, a meat, olives and cucumbers (another easy one if your on the go)
Snack options – don’t think that your not going to need a snack!
- boiled eggs
- cut up veggies – peppers, celery, cucumbers
- keto muffin
- keto microwave cup cake (I make one of these a couple times a month )
- apples, taco chips and salsa (for the non keto members)
Dinner options – this is endless! But here are a few of our favorites
- cheese burger salad
- chicken caesar salad
- jalapeno popper chicken over spinach
- fish taco bowls
- slow cooker buffalo chicken lettuce wraps
- stuffed peppers
- chicken wings with veggies and dip
- egg roll in a bowl
- naked sheet pan nachos
- taco Tuesdays! ( lettuce leaf “shell” for me)
Time to Plan
There are so many options it is literally endless, but once you choose a few then its time to start planning.
This is the planner I designed and use, feel free to use it as well
Remember I am boring so breakfast and lunch at our house is usually the same thing day after day, be adventurous, have more options, or be as boring as me lol.
Then slot in your dinners. I leave most Mondays and Thursdays for left overs
Once you have everything written out get your recipes together and start making your grocery list!
On your shopping day be sure to get everything on your list even if you have to make a couple more stops. The last thing you want to do is say “I can get that another day” that just leads to over spending and getting “extras” on a second trip.
Once you get everything home, take time to portion out your meats per meal, label them, and pop them in the freezer. You can even take the extra step and pre prep any slow cooker meals or casseroles and pop those in the freezer as well. Just be sure to mark down the date that it is scheduled to be used.
Enjoy
Your done! Enjoy a month of stress free yummy food and remember if you have to skip over a meal for any reason, no worries, thats an extra meal next month.
I hope this helps you all and come along with me every week as we keep living a keto and creative lifestyle here in the sandhills of Manitoba.
