Being a mum of four and buying, cooking and preparing six meals, three times a day can be challenging. 

Sometimes even after all that hard work, they will turn their nose up at it. 

One thing that saves me time, money and stress is to meal plan. By meal planning, I can get healthy and nutritious food into my little ones most days of the week, which just would not have been possible otherwise.

Meal planning saves money

If you plan ahead, you can pick up what is on offer in your local supermarket. You can use veg that is in-season which is always a plus and by planning exactly what you will use, you are saving yourself virtually any waste by the end of the week.

It saves you time mid-week

Although it may take a little more time to do all your planning and shopping, when it comes to preparing dinner each week it will save you so much time.

It helps get the nutrients in

When you meal plan, you can plan exactly what veg and nutrients you and your family will be getting with each meal. 

It allows for change

If you are cooking unplanned meals and shopping without a list, chances are you are cooking the old reliables. Which is great as you know everyone will eat them but after a while, they do get a little bit boring!  

If you feel like meal planning is something you would like to do here are some helpful tips to get started:

Start small

Don’t try to do it all in one go. It will only end up overwhelming and hard work. Start by prepping two meals a week. You can then work up to three until you are at five. You will find your own way and what really works for your family. 

Put your pen to paper

It may seem obvious but really planning out your meals is essential. If you have some favourite cookbooks save the recipe pages and write down all of the ingredients beforehand. Note how much time you will need to prepare and also to cook. Write down all the ingredients you will need and how you are going to use them. 

Make a list

As mentioned, when you have your meals planned out, make a supermarket shopping list. It helps you save time when you are there but also stops you from buying things you don’t need or potentially won't use.