As a military spouse, I need truly simple meal ideas—quick, healthy foods that will fit between a 4 pm baseball drop off and 7 pm ballet pickup. I usually check out Real Simple magazine while waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store, but even these “simple” ideas often seem too complicated for my busy life.
My podcast, The Military Spouse Show, is for motivated military spouses who care about their health, wealth, and relationships. Take my word for it: meal planning directly—and positively—affects each of these areas of your life. Planning your meals in advance will help you eat healthier, save money, and make mealtime less stressful, all of which will give you more time to connect with your busy family.
Don’t let meal planning intimidate you—customized meal planning should make our lives easier! Stick to a meal planning method that works for your individual style and your family’s unique schedule.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all guide to meal planning, these eight tips can easily be adapted to make meal planning easier and more fun. Try them out and let me know what works best for you and share your favorite tips with other spouses here or I will share on my next podcast.
Military Spouses That Meal Plan Swear By It! Have You Tried It Yet?
Meal planning can seem daunting at first, but if you remind yourself why you’re doing it and stick to your guns, you’ll save both time and money.
Schedule some down time for this prep work, maybe Sunday morning over a cup of tea. I already plan out my week on Sundays, so when I committed to meal planning, I just added that to my existing habit.
Once a week, I try to plan three nice dinners in advance. There’s no need to plan a full meal for every night of the week—I can fill up the remaining nights with leftovers or staple meals easily. But having these few meals planned in advance can make a huge difference!
Some people plan an entire week of meals in advance or schedule both lunches and dinners—but you don’t have to! Just do what feels right for your needs. Even if the meal planning feels difficult at first, just keep at it. The more you do it, the easier it will get and the more spouses share their tips the easier life gets for all of us. Share your best tips in the comments section!