How to Meal Plan

Figuring out last minute what to make for dinner can be frustrating and stressful, and when you’re out in the wilds it can be even worse if you haven’t planned ahead. 

What is Meal Planning?

Meal planning is the process of building a (typically) weekly menu best suited to your schedule and needs. It helps remove any guesswork and extra stress of figuring out what to eat each day, as well as speeds up the grocery shopping and cooking processes.

What happens when you skip meal planning?

  • Wasted food
  • Spending more time grocery shopping
  • Added stress of day-of meal planning
  • Wasted time

Benefits of Meal Planning

  • Can eat healthier
  • Save pantry and fridge space
  • Less time grocery shopping
  • Saves money

Considerations:

Think about your needs, the time you want to spend cooking, how many people you’re cooking for, and what cooking implements you have access to. As well as:

  • What ingredients can be repeated to save fridge/pantry space?
  • Choose staple meals (repetition can be great for breakfasts, as an example)
  • Leftover days/Planned leftovers
  • Time and activities you’re planning
  • Dietary restrictions/allergies/picky eaters

Tools:

  • Food storage containers
  • Calendar/meal planning notebook
  • Labels 

You might only need containers, but having a place to write down your schedule is super helpful. And labels don’t have to be fancy, you can easily just use a piece of masking tape and a sharpie.

Shopping Tips:

  • Make a detailed list
  • Go for canned foods
  • You can splurge on convenience items: ready-to-serve microwave rice cups, pre-cut salad and veggie mixes, etc.

Now, let’s walk through the steps of meal planning and prepping. And remember, meal planning can go a long way not just for camping, but day-to-day life.

The Steps

  1. Look at your calendar
  2. Choose recipes
  3. Schedule recipes
  4. Check what you have & check you pantry space
  5. Make your grocery list
  6. Shopping!
  7. Prep Ahead
1. Look at your calendar

Decide how many meals you need to plan for. If you’re planning for a week, what activities do you have to work around? Driving days, hiking, golfing, beach, etc. Some days you might find a slow-cooker recipe works, and others you can plan to barbeque.

2. Choose your recipes
  • Choose meals that can leave you with leftovers
  • Cook recipes you know 
  • Pick recipes with common ingredients
  • Cook things you want to eat



3. Organize your chosen recipes into your schedule

 

Now that you have your recipes and schedule, it’s time to put them together. Plug your recipes into the days they fit, accounting for leftover plans if you want/can. Make a sensible plan not just for the number of days, but that there’s enough variety you won’t get bored (do you really want to eat chicken three days in a row?) 

4. Check what you have and pantry space

Step one is making a master list of ingredients from all your recipes. Then, go through your kitchen and find what you already have on that list. Also remember to know what your storage is like in your RV. If you have limited freezer and cupboard space, bringing full containers of things like sauces or spices can really take up room, so you know to portion those out for the required recipes. 

 

5. Make your grocery list

After you’ve parsed down your master ingredient list and figured out what you already own, jot down the missing items onto your grocery list. Do your best to organize by store aisle, this can help you avoid missing items, doubling back for things, and save you time. 

Remember to plan for snacks too! This can be veggies and dip, granola bars, maybe some chips or cookies. But be sure to be specific or you’ll end up wasting time when you get to…

 

6. Shopping!

Stick to your grocery list to save money and time. No need to go down aisles just for the heck of it!


7. Prep Ahead

Finally, set aside a day for prepping, this can be anything from pre-chopping veggies, portioning chicken, to measuring out spices into containers or bags. Be sure to properly label everything with what recipe it’s for, and if you’re being really specific, what day you’ll be eating that meal. 

And you’re done! You’ve officially meal prepped, no more wondering what’s in the pantry or missing a crucial ingredient for your secret recipe. It’s all smooth sailing from here.

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