May 28, 2024
How to Make a Weekly Meal Plan Without Losing Your Mind (Ep. 5)
If you’re busy juggling work, family and everything in between, you know how overwhelming meal planning can be. Finding meals that are healthy, tasty, and satisfying for everyone can feel like an endless chore.
It’s tough to juggle healthy eating with the preferences and schedules of everyone in the family.
In this conversation, I’m going to share how you can simplify meal planning to save time and reduce stress. By the end, you’ll have practical tips to make your meal planning stress-free and enjoyable.
This is a huge opportunity to simplify your life. You can avoid the chaos of last-minute meal decisions that sabotage your peace of mind and your health goals for your family.
Resources:
- Learn more about The Weekly Preview in Episode 3
- Cook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free Affordable Meal Prep to Preserve Your Time & Sanity [affiliate link]
- Pinterest board of weeknight meal ideas
00:00 Introduction
01:47 Step 1: Choose a Time and Space
04:09 Weekly Preview and Meal Planning
04:34 Helpful Resources and Shortlists
05:07 Using a Cookbook
06:49 Creating a Pinterest Board
08:36 Consistency in Grocery Shopping
09:51 Posting Your Meal Plan
11:08 Final Thoughts
11:47 AI for Meal Planning
12:14 Bonus Resource: Control Calendar Chaos
12:36 Leveraging AI for Meal Planning and Grocery Lists
Follow me on Instagram for more time management tips
Or send me a DM:
https://www.instagram.com/jenna.piche
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennapiche/
5 Ways to Calm the Calendar Chaos:
https://theothersideofbusy.com/chaos
Transcript
WEBVTT
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You're busy, juggling work family and everything in between, you know, how exhausting meal planning can be finding meals that are healthy, tasty and satisfying for everyone in the family can feel like this endless chore.
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:20.210
In this conversation today, I'm going to share with you how you can simplify meal planning to save time.
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He and reduced stress.
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By the end, you'll have practical tips to make meal planning.
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Stress-free and dare I say enjoyable.
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This is a huge opportunity to simplify your life.
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You can avoid the chaos of those last minute decisions that sabotage your peace of mind and the health goals for your family..
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As women, it's easy to feel over-scheduled over tired and some days just over it.
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It's time to ditch the guilt.
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Still get things done and have time left for ourselves and the most important people in our lives.
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How do we do that?
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You're about to find out.
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Hey there.
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My name is Jenna.
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And here I share the latest biohacks mindset shifts and calendar control strategies to help you get to the other side of busy.
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I'll bring you insights on how to get more done in less time.
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So you can shut off that work and prioritize what truly matters.
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In today's conversation.
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I'm going to share with you how to create a weekly meal plan without losing your mind.
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I'll share resources, scheduling, and even ways to get the family involved to help you save some sanity.
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But make sure you stick around to the end.
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Right?
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I'm going to share with you a way you can leverage AI to create your weekly meal plan.
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With the grocery list in less than three minutes game.
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Changing.
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All right, so let's dive in.
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How can you create this weekly meal plan?
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That helps you meet your health goals.
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Without losing your mind.
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All right.
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Step one is just too.
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Choose a time and space to make that plan.
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Are you going to do it?
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On Monday mornings, are you going to do it?
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On Saturday afternoons.
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When do you have time to really sit down and think about it?
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I like to do this as part of my weekly preview.
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If you haven't heard me talk about the weekly preview, you can go listen to episode three, where I talk about.
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How not to miss important moments.
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It's a 20 minute practice that really helps you review the last week, gain any learnings to apply to the new week, but then take a 20,000 foot view at what's coming first.
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So you don't miss anything.
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And secondly, so you can plan ahead.
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This is my favorite time to meal plan.
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When I am already looking at what's coming up the next week, what work commitments do I have?
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Where are the kids going to be?
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What time do we need to be?
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Where.
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And so I can get a better idea of just what's realistic.
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I think one of the biggest challenges we have is we have these grandiose plans of cooking healthy every single night.
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And then we don't get home until 20 minutes before we want to put the kids to better be in bed ourselves.
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And then we just feel so defeated that we can't do this.
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So by creating this meal plan with your weekly preview, you can see what's coming and you can plan for those things.
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So I like to ask questions like what nights of the week are we.
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She going to be home for a family meal together.
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You know, my kids are young and so we don't have as much going on.
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If you have older kids, you probably know that it's hard to get the family together for a meal, or if you just have one or two people at home, maybe you have other commitments that prevent you from sitting down together every night.
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So first identify what are the nights that we truly need to be cooking.
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I also like to ask.
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Are there things where I know we, aren't going to be home in time to make a really good meal where maybe we need a grab and go.
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Maybe this is going to be a leftover night.
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Based on commitments that are going on.
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So if I have a networking event for work or the kids have soccer practice until six 30, we want to make sure we have quick options so that we aren't derailing everyone's bedtime, the kids and mine included, which isn't going to set us up for a good day, the next day.
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I also like to think about.
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What is the ideal time we would eat on some of these nights, you know, ideally it's the same time every night, but sometimes that shifts, especially if you are a family of one or two, and you're juggling a lot of, a lot of social commitments.
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Uh, picking a time that you might eat every night is really going to help you identify what can we actually make in the time that we have.
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So for me, this looks like spending time doing my weekly meal plan as part of my weekly preview on Sunday mornings.
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This used to happen for me on Mondays, but I just didn't feel like I could get enough in front of the week.
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So I've started sitting down with my cup of tea and my planner to look at what's coming up in the week on a Sunday morning.
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It's so nice to sit on the front porch.
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I can reflect and I can think about what's coming to help myself feel more prepared.
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After meal planning for a while, I realized the most exhausting part of it was really just coming up with ideas.
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Every single time I get so exhausted and trying to pull something out of the air that everyone's going to, like, that's going to be healthy.
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That's going to be easy.
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So I realized a few years ago that just keeping a short list of quick, easy, healthy meals now that my kids like is really a sanity saver.
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When it comes to meal planning for me.
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Then I don't get bogged down by the sheer volume of decision that I have to make.
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I know my shortlist.
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One of the ways I cut down on the sheer volume is by using a cookbook I love.
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A link to it in the show notes.
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It's called.
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Cook once eat all week.
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It's from Cassy joy Garcia.
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Now this is a gluten-free cookbook.
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Uh, 26 weeks of gluten-free affordable meal prep to preserve your time and sanity.
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And it truly does.
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I eat gluten and dairy free because that's what I feel like helps me show up as my best.
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And if that's not you, maybe there are other resources, but what I love about this cookbook and the way that it approaches meal planning is it provides an idea for a protein, a veggie, and maybe one other thing.
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And then you prepare meals three meals each week around that.
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So for example, maybe it chooses, pulled pork sweet potatoes and kale.
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So you only are buying those ingredients and it gives you three different ways to prep that.
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So you don't feel like you're eating the same thing every day.
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What I have found that is so helpful is it simplifies my shopping list.
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And then it even provides some ideas if I say have an hour or two on a Sunday that maybe I can cook the meat in advance or do any other advanced meal prep, it'll give me some ideas of how I can do that.
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So I can save myself time during the week.
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Now caveat here.
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Not everyone has time to meal prep.
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On a weekend when I totally get that.
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What I will say is that the weeks that I actually do a little bit of meal prep in advance and follow this cookbook.
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And I feel like I won the lottery on a random Wednesday.
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When I'm running in late.
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Or something happened that I wasn't expecting.
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I'm tired from the day.
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And I know I have dinner ready in the fridge.
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All I have to do is pop it in the oven.
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So if you choose this option, you'd need to schedule in an hour or two on the weekend.
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But again, you don't have to do that.
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If you're stressed and you can't fit this in.
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Another option to have a short list of recipes is to create a Pinterest board.
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I have one that I'll share in the show notes here.
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I have curated a list of 20, maybe 30 meals here that are quick and easy that I know my kids like that I know take 20 minutes or less.
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So when I'm meal planning, I open this Pinterest board and I just searched through what haven't we had in a while.
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What sounds good?
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What are the kids going to enjoy?
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Enjoy based on the schedule.
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And what I know, I have time to prep.
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Again, this helps because I'm not analyzing hundreds of recipe options.
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I know my 20 to 30 that we like, and it really cuts down on that time of choosing what we're going to make.
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I think it's also really helpful to curate your own.
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So you can start with mine, pin some of it, but make sure you're adding to this list and you have some variety.
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So you don't feel like you're getting stuck eating the same old things.
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Ultimately, what we're trying to do here is help you create a system.
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So that meal planning can be fast and easy.
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Can you make a decision one time that will make all other future decisions easier?
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And that's what this meal planning system will do for you.
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I used to work with a flight nurse who would work two days on two days off, two days on, and then five days off.
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And so meal planning was really sporadic for her because of her weird schedule.
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So what she decided to do was create four weeks of meals, five meals each week, and then she would just rotate.
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So she knew, Hey, this is a week a week.
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B a week C a week D and she didn't have to think about it now.
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Creating that system took her a little time upfront, but it saves her so much time on the backend and it helps her husband.
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Help her get those things ready for their young kids, because he knows what the plan is because there's communication and a system in place.
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So once you have your weekly meal plan, And a grocery list it's important then to choose a consistent time to grocery shop every week.
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Why?
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Because you're not thinking about it.
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You're not trying to fit it in, in between work.
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And going to pick up the kids and rushing to do this.
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Right.
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I ideally recommend it before you start the week.
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So if you can do it on a Saturday or Sunday, it's ideal to get that stuff in the house.
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If you want to advance meal prep, you have time to do it, but otherwise you're just not trying to fit it in the little confetti pieces of your week.
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So consistency can be really helpful here.
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I used to love doing my grocery shopping on Monday afternoons because I felt like nobody was in the grocery store, but now I've adjusted.
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And since I do my meal planning early on Sunday mornings, we grocery shop on Sunday afternoons.
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After we go to church.
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We live in the country and we go to church in town.
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So it's a great opportunity after I've created my meal plan and my grocery list, we go to church, we go to the grocery store, I get help from the kids doing all the groceries.
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And then I feel like on a Sunday, I am ready for the week and this isn't going to derail me.
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So I just invite you to think about when are you going to have the time and space consistently for the most part to do this kind of shopping.
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So you're not trying to rush it through the week.
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Then step three is to post your meal plan on the fridge or in some other command center area where others in your family can see it, or you can remind yourself.
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Y, well, if it's just you or maybe one other person in your household, it's really helpful that you're not trying to carry this meal list in your head.
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You can just see it, you know, what's coming, you know, you have a plan and you can just reference the plan.
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It saves so much mental capacity when you have it written out in an easy place.
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If you have other folks in the house.
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It can help because this communication can help leap frog some of those nights when you're having trouble catching up.
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So for example, my six year old might have soccer from five to six, 15 on a certain night.
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If I have something in the fridge that I've already prepped and had ready to go, I can just have a note that says for my husband, can you pop this in the oven for 30 minutes at three 50.
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Right.
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So when we get home, The kids and I.
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Dinner is almost ready instead of having to start it.
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When we get home.
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Now, again, this does require the forethought and the proactive planning, but it really does make me feel like supermom.
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When I have this plan going into the week.
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So we can stay on target with our consistency and our goals for our kids and for ourselves.
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So just some final thoughts.
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I'm not perfect in operating this system.
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But the weeks that I do operate it.
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I feel so much less stressed.
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I know the clients that I have shared this with feel the same.
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I'm actually feeding my family healthy foods, as opposed to whatever I can grab quickly.
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And it makes me feel a little bit more like supermom.
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Like I can do it all.
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Or at least the right things and that confidence runs into other areas of life.
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So give this system a try, let me know what you think or send me some of the tips that you have used to help simplify what can be a daunting task.
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Drop me a DM.
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That Jenna dot pisher.
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P I C H E on Instagram.
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In a moment I'm going to share with you how you can leverage AI to create your weekly meal plan with a grocery list in three minutes or less.
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But first.
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If you're already feeling like superwoman crushing your professional goals and showing up as your best self for your family and your personal life.
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Awesome.
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But most women, I know.
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I need a little bit more help keeping all those plates spinning and maintaining their sanity.
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So I've put together something really valuable for you.
00:12:14.202 --> 00:12:17.923
It's called five ways to control the calendar chaos.
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In it, I share with you three filters to help you prioritize your to-do list.
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So you can skip that paralysis analysis and just get the important work done.
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This helps you feel more accomplished.
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You can sign up for this resource@theothersideofbusy.com slash chaos, or click the link in the show notes.
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All right.
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Want to know how to leverage AI to create a healthy weekly meal plan with a grocery list in three minutes or less.
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Here we go.
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Step one.
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Open your favorite AI tool.
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Step to enter a prompt similar to this.
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Please act as a nutritionist helping plan healthy meals for a family of blank.
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These meals should have an option for the blank insert any kind of dietary modifications, pickiness, things like that, that you might need here.
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Ideally there's protein and vegetables with every meal.
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And then you tell them what you want.
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Please create five quick and easy.
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Dinner ideas with links to recipes for this family.
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Boom.
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That took me 30 seconds to type in.
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And then it spits out ideas.
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Like you can make chicken stir, fry baked salmon.
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Here's a link to the recipe.
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Here's a modification.
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If you're gluten and dairy free, I might even say, oh, I know my kids.
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Aren't going to like those Turkey meatballs.
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Can you swap Turkey meatballs for something else?
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Great.
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They'll pop in another recipe with another link.
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And then you can say these look great.
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Now create me a shopping list for these meals organized by grocery store department for an easy shopping trip.
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That took 15 seconds.
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What spits out is a list organized by produce meat and seafood grains and pasta spices, and seasonings making my grocery store list all of the more quick and easy and easy because it spit that out.
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Give this a try.
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Let me know what you think.
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And if you have found any other tips, tricks, and hacks to make meal planning, a little less of a pain and a little bit more of an enjoyable experience for you and your family, I'd love to hear them.
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If you got something out of today's episode.
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I hope you share it.
00:14:21.903 --> 00:14:27.482
Until next time may the work that you do create the meaning and the life that you deserve.
00:14:27.873 --> 00:14:28.682
I'm rooting for you.
00:00:01.219 --> 00:00:14.599
You're busy, juggling work family and everything in between, you know, how exhausting meal planning can be finding meals that are healthy, tasty and satisfying for everyone in the family can feel like this endless chore.
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:20.210
In this conversation today, I'm going to share with you how you can simplify meal planning to save time.
00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:21.769
He and reduced stress.
00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:25.070
By the end, you'll have practical tips to make meal planning.
00:00:25.070 --> 00:00:27.890
Stress-free and dare I say enjoyable.
00:00:28.219 --> 00:00:31.460
This is a huge opportunity to simplify your life.
00:00:31.699 --> 00:00:38.299
You can avoid the chaos of those last minute decisions that sabotage your peace of mind and the health goals for your family..
00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:45.383
As women, it's easy to feel over-scheduled over tired and some days just over it.
00:00:46.012 --> 00:00:47.453
It's time to ditch the guilt.
00:00:47.963 --> 00:00:54.292
Still get things done and have time left for ourselves and the most important people in our lives.
00:00:54.743 --> 00:00:55.493
How do we do that?
00:00:55.762 --> 00:00:57.593
You're about to find out.
00:00:57.872 --> 00:00:58.203
Hey there.
00:00:58.203 --> 00:00:58.923
My name is Jenna.
00:00:59.493 --> 00:01:06.873
And here I share the latest biohacks mindset shifts and calendar control strategies to help you get to the other side of busy.
00:01:07.412 --> 00:01:10.772
I'll bring you insights on how to get more done in less time.
00:01:10.953 --> 00:01:14.433
So you can shut off that work and prioritize what truly matters.
00:01:14.882 --> 00:01:16.263
In today's conversation.
00:01:16.382 --> 00:01:21.302
I'm going to share with you how to create a weekly meal plan without losing your mind.
00:01:21.722 --> 00:01:27.242
I'll share resources, scheduling, and even ways to get the family involved to help you save some sanity.
00:01:27.632 --> 00:01:29.072
But make sure you stick around to the end.
00:01:29.102 --> 00:01:29.283
Right?
00:01:29.313 --> 00:01:33.632
I'm going to share with you a way you can leverage AI to create your weekly meal plan.
00:01:33.903 --> 00:01:37.203
With the grocery list in less than three minutes game.
00:01:37.623 --> 00:01:38.253
Changing.
00:01:38.972 --> 00:01:40.052
All right, so let's dive in.
00:01:40.503 --> 00:01:42.632
How can you create this weekly meal plan?
00:01:43.052 --> 00:01:45.003
That helps you meet your health goals.
00:01:45.393 --> 00:01:47.673
Without losing your mind.
00:01:47.912 --> 00:01:48.242
All right.
00:01:48.242 --> 00:01:49.802
Step one is just too.
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Choose a time and space to make that plan.
00:01:53.373 --> 00:01:54.033
Are you going to do it?
00:01:54.332 --> 00:01:55.802
On Monday mornings, are you going to do it?
00:01:56.192 --> 00:01:57.962
On Saturday afternoons.
00:01:57.962 --> 00:02:00.753
When do you have time to really sit down and think about it?
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I like to do this as part of my weekly preview.
00:02:03.543 --> 00:02:08.133
If you haven't heard me talk about the weekly preview, you can go listen to episode three, where I talk about.
00:02:08.402 --> 00:02:10.112
How not to miss important moments.
00:02:10.383 --> 00:02:20.793
It's a 20 minute practice that really helps you review the last week, gain any learnings to apply to the new week, but then take a 20,000 foot view at what's coming first.
00:02:20.793 --> 00:02:21.782
So you don't miss anything.
00:02:21.842 --> 00:02:24.092
And secondly, so you can plan ahead.
00:02:24.543 --> 00:02:26.733
This is my favorite time to meal plan.
00:02:26.733 --> 00:02:31.173
When I am already looking at what's coming up the next week, what work commitments do I have?
00:02:31.353 --> 00:02:32.823
Where are the kids going to be?
00:02:33.032 --> 00:02:34.353
What time do we need to be?
00:02:34.353 --> 00:02:34.802
Where.
00:02:35.372 --> 00:02:38.432
And so I can get a better idea of just what's realistic.
00:02:38.462 --> 00:02:43.443
I think one of the biggest challenges we have is we have these grandiose plans of cooking healthy every single night.
00:02:43.862 --> 00:02:48.453
And then we don't get home until 20 minutes before we want to put the kids to better be in bed ourselves.
00:02:48.543 --> 00:02:51.272
And then we just feel so defeated that we can't do this.
00:02:51.543 --> 00:02:57.782
So by creating this meal plan with your weekly preview, you can see what's coming and you can plan for those things.
00:02:58.112 --> 00:03:02.043
So I like to ask questions like what nights of the week are we.
00:03:02.252 --> 00:03:03.932
She going to be home for a family meal together.
00:03:04.383 --> 00:03:07.203
You know, my kids are young and so we don't have as much going on.
00:03:07.203 --> 00:03:16.953
If you have older kids, you probably know that it's hard to get the family together for a meal, or if you just have one or two people at home, maybe you have other commitments that prevent you from sitting down together every night.
00:03:17.372 --> 00:03:20.372
So first identify what are the nights that we truly need to be cooking.
00:03:21.122 --> 00:03:22.293
I also like to ask.
00:03:22.832 --> 00:03:28.443
Are there things where I know we, aren't going to be home in time to make a really good meal where maybe we need a grab and go.
00:03:28.443 --> 00:03:30.272
Maybe this is going to be a leftover night.
00:03:30.842 --> 00:03:32.763
Based on commitments that are going on.
00:03:32.763 --> 00:03:46.532
So if I have a networking event for work or the kids have soccer practice until six 30, we want to make sure we have quick options so that we aren't derailing everyone's bedtime, the kids and mine included, which isn't going to set us up for a good day, the next day.
00:03:47.552 --> 00:03:48.782
I also like to think about.
00:03:49.353 --> 00:04:01.353
What is the ideal time we would eat on some of these nights, you know, ideally it's the same time every night, but sometimes that shifts, especially if you are a family of one or two, and you're juggling a lot of, a lot of social commitments.
00:04:01.832 --> 00:04:08.402
Uh, picking a time that you might eat every night is really going to help you identify what can we actually make in the time that we have.
00:04:09.462 --> 00:04:15.673
So for me, this looks like spending time doing my weekly meal plan as part of my weekly preview on Sunday mornings.
00:04:15.943 --> 00:04:20.353
This used to happen for me on Mondays, but I just didn't feel like I could get enough in front of the week.
00:04:20.593 --> 00:04:27.223
So I've started sitting down with my cup of tea and my planner to look at what's coming up in the week on a Sunday morning.
00:04:27.403 --> 00:04:29.052
It's so nice to sit on the front porch.
00:04:29.322 --> 00:04:33.853
I can reflect and I can think about what's coming to help myself feel more prepared.
00:04:34.642 --> 00:04:39.952
After meal planning for a while, I realized the most exhausting part of it was really just coming up with ideas.
00:04:40.012 --> 00:04:46.312
Every single time I get so exhausted and trying to pull something out of the air that everyone's going to, like, that's going to be healthy.
00:04:46.312 --> 00:04:47.512
That's going to be easy.
00:04:47.822 --> 00:04:57.333
So I realized a few years ago that just keeping a short list of quick, easy, healthy meals now that my kids like is really a sanity saver.
00:04:57.603 --> 00:04:59.583
When it comes to meal planning for me.
00:05:00.362 --> 00:05:05.132
Then I don't get bogged down by the sheer volume of decision that I have to make.
00:05:05.223 --> 00:05:06.512
I know my shortlist.
00:05:07.062 --> 00:05:11.112
One of the ways I cut down on the sheer volume is by using a cookbook I love.
00:05:11.142 --> 00:05:12.702
A link to it in the show notes.
00:05:12.942 --> 00:05:13.843
It's called.
00:05:14.262 --> 00:05:15.702
Cook once eat all week.
00:05:15.702 --> 00:05:17.052
It's from Cassy joy Garcia.
00:05:17.112 --> 00:05:18.762
Now this is a gluten-free cookbook.
00:05:19.093 --> 00:05:24.103
Uh, 26 weeks of gluten-free affordable meal prep to preserve your time and sanity.
00:05:24.132 --> 00:05:24.942
And it truly does.
00:05:25.362 --> 00:05:29.682
I eat gluten and dairy free because that's what I feel like helps me show up as my best.
00:05:30.103 --> 00:05:41.382
And if that's not you, maybe there are other resources, but what I love about this cookbook and the way that it approaches meal planning is it provides an idea for a protein, a veggie, and maybe one other thing.
00:05:41.653 --> 00:05:44.923
And then you prepare meals three meals each week around that.
00:05:45.192 --> 00:05:49.093
So for example, maybe it chooses, pulled pork sweet potatoes and kale.
00:05:49.483 --> 00:05:54.252
So you only are buying those ingredients and it gives you three different ways to prep that.
00:05:54.252 --> 00:05:56.293
So you don't feel like you're eating the same thing every day.
00:05:57.043 --> 00:06:01.483
What I have found that is so helpful is it simplifies my shopping list.
00:06:01.692 --> 00:06:13.423
And then it even provides some ideas if I say have an hour or two on a Sunday that maybe I can cook the meat in advance or do any other advanced meal prep, it'll give me some ideas of how I can do that.
00:06:13.423 --> 00:06:15.072
So I can save myself time during the week.
00:06:15.343 --> 00:06:16.362
Now caveat here.
00:06:16.752 --> 00:06:18.463
Not everyone has time to meal prep.
00:06:18.822 --> 00:06:21.163
On a weekend when I totally get that.
00:06:21.523 --> 00:06:27.192
What I will say is that the weeks that I actually do a little bit of meal prep in advance and follow this cookbook.
00:06:27.642 --> 00:06:30.492
And I feel like I won the lottery on a random Wednesday.
00:06:30.793 --> 00:06:32.262
When I'm running in late.
00:06:32.593 --> 00:06:34.752
Or something happened that I wasn't expecting.
00:06:34.752 --> 00:06:35.833
I'm tired from the day.
00:06:36.202 --> 00:06:38.483
And I know I have dinner ready in the fridge.
00:06:38.903 --> 00:06:40.403
All I have to do is pop it in the oven.
00:06:40.403 --> 00:06:45.023
So if you choose this option, you'd need to schedule in an hour or two on the weekend.
00:06:45.052 --> 00:06:46.973
But again, you don't have to do that.
00:06:46.973 --> 00:06:48.653
If you're stressed and you can't fit this in.
00:06:49.312 --> 00:06:53.362
Another option to have a short list of recipes is to create a Pinterest board.
00:06:53.692 --> 00:06:55.913
I have one that I'll share in the show notes here.
00:06:55.913 --> 00:07:04.132
I have curated a list of 20, maybe 30 meals here that are quick and easy that I know my kids like that I know take 20 minutes or less.
00:07:04.432 --> 00:07:10.283
So when I'm meal planning, I open this Pinterest board and I just searched through what haven't we had in a while.
00:07:10.492 --> 00:07:11.302
What sounds good?
00:07:11.302 --> 00:07:12.142
What are the kids going to enjoy?
00:07:12.173 --> 00:07:13.973
Enjoy based on the schedule.
00:07:14.302 --> 00:07:16.012
And what I know, I have time to prep.
00:07:16.583 --> 00:07:20.812
Again, this helps because I'm not analyzing hundreds of recipe options.
00:07:20.843 --> 00:07:26.153
I know my 20 to 30 that we like, and it really cuts down on that time of choosing what we're going to make.
00:07:27.293 --> 00:07:31.372
I think it's also really helpful to curate your own.
00:07:31.403 --> 00:07:37.343
So you can start with mine, pin some of it, but make sure you're adding to this list and you have some variety.
00:07:37.612 --> 00:07:40.343
So you don't feel like you're getting stuck eating the same old things.
00:07:40.343 --> 00:07:44.062
Ultimately, what we're trying to do here is help you create a system.
00:07:44.302 --> 00:07:46.942
So that meal planning can be fast and easy.
00:07:47.213 --> 00:07:52.822
Can you make a decision one time that will make all other future decisions easier?
00:07:53.122 --> 00:07:55.822
And that's what this meal planning system will do for you.
00:07:56.333 --> 00:08:02.872
I used to work with a flight nurse who would work two days on two days off, two days on, and then five days off.
00:08:03.112 --> 00:08:06.773
And so meal planning was really sporadic for her because of her weird schedule.
00:08:07.103 --> 00:08:14.182
So what she decided to do was create four weeks of meals, five meals each week, and then she would just rotate.
00:08:14.182 --> 00:08:16.163
So she knew, Hey, this is a week a week.
00:08:16.242 --> 00:08:20.093
B a week C a week D and she didn't have to think about it now.
00:08:20.512 --> 00:08:26.903
Creating that system took her a little time upfront, but it saves her so much time on the backend and it helps her husband.
00:08:27.293 --> 00:08:35.123
Help her get those things ready for their young kids, because he knows what the plan is because there's communication and a system in place.
00:08:36.133 --> 00:08:44.293
So once you have your weekly meal plan, And a grocery list it's important then to choose a consistent time to grocery shop every week.
00:08:44.592 --> 00:08:45.163
Why?
00:08:45.613 --> 00:08:47.533
Because you're not thinking about it.
00:08:47.533 --> 00:08:49.812
You're not trying to fit it in, in between work.
00:08:50.143 --> 00:08:52.423
And going to pick up the kids and rushing to do this.
00:08:52.423 --> 00:08:52.692
Right.
00:08:52.783 --> 00:08:55.513
I ideally recommend it before you start the week.
00:08:55.513 --> 00:09:00.432
So if you can do it on a Saturday or Sunday, it's ideal to get that stuff in the house.
00:09:00.613 --> 00:09:07.423
If you want to advance meal prep, you have time to do it, but otherwise you're just not trying to fit it in the little confetti pieces of your week.
00:09:08.212 --> 00:09:10.552
So consistency can be really helpful here.
00:09:11.243 --> 00:09:16.972
I used to love doing my grocery shopping on Monday afternoons because I felt like nobody was in the grocery store, but now I've adjusted.
00:09:17.003 --> 00:09:22.133
And since I do my meal planning early on Sunday mornings, we grocery shop on Sunday afternoons.
00:09:22.163 --> 00:09:23.153
After we go to church.
00:09:23.753 --> 00:09:26.332
We live in the country and we go to church in town.
00:09:26.332 --> 00:09:34.643
So it's a great opportunity after I've created my meal plan and my grocery list, we go to church, we go to the grocery store, I get help from the kids doing all the groceries.
00:09:34.942 --> 00:09:39.893
And then I feel like on a Sunday, I am ready for the week and this isn't going to derail me.
00:09:40.763 --> 00:09:49.102
So I just invite you to think about when are you going to have the time and space consistently for the most part to do this kind of shopping.
00:09:49.102 --> 00:09:50.903
So you're not trying to rush it through the week.
00:09:51.873 --> 00:10:01.592
Then step three is to post your meal plan on the fridge or in some other command center area where others in your family can see it, or you can remind yourself.
00:10:01.982 --> 00:10:10.052
Y, well, if it's just you or maybe one other person in your household, it's really helpful that you're not trying to carry this meal list in your head.
00:10:10.263 --> 00:10:15.123
You can just see it, you know, what's coming, you know, you have a plan and you can just reference the plan.
00:10:15.332 --> 00:10:19.293
It saves so much mental capacity when you have it written out in an easy place.
00:10:19.832 --> 00:10:21.722
If you have other folks in the house.
00:10:22.023 --> 00:10:28.533
It can help because this communication can help leap frog some of those nights when you're having trouble catching up.
00:10:29.102 --> 00:10:34.322
So for example, my six year old might have soccer from five to six, 15 on a certain night.
00:10:34.653 --> 00:10:44.592
If I have something in the fridge that I've already prepped and had ready to go, I can just have a note that says for my husband, can you pop this in the oven for 30 minutes at three 50.
00:10:44.623 --> 00:10:44.893
Right.
00:10:44.893 --> 00:10:47.503
So when we get home, The kids and I.
00:10:48.222 --> 00:10:50.802
Dinner is almost ready instead of having to start it.
00:10:50.863 --> 00:10:51.702
When we get home.
00:10:52.602 --> 00:10:59.773
Now, again, this does require the forethought and the proactive planning, but it really does make me feel like supermom.
00:11:00.013 --> 00:11:02.743
When I have this plan going into the week.
00:11:03.133 --> 00:11:08.173
So we can stay on target with our consistency and our goals for our kids and for ourselves.
00:11:08.173 --> 00:11:09.523
So just some final thoughts.
00:11:10.302 --> 00:11:12.493
I'm not perfect in operating this system.
00:11:12.523 --> 00:11:14.413
But the weeks that I do operate it.
00:11:14.743 --> 00:11:16.092
I feel so much less stressed.
00:11:16.393 --> 00:11:19.452
I know the clients that I have shared this with feel the same.
00:11:20.232 --> 00:11:25.062
I'm actually feeding my family healthy foods, as opposed to whatever I can grab quickly.
00:11:25.123 --> 00:11:27.102
And it makes me feel a little bit more like supermom.
00:11:27.102 --> 00:11:28.003
Like I can do it all.
00:11:28.302 --> 00:11:32.712
Or at least the right things and that confidence runs into other areas of life.
00:11:33.732 --> 00:11:41.682
So give this system a try, let me know what you think or send me some of the tips that you have used to help simplify what can be a daunting task.
00:11:41.923 --> 00:11:42.883
Drop me a DM.
00:11:43.212 --> 00:11:44.533
That Jenna dot pisher.
00:11:44.923 --> 00:11:47.052
P I C H E on Instagram.
00:11:47.052 --> 00:11:53.503
In a moment I'm going to share with you how you can leverage AI to create your weekly meal plan with a grocery list in three minutes or less.
00:11:54.222 --> 00:11:55.062
But first.
00:11:55.783 --> 00:12:03.552
If you're already feeling like superwoman crushing your professional goals and showing up as your best self for your family and your personal life.
00:12:04.153 --> 00:12:04.663
Awesome.
00:12:05.533 --> 00:12:06.822
But most women, I know.
00:12:06.852 --> 00:12:11.202
I need a little bit more help keeping all those plates spinning and maintaining their sanity.
00:12:11.653 --> 00:12:14.143
So I've put together something really valuable for you.
00:12:14.202 --> 00:12:17.923
It's called five ways to control the calendar chaos.
00:12:18.462 --> 00:12:22.753
In it, I share with you three filters to help you prioritize your to-do list.
00:12:23.113 --> 00:12:27.732
So you can skip that paralysis analysis and just get the important work done.
00:12:28.153 --> 00:12:30.163
This helps you feel more accomplished.
00:12:30.763 --> 00:12:36.163
You can sign up for this resource@theothersideofbusy.com slash chaos, or click the link in the show notes.
00:12:36.163 --> 00:12:36.552
All right.
00:12:37.092 --> 00:12:43.513
Want to know how to leverage AI to create a healthy weekly meal plan with a grocery list in three minutes or less.
00:12:43.903 --> 00:12:44.442
Here we go.
00:12:44.802 --> 00:12:45.403
Step one.
00:12:45.822 --> 00:12:47.263
Open your favorite AI tool.
00:12:47.832 --> 00:12:51.253
Step to enter a prompt similar to this.
00:12:51.852 --> 00:12:57.462
Please act as a nutritionist helping plan healthy meals for a family of blank.
00:12:58.033 --> 00:13:07.062
These meals should have an option for the blank insert any kind of dietary modifications, pickiness, things like that, that you might need here.
00:13:07.432 --> 00:13:10.673
Ideally there's protein and vegetables with every meal.
00:13:11.153 --> 00:13:12.383
And then you tell them what you want.
00:13:12.863 --> 00:13:15.143
Please create five quick and easy.
00:13:15.472 --> 00:13:18.682
Dinner ideas with links to recipes for this family.
00:13:19.043 --> 00:13:19.312
Boom.
00:13:19.732 --> 00:13:21.592
That took me 30 seconds to type in.
00:13:22.043 --> 00:13:23.873
And then it spits out ideas.
00:13:23.873 --> 00:13:27.143
Like you can make chicken stir, fry baked salmon.
00:13:27.202 --> 00:13:28.283
Here's a link to the recipe.
00:13:28.283 --> 00:13:29.332
Here's a modification.
00:13:29.332 --> 00:13:32.722
If you're gluten and dairy free, I might even say, oh, I know my kids.
00:13:32.722 --> 00:13:34.043
Aren't going to like those Turkey meatballs.
00:13:34.192 --> 00:13:36.263
Can you swap Turkey meatballs for something else?
00:13:36.533 --> 00:13:36.863
Great.
00:13:37.133 --> 00:13:40.643
They'll pop in another recipe with another link.
00:13:41.123 --> 00:13:43.552
And then you can say these look great.
00:13:43.613 --> 00:13:50.993
Now create me a shopping list for these meals organized by grocery store department for an easy shopping trip.
00:13:51.192 --> 00:13:52.332
That took 15 seconds.
00:13:52.332 --> 00:14:03.822
What spits out is a list organized by produce meat and seafood grains and pasta spices, and seasonings making my grocery store list all of the more quick and easy and easy because it spit that out.
00:14:04.873 --> 00:14:05.712
Give this a try.
00:14:05.982 --> 00:14:07.033
Let me know what you think.
00:14:07.092 --> 00:14:18.072
And if you have found any other tips, tricks, and hacks to make meal planning, a little less of a pain and a little bit more of an enjoyable experience for you and your family, I'd love to hear them.
00:14:18.072 --> 00:14:20.202
If you got something out of today's episode.
00:14:20.383 --> 00:14:21.222
I hope you share it.
00:14:21.903 --> 00:14:27.482
Until next time may the work that you do create the meaning and the life that you deserve.
00:14:27.873 --> 00:14:28.682
I'm rooting for you.
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