Picture this: It’s Thursday evening, you’re juggling work calls, after-school extra curriculars, homework and revision, and a clingy child. The week has been a rollercoaster, and your meal planning? Well, it did a disappearing act, didn’t it?

In the midst of chaos, the kitchen became a mystery zone, and the question of “What’s for dinner?” started feeling like an unsolvable riddle. Been there, right? But fear not, because we’re about to flip the script. I’ve got your back with some down-to-earth strategies to reclaim your kitchen sanity and get back on the meal-planning groove after a week that felt like a tornado of tasks.

1. Take a Deep Breath and ‘Shop Your Pantry’

Take a moment to breathe. You will get back on track. Then, go on to – ‘Shop Your Pantry.’ Take stock of what you already have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Now, challenge yourself to come up with three easy, no-fuss meals using those ingredients. Your aim is to come up with 3 dinner ideas for the next 3 days, so in the meantime, you can get a meal plan sorted.
If you need to purchase any additional ingredients, that is perfectly okay too! Give yourself permission to get them in hand using the easiest method you can think of (even if you are paying just a little bit more for it). Don’t drain your energy on this part of the process.

2. Meal Plan for the Next Week

It’s time to put together a meal plan for the week ahead. If you cannot do it now, block some time (yes, in your calendar) to meal plan for the upcoming week. Keep your dinner choices simple and realistic. Theme nights, versatile ingredients, and easy-to-execute recipes are your best friends here.
Glance at your calendar as you do this, so you can make sure that you do not dream up making a 45 minute recipe on a weeknight where all you’ve got to spare is 15 minutes.

3. Put Together a Shopping List

With your meal plan in hand, create a shopping list. If you meal plan digitally, use 2 screens to do this faster. For example, I’ll have my meal plan on my laptop and my shopping list app on my phone. This just takes me a few minutes to do.
Don’t forget to check your pantry essentials – no one wants to realize they’re out of olive oil mid-cooking. Be thorough, but keep it focused on what you need for the week ahead.

4. Shop

I already said it and I will say it again. If you’re not shopping now, put it on the calendar. The same is to be said for online shopping. Yes, it does take substantially less time but it takes time nonetheless. Having a block of time assigned to shopping, or whichever other task you need to get done is also a reminder. This step is crucial – it’s the bridge between your meal plan and having the actual groceries at home. Because once you do have the ingredients at home…

5. …Cook

It may seem obvious, but honestly, once you have everything you need at home, and you have a plan, the actual cooking is 10 times easier. And faster too. There’s no need to make a plan everyday. No need to rack your brains. No need to run out to the stores. You’ve mindfully chosen a suitable recipe and all you need too do is follow through.

And there you have it – a practical, step-by-step guide to bounce back from a chaotic week and get back into your meal planning game. Once you’re back into routine, it is just a matter of setting those reminders, reserving those blocks of time and following through.

Keep it simple, my dear friend, and keep it going!

Love,

Nakita xxx