The 7 Secrets to Meal Planning Like a Boss
WITHOUT The Overwhelm
You Can Do It!
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Who Am I?
My name is Cedreka Baggett, mother of 3, Military Vet., Declutter Coach and Blogger. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. My hobbies are cooking, fitness, and all the fun things my kids love to do.
How I got here
As a busy momma of 3, its easy to get overwhelmed with what to cook, what to eat, who will eat what. It can get overwhelming. Started my Chef journey in the Military and it has given me so many skills I now use at home.
Believe it or not, I didn’t always love cooking, it took about ten years into my career before I took the field more seriously. I never wanted to be a gourmet chef, I just wanted to be good enough to cook delicious meals for my family.
The more I cook, the more I love it, which has led me to creating recipes and now blog. Through my kitchen skills and learning, I do not struggle with putting out meals whatsoever, which is why I am here to share with these secrets.
My Best 7 Tips
“Okay, now with that out of the way, I’m super excited to share the top 7 secrets I discovered on
my OWN path to achieving meal planning success. Let’s start with #1
Secret #1: Use The Weekends To Prep
Its so easy to overthink and believe you do not have time to meal plan. Take some time on your day off to write down the meals for the upcoming week. Don’t overthink it, make it work for you, something simple like one pan or crock pot dishes.
This work because you can cook 2-3 meals at the same time and not have a lot of mess to clean. Meal planning is important because during your busy week there are times, you are to tired to cook a full meal. Why not prep it, freeze or refrigerate, and pull it out when you’re ready to eat.
Secret #2: Make a Grocery List
When you take the time to plan out your meals, that is also the perfect time to make a grocery list.
This is the way to knock out “two birds with one stone”, get it done right then and there, it doesn’t take much time. A grocery list is of highly importance because it keeps you from being distracted by other items at the store you don’t need to waste your money on.
- Take inventory of important items
- Specify quantity
- Make your list
Secret #3: Leftovers Will Save You
Leftovers are the key to success when it comes to meal planning. During the week everyone is eating leftovers, you can get a head start on the week after. Having leftovers will give you so much free time to focus on other things and plus the food taste so much better the day after.
Its plain and simple mom, leftovers work for you. And any child is grateful to have a meal on the table, even leftovers.
- Make them tomorrows lunch
- Reinvent them
- Freeze them
Secret #4: Don’t Forget About Your Sides
Its nice to have one pan meals and call it a day, but you also have to make side dishes. The easiest way to do this is to make one big pot of rice, mash potatoes, macaroni and cheese, whatever is easiest for you, and make enough for the week.
You want your family to have full course meals and get every nutrient their body needs. And of course its always nice to have healthy salad, and a salad may not last the entire week because their so good.
- Match your sides
- Make sides that go with the season
- When in doubt make salad
Secret #5: Remember! You Don’t Live Alone
Its easy tp get caught up in your household duties and forget to task the kids with the much needed help. Their only chore should not just be cleaning their room. Make a cleaning log for the kitchen and give a task to each person.
Why does it work / why is it important? and how do you do it properly?
You don’t want to give away the farm here, because you want to leave room for your eventual products and services later on. I would target 200 – 500 words per secret.
- Swap cooking and clean up duties
- Try new recipes
- Take shopping trips together
Secret #6: Keep A List Of Your Family Favorites
Keeping those family favorite meals on hand, gives you the go-to meals you can prepare often. They are, they are easy, and even if they take some time, invite the family to help you put the meal together. Make it fun and task each person with something to prepare
Family meals are the best because you know them without having to follow a recipe card. Each time you can put your own spin to it or just keep it simple.
- Get everyone involved
- Have open conversations you all enjoy
- Make it a family night
Secret #7: Have A Budget
Having a budget for your grocery shopping is just as important as creating a meal plan. The last thing you want to do is to walk in to the grocery store without a plan and pick up random items that are a waste of money.
Budgeting is important for the entire household. Every beginning of the month, or when its time to plan your budget for the month, include your shopping in that plan.
- Track spending
- Avoid eating out
- Eat before you go to the store
- Bulk Shopping save money long-term
You Can Do This
Take your time, one step at a time to avoid the overwhelm.
Here’s something I didn’t mention before: This book will not only teach you how to declutter, you’ll also discover how to implement the best methods!
