Carmen Long
Simply Delicious
No matter your stage in life, figuring out what’s for dinner can be frustrating and stressful. If you want to eliminate some of that stress, try meal planning. Meal planning will not only help relieve stress, but also saves time and money. In addition, meal planning is a great way to keep you and your family eating healthier! With such positive benefits, why isn’t meal planning a part of your weekly routine? Let’s look closer at some of the positive benefits of meal planning.
SAVE MONEY
Have you ever gone to the store, come back home, and still had nothing to make for dinner? This is what can happen if we go to the grocery store without a plan. When you plan your meals, you save money by purchasing only the ingredients that need to be purchased for that week.
Making a list of needed ingredients helps reduce the temptation to buy items just because they are on sale. Sale items are a good deal if they are things you would buy anyway. However, buying items because they are on sale is an easy way to spend money on things you may not need. Meal planning helps you prepare enough food to use the leftovers for lunches or extra meals, saving money by not needing to eat out.
EAT HEALTHY
Meal planning can help you incorporate healthier ingredients into your menu and try different recipes. Creating a healthier meal list ahead of time helps you stay focused and skip impulse purchases, such as chips, candy, and processed foods. There are also several apps you can download to your phone that will help make your visit to the grocery store quick and painless.
Suggested meal planning Apps for grocery shopping:
- Flipp
- Big Oven
- Out of Milk
SAVE TIME
It might seem intimidating at first, but just an hour or two on a Sunday afternoon will save you so much time and stress the rest of the week. With time saved, you can eat together as a family, go for a walk after dinner, relax, read a book, play a game, or watch a movie together.
LESS FOOD WASTE
There are few things more frustrating than throwing away produce and food that has spoiled or expired. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), over one-third of available food in the United States goes to waste every year. Meal planning helps reduce food waste because you only buy what you need for the week. This prevents produce or perishables from going to waste by rotting, forgotten, in the back of the drawer.
LESS STRESS
According to the American Heart Association, stress can increase heart disease risk. Why would you want to add stress to something that needs only a simple fix? Leaving meal planning for the last minute, while having two little ones telling you how hungry they are, and going through homework and letters from school, can be overwhelming. When you have a meal plan, it reduces stress levels because everything is already laid out for you. There are many things we can’t control but knowing what’s for dinner doesn’t have to be one of them.
Source: MoreFood.Org
For a versatile meal prep option, try meatballs. Freeze desired portions in individual containers to enjoy whenever you need a quick meal.
Basic Meal-Prep Meatballs and Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain or Italian-style breadcrumbs,
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup finely minced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
- ¼ cup sliced fresh basil or 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp of dried basil
Tomato Sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup minced yellow onions
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic or ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 7 cups crushed canned tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, add ground beef, ground turkey, eggs, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, minced onion, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic. Use your hands to mix thoroughly until combined. You can wear disposable gloves, if desired.
- Measure out a couple of tablespoons of the ground meat mixture, about the size of a walnut, then roll it into a ball. Space the meatballs evenly on a large baking sheet lined with foil and lightly greased with olive oil.
- Preheat the oven to broil. Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Cook until the meatball surface is browned, about 7- 8 minutes. Flip the meatballs and cook for an additional 2 minutes to lightly brown the other side. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the meatball.
Tomato Sauce
- Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot. When hot, add the onion and garlic, and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered, with lid cracked to prevent splattering for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the browned meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover the pot, leaving the lid cracked, and simmer on low heat for at least 1 ½ hours, checking and stirring every 20 minutes, or as needed. The meatballs should be fork-tender when sliced.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce with water, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve meatballs topped with sauce, sliced basil, and Parmesan cheese, if desired, over pasta, spiralized zucchini, as a sandwich, or an appetizer.
