Easy meal planning hacks can save you time and reduce stress in the kitchen. Keep reading for strategies like bulk buying, repurposing leftovers, make-ahead meals and more. 

Here’s the thing about meal planning: We all know how much easier our lives can be when we make time for it. There’s no mid-afternoon panic when you realize you don’t have a plan for dinner. You can do any prep the previous evening, or in the morning before leaving the house. You can walk in the door at the end of the day and know what needs to happen to get supper on the table. So, if meal planning is so great, why does it feel so impossible? 

Easy. Life is busy, and we are pulled in a million different directions every single day. Who has time to sit down and figure out a week’s worth of meals? Well, actually, you do. We all do. But it requires a rethink on what meal planning means. 

Read on to learn more about how to make meal planning easier and more effective with clever hacks from our friends at Canada Beef. 

Ditch the Whiteboard 

When you think about meal planning, your mind probably goes immediately to a schedule on a whiteboard hanging on the wall in the kitchen. And, truth be told, planning this way works for some people. But this type of meal planning can also be extremely stressful. Confining yourself to a specific meal on a specific day leaves no room for bad traffic, foul moods, unexpected issues and more. The better approach? To know what’s in your pantry, fridge and freezer, so you can easily pull a meal together no matter the roadblocks. 

Grocery Shop with Purpose 

You know what your family likes, and it’s easy to walk blindly through the store, filling your cart with the same items week after week. Now, consider taking it one step further. Once you’ve walked the store and picked up your tried-and-true items, take a look at your cart and mentally figure out what can be turned into a full meal. If you always have a protein or two, a box of pasta, a bag of potatoes and fresh or frozen veggies, you’re minutes away from a meal.  

Buy in Bulk and Plan Ahead 

You probably shy away from larger quantities of ingredients if you’re not sure what you’d do with the increased amount, but having a strategy for bulk buying will save you both time and money. For example, if the kids are into burgers, buy a bulk package of ground beef and make double the amount of burger patties, freezing half for the next week. Or make burgers one night and then roll the other half of your burger mixture into meatballs to throw into pasta sauce another night. You know what they say: Work smarter, not harder.  

Cook Once, Eat Twice 

Leftovers seem to be a polarizing topic. Some people love them, others can’t stand them. But if you’re shrewd about leftovers, your family probably won’t even notice they’re eating the same thing twice. Steak is a great example. Serve it with mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower one night, and then chop it up as a salad topper for lunch or dinner the next day. Or, if your family loves chili, eat it topped with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips the first night, and then toast up some buns and make sloppy joes on night two. 

Stock Up on Speedy Solutions 

Some nights you just don’t have time for a multi-step meal, but if you have quick-thawing, quick-cooking options in the freezer, you’ll have dinner on the table in no time. Fast-fry steaks are a lifesaver, for example. They sauté up beautifully for saucy stir-fries or cheesy, melty sandwiches. (They often come in bulk, too, so see the aforementioned tip on opting for larger packages of protein!) 

Set It and Forget It 

If you have a few extra minutes in the morning, do yourself a huge favour and start a slow cooker meal. For things like beef stew or pulled beef, you can usually sear off the meat, add it to the slow cooker with a few other basic ingredients, and walk away for the day. You’ll return to a delicious-smelling home and a supper that’s ready to serve.   

These smart tips show you that meal planning doesn’t have to be super rigid to work. Once you start to put these strategies into practice, you’ll be shocked at how easily you are able to feed your family. Within weeks, you’ll have a couple of meals in the freezer, a pantry that will always come to your rescue, and more time to devote to other areas of your life. Can you believe a simple shift in thinking can do all that? Give it a try. You can thank us later. 

For more practical tips and facts about beef when it comes to buying and cooking know-how, visit our digital hub: EAT WELL. LIVE WELL.