Planning Your Meal Planning with Lindsay Young

Have you noticed how your kids need to eat every single day? More than once? Didn’t you just cook dinner yesterday??The question is inevitable. What’s for dinner, Mom? We know it’s coming every day, and you’ll have to make some decisions. Instead of reacting to the question every day, being proactive and deciding once for the whole week can save your sanity and bandwidth for the things that really matter.Lindsay’s process for successful meal planning looks like this:Have a system in place. It doesn’t have to be a cookie cutter system and it may change come baseball season, but it is important to have a system you can repeat week after week.Consult your calendar. Don’t plan a casserole that has to bake for an hour on a night when you’re getting home late.Use what’s in your fridge and freezer when choosing recipes - don’t just spend hours on Pinterest!Keep a running list of items that run out so that you can get everything in one shopping trip.Properly store and prep your groceries right when you get home.Batch prep as necessary to save some time - not necessarily cook everything on the weekend.Reflect, rinse, and repeat. Did the recipe work how you hoped? Did everyone like it?Listen along as Lindsay shares her best tips for picky eaters, snacktime, and more.To get a kickstart on your new meal planning routine, pick up Lindsay’s free Meal Planning Toolkit on her website, lindsayliveswell.com.If you're a parent and you're looking for some new ideas and strategies, join our community on Facebook @theplanningparent.Free printables are available at theplanningparent.com and you can follow us on Instagram.Remember - take a deep breath. You do matter. You're doing a great job.Music credit: Sky Running by Tanager KidA Podcast Launch Bestie production