🎯 How to Make Your Meal Plan Actually Happen (Witho…

If you think making the meal plan is the easy part but actually following through with implementing it is something else, then you’re not alone! Let’s visit about what to actually do after you’ve made the plan plus I’ll share some of my personal meal prepping tips.

A collage of five vegetarian black bean recipes, including salads, pizzas, energy bites, a rice bowl with veggies, and a black bean burger on a bun with avocado. The website is noted at the bottom.

How many times have you made a beautiful meal plan on Sunday….only to order pizza by Wednesday? (Please tell me I’m not the only one! 😬)

I’ve been there. SO many times.

The problem wasn’t my meal plan — it was that I didn’t set myself up for success. Here’s what I learned:

The “Future You” Rule

When you’re planning meals, you’re planning for “Future You” — the version of yourself who will actually be cooking that meal. Ask yourself: Will Wednesday-at-5pm-You really want to dice vegetables and marinate chicken? Or would Wednesday-You prefer something from the slow cooker?

Plan with your actual energy levels in mind.Put complicated meals on weekends or your less-busy days. Save the super simple stuff for your craziest days.

Sunday Power Hour

I spend about an hour on Sunday doing what I call my “power hour” prep(aka meal prep).

Power Hour Tasks:

Wash and chop vegetables for the week
Cook rice or quinoa to have ready
Brown ground beef or cook chicken
Make any slow cooker freezer packs

This ONE hour saves me probably 30-45 minutes every single night. It’s the difference between “I don’t have time to cook” and “Dinner’s already half done!”

The Backup Plan

Always – ALWAYS – have a Plan B. Mine is breakfast for dinner. I keephomemade pancake mix, eggs, and bacon on hand. When life happens and my plan falls apart, we have pancakes and nobody complains.

Want more tips on making meal planning actually stick? Grab theMeal Planning 101 guide— it includes a whole section on meal prep strategies and time-saving tricks!

Recipes Perfect for Meal Prep

I hope you found some helpful ideas for prepping breakfasts, lunches, dinners, or even snacks. I’d love to hear any ideas you have so post in the comments below to share.

Thank you for being here! I so appreciate you,

A variety of healthy foods are arranged on a table, including eggs, cooked chicken strips, sliced vegetables, grapes, and round chocolate snack balls. The image has an orange border and the website at the bottom.

Free Resources for You

Free 20-page Meal Planning 101 Guide
Ready, Set, Sourdough– Free guide on how to get started with sourdough!
Sourdough Starter video course– Create your own sourdough starter with these 7 daily videos (day 7 is making the loaf of bread!)
Crocktober: 31 Days of Crock-Pot Recipes– Free download with all 31 recipes.