A Winning Lineup

Cooking your own meals each week is a wonderful way to eat more nutritious and also save money. While it can be intimidating to think about planning out every meal and snack, taking a realistic approach to meal planning will help you reach your eating goals. Take a look at your week and figure out how many meals you’ll need to prep for. If you’re only cooking for one, you may just need to cook two meals. Most JENNIE-O^® recipes make 4 to 6 servings, but you can always cut the ingredients in half. For most of us, shopping and prepping for 3 to 4 meals per week is a doable amount. Here are some tips for streamlining the process:

1. Pick one day to shop: Depending on your schedule, Sunday might be the easiest day for you, but your prep day could also fall on Saturday or Monday. Choose the recipes you’re going to make and then make a list of ingredients you’ll need to shop for. There are several apps you can use to keep track of your grocery list, and you can also simply keep a list in the Notes app on your smartphone. Then head to the store or place an online order for your food!

2. Make time to prep: Once you’ve got your ingredients, it’s time to prep! Give yourself at least an hour for this. Put on comfy clothes and your favorite tunes and have fun! If you have multiple recipes that include diced onion or celery, double up the amount that you’re dicing and then transfer the prepped ingredient to an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you need to roast any vegetables, see what can be placed in the oven at the same time.

3. Ready to go: Some recipes, like the Five-Minute Mediterranean Salad, can be entirely prepped in advance. This is a great one to make the night before when you know you have a super busy morning the next day. Other recipes will require additional prep before they’re ready to serve. If you’re making something that you plan to bring to work for lunch, make sure you have the appropriately sized containers ready to go.