Meal Guide 101: How To Plan Your Weekly Meals For Stress-Free Cooking

It's Monday again, meaning, we have to get set for a hectic week ahead. With work targets and daily household chores, weekdays can be overwhelming at times. Amidst it all, planning what to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner is a different ballgame altogether. But fret not, things can get easier with a little bit of planning and we will help you with that. In this article, we will share some handy tips that can help you sort the menu for the next five days. From now on, keep some hours during the weekends for preparing the inventory for your kitchen. That's it! And you will have a stress-free week to enjoy. Without wasting much time, let's take you through some of the smart hacks that we follow in our everyday life.
Also Read: Kitchen Tips: 9 Smart Ways To Save Time In Kitchen

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Here Are 7 Tips To Plan Your Weekly Meals Properly:

1. Plan It Well And Write It Down:

Give yourself some time to first plan what you want to make throughout the week. We like making a detailed plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and also for mid-meal snacking. Make sure, your meal plan includes both healthy and tasty dishes to keep you going. And if you get some time in between the week, you can always break the plan and indulge.

2. Check The Pantry Thoroughly:

Now, take your list and scan through the pantry. Get the raw materials that are needed to make those meals. Always buy a product or two extra for the days you want to break the rules and make yourself a feast.

3. Buy Multi Purpose Ingredients:

Always try to plan meals that have common ingredients in them. This will help make your meals fuss-free and reduce food wastage. Take chicken for instance. You can buy chicken in bulk and use it for curry, chicken pulao, sandwiches and more.

4. Sort The Ingredients:

Once you get the raw materials, try to sort them as per their expiry date. Consume the leafy greens, paneer and other fresh products first as they tend to get spoilt quickly. Also, clean and store your fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs poultry etc properly so that they stay fresh for the whole week.

5. Do The Mise-en-Scene:

'Mise-en-scene' is a French term for "preparing the environment". In the world of gastronomy, it is a term used for the preparing before actual cooking. Here, we mean to prepare your chutneys and masalas and store them in the refrigerator in small containers so that you can take out as much as you want in one go.
Also Read: 9 Genius Ways To Keep Your Kitchen Clean

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6. Cook In Large Batches:

This is the best way to save time in your kitchen. You can prepare the curries and dals in large batches and store them in multiple containers. When you feel hungry, just make some rice or roti, reheat re-heat the food and indulge. Here, you must remember that it is very important to store food properly to keep them safe and hygienic for future consumption.

7. Re-Use Leftover Food:

For the ones who hate having the same food the next day, reuse the leftover meal to make something new. In the process, you would learn a new recipe and also prevent food wastage. You would find multiple leftover recipe ideas on the internet. Here're some dishes we love making with the extra food from our last night's dinner at home.
Go through the list thoroughly and execute them from today. Trust us, with these hacks cooking will be an easy job throughout the week.