How to Spend 60 Minutes Planning a Meal of Cheerios and Bananas

True story from a day in the life of Jennifer White.

One hour before mealtime

1. Stick head in the frig to see what I have on hand.

2. Three full minutes later, pull head out, still uninspired.

3. Ask everyone what they want to eat.

4. Try to explain why we can’t eat potato lasagna every day.

5. Abandon explanation.

Fifty minutes before mealtime

6. Look through my list of 5,191 recipe ideas. (This is an actual number.)

7. Find a yummy-looking idea for Mediterranean Veggie Burgers.

8. Start pulling the ingredients out.

Quinoa. White Beans. Herbs. Sun-dried tomatoes.

Oh. Sun-dried tomatoes.

Fresh out.

9. Put all the ingredients away.

Forty minutes before mealtime

10. Back to the frig.

11. Stick head in frig.

12. Contemplate what can be made with 2 leftover potatoes, salad dressing, and a tangerine.

13. Pull head out.

Thirty minutes before mealtime

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14. Flip through a few cookbooks (46 to be exact, but that’s another story).

15. Get distracted by a very tempting looking recipe for maple pecan ice cream.

16. Come to terms with the fact that, even though the nuts have protein, maple pecan ice cream probably doesn’t count as a main dish.

Twenty minutes before mealtime

17. Admit the ultimate in defeat – I don’t have time to try a new recipe.

18. Mope for a one and one half minutes.

19. Decide on a tried-and-true recipe that we all like.

20. Start pulling the ingredients out.

21. What! No onions? Seriously, now.

22. Put all ingredients away.

Ten minutes before mealtime

23. Get frustrated because I didn’t start earlier. (Wasn’t an hour enough time?!)

24. Eat cereal.

25. Think about the benefits of a menu plan.

Dinner Served. No Planning Required.

Despite my occasional mealtime fails, I never use to think that a meal plan would be all that helpful.

And then, in the middle of a very busy couple of weeks, I tried a pre-planned menu.

And I was a convert.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to walk into the kitchen and know exactly what they are going to eat and know they have every ingredient on hand and know exactly how much time it would take them?

A Pre-Planned Menu

I’ve since become so excited about the time, stress, and money that a menu plan can save, I’ve started working on menu plans for you!  Now you can:

1. Never wonder what’s for dinner again!

2. Always know you have all the ingredients you need. No last-minute trips to the supermarket.

3. Be in and out of the grocery store in minutes with my well-organized, prepared shopping list!

4. Spend less time in the kitchen because what you need to do is all clearly marked out for you.

5. Save money

6. Know your family is eating healthy

Get Your Pre-Planned Menu

I’ve worked out every little detail, created the grocery list, tested the menu, and fine-tuned it all so that you don’t have to do any thinking. I’ve done it all for you. I hope you enjoy!

EDIT: My meal plans have been replaced by the meal plans in my weight loss program.

This 30-day program gives you inspirational and informative videos from me, delicious meal plans specially designed to help you lose the maximum amount of weight without feeling hungry, and loads of helpful resources (like 10-minute meals) and extra tips (like the secrets to minimizing cravings) to give you all the tools you need to lose every last pound you want to lose.

What’s more, you get over 100 delicious recipes to make your weight loss journey enjoyable – including several exclusive recipes only available through this program.

Best of all? You get unlimited encouragement and help from our amazing private support community, so a helping hand is just a click away. The support will keep you motivated and committed and in turn you’ll see results that last.

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