Meal Planning for Two

Meal Planning vs Meal Prep

Meal planning and meal prep combined serve the same purpose: to help get weeknight dinners on the table a little faster, easier, and cheaper.

Meal planning is the process of organizing and scheduling what you will eat for a certain meal. By choosing recipes that you like that work best for your schedule, you don't have to stand in front of the refrigerator trying to figure it out at 5:00 p.m. You can meal plan for a day or two, a week or two, a month or a year in advance. I am using a weekly meal plan for healthy meals for two.

Meal prep is one step in the meal planning process. It's where you put your meal-planning work into action. This is the step where you shop for and get ingredients ready for the meals you have planned.

• Some people like to slice and dice vegetables ahead of time and store them in containers.
• You can cook and shred chicken breasts for a casserole one night and a chicken taco salad another.

Create a List of Meals You Enjoy

Before you can start planning what meals you would like to have and when, it can be helpful to make a list of what meals the two of you enjoy. Write all of these meals down and keep them in your meal planning calendar or notebook. Having this list can be helpful when you sit down to plan your meals and are completely at a loss for what to make. 

If you like, this list can be broken down seasonally. If you typically enjoy hearty dishes like soups, stew, and casseroles in the cooler months those might make more appearances on your fall and winter menus. If you like sandwiches, salads, or slow cooker dinners that don't heat the house up when it's warm out, those might stay on your spring and summer menu. 

Use Fresh and Frozen Vegetables

It's easy to find fresh seasonal vegetables during the summer, but they aren't always as cost-effective in the winter months. Post-2020, it can also be hard to get your produce to last through the week. You may have plenty of fresh veggies and fruits for the start of the week, but by the end of it, you may find that it has spoiled. 

Make sure that you keep a good variety of frozen vegetables and fruits on hand as well. That way you can continue eating healthy made-at-home meals from your meal plan even if the produce department runs bare. You may also want to plan on using your fresh produce in meals at the beginning of the week and swapping over to your frozen stock at the end of the week. 

Shop at Home First

Shop your fridge, freezer, and pantry at home first, before you head out to the grocery store. There is no sense in purchasing something that you already have at home. This is especially true regarding fresh items that may spoil before you can use them all. This is a great way to keep your grocery costs down. 

Stock Up During Sales

For items that you know that you use often in your household, for example, rice, canned tomatoes, or chicken stock, take advantage of good sales to stock your pantry. This way you won't have to worry about purchasing those items when they aren't a good price, or worse, just aren't available at all. Grocery shopping lists are a must.

Cook for Leftovers

When you are only cooking for two people you are apt to have leftovers, and that just means that you will have a night where there is no need to cook. Leftovers don't have to be boring, and they don't mean that you will be having the same meal twice. Leftover lean proteins are convenient when it comes to meal planning. 

You can have a roast chicken on Monday and then use up any remaining chicken in chicken fajitas or a chicken stir fry later in the week. Need to brown some ground beef for chili? Brown a little extra and save it for a pasta dish like spaghetti later in the week. Alternatively, you can cook large quantities of proteins at once such as shredded chicken, pork, or browned ground beef, and then freeze it in portions that you would use for a meal. 

Leftovers can also be frozen. If you are freezing leftovers make sure that you use freezer-safe airtight containers or bags to prevent freezer burn. Properly frozen leftovers can be thawed out and enjoyed for at least three months. Frozen leftovers can come in very handy if you aren't feeling well, or just have a busy week with less time to cook. Make-ahead breakfast casseroles make delicious meals any time of day.

Reduce the Size of Your Recipes

Most recipes make enough for four to six servings, and that amount of food can be a bit much for two people, particularly if you don't enjoy leftovers, or don't have much freezer space for saving extra meals for a later date. You may want to reduce the serving size of your recipes. There are apps and some recipe websites that can help you to reduce the recipe and just make enough for two or three portions. 

Use Your Appliances

If you have an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or air fryer, make sure you incorporate their use into your meal plans. These appliances make cooking easier and faster, giving you many more recipe options. If both of you are working, these appliances are great for getting a delicious meal on the table in no time. Also, a sheet pan is a meal planner's best friend. You can roast extra meats or vegetables one day for use later in the week.

Tip: I use the PowerXL Vortex 4 Quart Air Fryer. It is perfect for two! It took me a long time to find a lightweight, small, inexpensive air fryer and I wanted to give you a head's up. (I have not been compensated for this endorsement.)

Plan for Eating Away From Home

If you have a night of the week that you usually go out for dinner, a family event or a standing monthly get-together with friends make sure that you include that on your meal plan as well. Just jot in whatever you will be doing for that meal on your calendar. This way you don't spend money on groceries or plan an unnecessary meal. 

Meal Plan Together

Planning your meals shouldn't fall on just one of you, after all, you will both be enjoying the meals right? The best way is to sit down together and plan your meals for the week or month. Plan for simple recipes for weekdays as well as more adventurous easy meal ideas for lazy days. Working together on meal planning means you will both know what the plan is. Be sure to include meals that both of you enjoy. 

Let's start meal planning for two!

Meal planning for two isn't difficult; the best part is that it doesn't take much time. It's really easy once you get the hang of it and have several weeks or months' worth of meals planned. You can even just rotate through the weeks or months you already have planned if you don't want to sit down and plan again. Having meal plans can help you to eat at home more often, stay within your food budget, and reduce food waste in your home.