During the week, I am incredibly busy. Having to think about where my next meal is coming from is a stressor, and leads me to decision fatigue and thus bad food choices. Meal planning not only helps me stick to my diet, but it also saves my family money.
The way I meal plan is pretty simple. On Sunday, I do the majority of the preparation for the week. This is the day I plan to spend about 2 hours of time in and out of the kitchen. I’m usually doing other household chores while food is cooking. See my meal plan at the end, and continue reading below for how I prepare and plan meals for the week.
Prepping Breakfasts
On Sundays, I love having a delicious breakfast with the family which usually includes low-carb pancakes or waffles. I start my prep by making enough waffles or pancakes eat and freeze so my boys can have some later in the week for breakfast. I usually prep some sort of egg frittata filled with meat and veggies, and a sheet pan of bacon. I pack the frittata up for the days I work out at the gym so I have something I can eat after I workout. The days I don’t workout, I try to fast until lunch, and I usually take a fatty tea in a flask with me to work, to sip on in case I get really hungry.
Lunch Prep
I eat the same food every day for lunch during the week. This saves me from having to think up and cook a bunch of dishes. The night before meal prep Sunday, I usually throw a bunch of meat or chicken thighs in my slow cooker with a super easy sauce like in this Mississippi Pot Roast (add link) recipe. Once cooked I portion out the meat for each day and add some frozen veggies on the side with butter. I then freeze my portions. In the morning before work, I tske them out of the freezer as needed to take for lunch.
Dinners
I don’t make ahead my dinners for the entire week, but I do prep any vegetables I may need ahead of time. That may include slicing onions, chopping garlic, or washing lettuces. For dinner, I try to keep the meals simple as possible and make enough for leftovers the next day when I can. My go-to dinners are on the calendar below. Things like a whole roasted chicken or a chili require at most 5-10 min of active prep time and will feed my family of 3 for at least two nights. The left overs from a whole roasted chicken are usually used the next day in a soup, lettuce wrap, or Cobb salad.
Treats and other Prep
If I have time and motivation on Sunday, I may also make a batch of fat bombs, or gelatin gummies as a snack or meal capper.
One day during the week usually Saturday or Sunday, I make bone broth. It takes less than 5 minutes to throw into the slow cooker and provides lots of great collagen and amino acids which are great for skin, nails, hair, and joints.
Saturdays
Like many people, my Saturday’s are filled with errands, family fun, and general busyness. So, on Saturday, I usually fast for most of the day and I don’t eat much until dinner. That meal usually is not planned. Sometimes we go out to eat, but lately I have been avoiding eating out, so I have a few go to options that are easy to prepare. We usually make a low carb pizza, eat bun-less burgers, or indulge in a juicy rib eye steak. Its kind of a controlled “treat day”, so I leave it open for whatever we may have a taste for. The fasting during the day allows me to feel good about whatever I decide to eat that night. What I eat still falls within the limits of keto and doesn’t derail my diet, but portions and calories are not really scrutinized.
Hopefully, my meal plan will inspire you or give you some ideas for how to incorporate meal prep into your routine.
Here is a sample weekly meal planner:
