PLAN is a 4 Letter Word - Listener Question Response

Ever found yourself stuck in the 'What's for dinner?' dilemma? You're definitely not alone!

Tune in and discover a world where meal planning becomes your ally, not your adversary. Tight schedules are no match for the tools and strategies I've honed to put a delectable and stress-free dinner on the table. 

In this episode brimming with intentionality, we're about to turn the daily "what's for dinner" question into an opportunity for connection and joy. Trust me, the psychological ease of knowing your next meal is sorted is just the beginning; we're also talking about the tangible benefits of saving money and making healthier food choices. Let's make the kitchen a place of cherished moments rather than a source of frustration!

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Do you have questions you’d love to ask but don’t because you aren’t sure who to ask or you’d rather not let the world in on not having it all together? I am here for it! I can't wait to answer your questions. DM me on Instagram @jennifersise and I will answer your question on an episode soon.

Be sure to rate this podcast, leave a review, share it with your friends and hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

Here’s to more intentional connection and less grind … 9 minutes at a time!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

If you had a dollar for every time you heard yourself or someone else say I don't have time for that, you'd probably be rich. I know life can feel like a circus, especially when you're trying to juggle it all, and I know what it's like to be pulled in a million different directions and to feel like there's never enough time to do all the things for all the people. But I really believe that what you want is possible. It just requires some decision making and intentional action. You truly can't make time or find time. You have to set it apart, and I'll show you how to make big moves and take game changing action nine minutes at a time. I'm Jennifer Seiss. I love helping impact-oriented women run their home life and business, gain traction in their day to day and have more time with the people they love the most. My heart is to share what I've learned along the way and help you get more of what you want out of your life and work. Every episode is designed to get you on your way to a quick win. So grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and let's start making more of your time. Hey there, and welcome to the In 9 Minutes podcast. I'm Jennifer Seiss, and I can't wait to connect with you for the next nine minutes. I am so fired up because today I'm answering a question from a listener and it happens to be about one of my favorite subjects. She asked how do I meal prep and plan without it taking forever? Well, this question brings together two of my favorite things helping you make more of your time and helping you spend less time getting to the table, so you can spend more time at the table with the people who matter most, and I cannot wait to share some practical tools with you today that can really help you make meal planning and meal prep easier, so that you can have intentional time with the people who matter most to you.

Speaker 1: 1:54

The what's for dinner question is probably one of the most commonly asked questions in the world and, speaking from experience, it can actually be a reflex for teenage boys. The answer to this question can be linked to a lot of emotions and to a lot of good things as well Time with the people who matter most to you, fuel and nourishment for your life connection. But in many cases, stress can be attached to this question because you don't have an answer ready, and that can be so frustrating and challenging. So growing up, my mom did every diet known to man. I don't know if you know this, but there was a cabbage soup diet and we also ate baked cod or baked chicken all the live, one day with a side of Uncle Ben's wild rice. And you can be sure that I rarely asked what's for dinner growing up because I honestly did not want to know.

Speaker 1: 2:54

But the lack of variety fueled my hunger to learn how to cook and to have a plan, and it's really why I'm so passionate about making meals that my whole family will enjoy and passionate about having an answer to that question. And over time I've learned so much about the power of meal planning and prepping. And as my boys got busier and we were going in a million different directions, there were nights when it was a circus and I didn't have a plan and we had fallout dinners, which is whatever falls out of the fridge when you open the door. But we had so many more nights with a plan, whether it be very detailed or even a loose plan, but it really, really helped when I was more intentional and it really paid off because it just brought the stress level way down around that question and around that time of day that can be really, really hectic. As I learned how food impacts your body, it really revved up my desire to plan and have good food and fuel ready to put on the table or take with us wherever we went, and it was so helpful again to have that plan.

Speaker 1: 4:06

So why do you meal plan? Ultimately, when you meal plan, you can enjoy more time with your family, it will reduce stress, it can help you save money and you will make better choices around food. For sure, it also closes decision loops and isn't adding to the mountain of decisions you have to make every day. On average, people make 35,000 decisions a day, and if you're in charge of feeding your family, that number can go way up. I know that for many people, plan is a four letter word and it's a never-ending battle, and I think that the reason that meal planning can feel like such a drag to people is because you might over complicate it or feel like all of your meals have to be fancy, or you might not like cooking, or you've never found a system that works. But meal planning is one of the surefire ways that you can set yourself up for success when it comes to hitting certain goals and being a good steward of your health and wellness and creating opportunity to connect with the people that matter most to you.

Speaker 1: 5:18

So the very first thing you need to do is decide that you're going to meal plan, even if you just start with planning three dinners a week and and planning what you're going to eat doesn't mean you're going to have to cook it all so it might mean that you designate a certain day of the week to be a day that you eat out. My boys were growing up from the time they were four until they graduated from high school Wednesday nights were a night that we almost always ate out because we had church and it just worked better in the flow of our schedule. Or planning to have rotisserie, chicken and sides that you can heat up in the microwave in 30 seconds or less Still gives you an answer to that question. It gives you a plan and you can say we're having chicken and rice for dinner when you hear that question between 4.30 and 5 o'clock. So here are some of my biggest meal planning tips.

Speaker 1: 6:17

Keep it simple. Over complicating it will disrupt your meal planning in a hurry. If you over complicate it, you are going to quit meal planning before you even start, probably Involve other people. Ask the people that you share meals with what they'd like to have, because that helps them lean into the preparation of the meal, participating in the meal and just being more engaged around the meal, which makes everything better. Plan your dinners first. Dinners impact the most people and when you plan your dinners first, you can also link that to planning your lunches for the next day or what you're going to have the leftovers with and things like that, if it works for your budget. Batch cook when the grill is hot. Grill a lot when the crock pot's on. Load it up when the oven is on and you're making a sheet pan meal, make two.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Another really good, helpful thing to do is to use your freezer. So when you sit down a meal plan, just look at what's in the freezer and use what's in the freezer to start your planning. Commit to trying one new recipe a week. This is going to expose you to a lot of different foods and flavors and experiences and it's really going to help you stay out of a rut of having the same thing all the time, which is another reason people neglect to meal plan. So here are five things I do every time I meal plan, and these are game changers, and I have shared this with hundreds of people who have applied this to their life and they would say that they were game changers as well.

Speaker 1: 8:02

So one, grab your calendar you don't want to have soccer practice and guitar lessons and all the things and plan a meal that takes 45 minutes to put together. On that night you might need to do a crock pot meal or something like that. So use your calendar and your schedule to your advantage. Check the weather. If it is 100 degrees out, you probably don't want soup. If it's freezing rain, you probably don't want to be planning to grill. You get the idea, but it really helps when you can use the weather app to guide your planning. Again, ask for input. Ask for input. That is a game changer and that puts some of the responsibility on other people. Post it for accountability. You are 92% more likely to go through with something that you are seeking accountability on. And when you post it, other people see it and you can share it with everyone in your family and whatever way works best for you, so that they already have the answer to the question.

Speaker 1: 9:07

Okay, and keep it simple Again. I mentioned that before. Keep it simple, don't over complicate it. Look at your plan and think is this doable? How does this feel? Can I actually make this happen? Doing these things are going to eliminate frustration and set you up for so much success around meal planning.

Speaker 1: 9:31

Some of the things I do when it comes to meal prep and batch cooking. And real quickly. Before you lean into dreading this, think about how much time it will save you and what it will be like to have one piece of your meal ready a few times a week. So prep your protein first. If you have protein ready, you can pull dinner together in 15 minutes or less. Always double your protein. If it works for your budget.

Speaker 1: 9:57

Okay again, when the grill is hot, grill a lot. When the oven is on or the crock pot's plugged in, put them to good use. As long as it works for your budget, freeze your protein in the portion sizes that you will use it in. So if you make four pounds of taco meat and your family eats one pound at a meal, freeze it in one pound portions. When you're doing something small, think about how you can multiply the impact of that by doing a little more. So when you're cutting one veggie, maybe cut a couple more. Or when you are putting burgers on the grill, maybe put some chicken on the grill and you get the idea from there. Also, another thing is store your food in glass containers. Not only is it better for you because it's non-toxic, but if you can see what is in the refrigerator you are more likely to eat it.

Speaker 1: 10:48

But as I wrap up, after you take the time to plan, try taking nine minutes a day to think about what you're gonna eat the next day, like, pull out the chicken, pull the chicken out of the freezer or pack your lunch or cut up some veggies or fruit and do one thing to help move your plan forward more effectively. Okay, just one thing. You'll be so surprised at how far that takes you. So here's to a little meal planning and prepping nine minutes at a time. Thanks so much for listening today.

Speaker 1: 11:23

Do you have questions you'd love to ask, but don't because you aren't sure who to ask, or you'd rather not let the world in on not having it all together? I get it. I get lots of questions all the time, from parenting to business development to Bible study recommendations to the best meal to serve a crowd and even how to navigate hard conversations. My husband and kids call me Google and since I'm a problem solver by nature and love research, it sort of fits. So I am so excited to answer your questions. You can share your questions with me by DMing me on Instagram at Jennifer Seiss, and I'll answer your questions on an upcoming episode. So here's to more intentional connection and less grind, nine minutes at a time.