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How I Save Half an Hour on Meal Planning

Recipes

May 22, 2017

I hate meal planning.

There, I said it.

I am a dietitian and foodie, but also a wife and mom. And I hate sitting down to plan out my meals. (Now that I’m confessing, I also hate to grocery shop.)

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I used to try to convince myself that I enjoyed meal planning. It’s true, I enjoy cooking and I enjoy discovering new recipes. But I find that as a busy mom, if I do manage to sit down to meal plan, I have a two year old up in my face trying to doodle on my meal plan template.

Practicing functional nutrition, I create personalized nutritional plans tailored according to my clients’ biochemical make up, genetics, environment, lifestyle, health goals, and more. Finding a service that allowed for the flexibility within the uniqueness of each and every one of my clients was difficult.

So when I stumbled upon Real Plans, I was thrilled to find a service is based on REAL food menus and allows total customization! When setting up your account, you are able to select your cooking preferences (i.e. novice cook or cook from scratch), what days you want to cook, how many servings, as well as what type of diet you follow (Traditional, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Paleo, Keto, AIP, GAPS, Whole30). From there you can even customize your diet preferences even further!

Not only that, but Real Plans has cut my own meal planning time drastically! I am able to meal plan in less than 10 minutes and have been known to meal plan in the car before I walk in to the grocery store!

Each week, you’ll be able to access, email, and print your meal plan, recipes, timeline (with steps including prep, soak, and thaw), and complete grocery list. One hesitation I had was the price. I didn’t want to pay for something that I could do for free myself. However, I have found that the $6/month investment (for the annual plan) I can save money at the store, have less waste, less temptation to eating out, while also saving time — which means more time spent with my little guy.

The perks

  • Customized meal plans catered to your unique dietary preferences.

  • Pre-made grocery list (no forgetting ingredients at the store or letting food go to waste).

  • No more forgetting crucial food prep, such as thawing meat.. which minimizes those “oh well, let’s just grab takeout” moments.

  • Have complete control over your meal plan by hand selecting recipes from the “Recipe Box,” add your own family favorite recipes in to the program, or experiment with new foods you may never had chosen yourself by using the “roulette” option – my personal favorite.

  • Add recipes to your recipe box from Wellness Mama, Nom Nom Paleo, Paleo OMG, The Paleo Mom, and more!

  • Nutritional information for all your meals.

  • Recipes from all your favorite bloggers.

  • Save time and money at the grocery store with a categorized shopping list.

  • A free app that allows access to your meal plans and grocery list from the store – so no more having to decipher your list through toddler scribbles.

See how I meal plan using Real Plans

See for yourself how easy it is…

While I am signed up as an affiliate, I did so on my own accord and because I fell in love with the service myself. I wanted a great resource for my clients to empower their own health changes while navigating their dynamic dietary needs. And I found it in Real Plans. If you use my link, you will be taken to sign up for Real Plans, which does not change your price at all. I get a small commission, which allows me to continue serving busy women like you who want lasting health changes.

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