Wondering how to plan your gluten-free meals?
If you’re tired of throwing together whatever you have with no plan in sight, you are in the right place.
Today, once my two older children were off to school, I had 5 minutes of sipping my green tea in peace before my little guy awoke for the day.
We enjoyed a yummy breakfast of oatmeal and fruit together and then whipped up some of our favorite Chocolate Banana muffins. Yum!
I then prepared two dinners – lentil stew, a super-fast and easy dinner to pull together, and a beef and veggie bake, a recipe I tweaked from Mickey Trescott’s Auto-Immune Protocol. Also delicious!
I was able to sit and read with my little guy as one dish simmered on the stove, and the other baked in the oven.
I was at peace knowing how much I had completed – dinner for two nights plus left-overs – in just a little bit of time.
As a busy mom and gluten-free family, I am always pre-planning our meals.
Truth be told, we definitely wouldn’t be eating healthy meals every night if I didn’t follow a plan.
Gluten-free meal planning is a must!
Planning your meals is a big step in keeping your family on a healthy path – and very important if you are living gluten-free.
It ‘s not always easy to run errands, drop kids off here and there at activities, and grab a healthy gluten-free meal on the go.
Often families return home around dinner time after a busy day, only running out again right after eating for more sports or activities. So, with little or no time to cook, fast-food may win the race . . .
BUT . . . with a plan you can keep your family eating a healthier meal each night with a little planning. (Which is exactly what I do with my family!)
Start Gluten-free Meal Planning!
Being gluten-free, it is important to pre-plan your meals, especially on busy days. But, in reality, I am not just a gluten-free mom. I am a typical busy mom running our kids all over just like you.
Without pre-planning, you won’t be putting healthy, satisfying dinners on the table to nourish your family. As much as the temptation is to stop at the nearest drive-through window to grab dinner – just resist.
First of all, it’s most likely not healthy, and secondly, it becomes tricky for gluten-free eating. There’s too much cross-contamination in most of the fast-food places if they even offer gluten-free options.
Instead . . . let’s put healthier meals on your table.
“HOW?” you ask.
Set up your gluten-free Meal Plan!
List out your favorite meals:
First, list out your favorite meals, possibly ones you already make. If you don’t have any set recipes, look through some cookbooks or google simple gluten-free dinners (I also have a bunch right here on my website or here in Pinterest.
Plan your meals by your schedule:
Plan your meals by your schedule. Consult your family schedule before you plan your meals to know which days you need a meal already prepared, and when you may choose to cook.
For busy weeks, plan a prepared dinner for the busy nights with limited preparation or cooking for that day. Other days, plan time to cook.
Do what works best for you and your family.
Choose the recipes for your meals:
Choose the recipes for your meals and fill them into your calendar. Planning by the week works well, or you can plan the whole month if that works better for you.
Think about leftovers and reusing them to create new dishes the following days, either for dinner or lunch.
For example, if you boil a whole chicken, make chicken soup for one meal, use the extra chicken meat to create chicken sandwiches, or make a chicken stir-fry. You can get very creative here.
Check for ingredients:
Check for ingredients you have on hand to prepare the meals you want for the week.
Then create your shopping list to buy what you need. You can also reverse this step, and plan your meals by what you already have at home.
Schedule shopping and cooking times:
Check over your calendar and schedule when to go grocery shopping, and when to cook.
If you can easily cook at mealtime, great! If you are busy running around, then plan a couple of hours to batch cook, (learn about that here) or prepare your meals ahead of time, so you are ready to get dinner on the table when you return home.
Choose the right time:
Choose a time when you can concentrate on just cooking with no interruptions. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish!
If you are just starting this routine, start with dinners.
Once you feel good with this routine, add in lunches, then breakfast, and snacks if desired – whatever works best for you.
The important part is to start!
Dinner is Done!
