FOR ONLINE RECIPES
- Add them directly to your MyFitnessPal recipe box, either on the web or within the app. Our new recipe tool will even calculate the nutrition facts for easy logging later.
- Create a healthy recipe Pinterest board. Check out ours for meal inspiration
- Check out Paprika, Plan to Eat or ChefTap, or more basic note clipping apps like Evernote
FOR PAPER RECIPES
- A simple, three-holed binder with some plastic sleeve inserts are great for organizing recipe cards and meals pulled from magazines
- Use bright colored tabs to flag favorite cookbook recipes
CREATE YOUR MEAL CALENDAR
Regardless of what format you prefer, the key here is to fill in your calendar with specific meals. Meal planning pro and Cook Smarts founder, Jess Dang, says, “Good meal planning is like putting together a puzzle. Try to avoid selecting different recipes that don’t fit together or else you’ll be buying a lot of different ingredients. Select one, look at the ingredient list and let that help you select recipe #2, and so on.”
Whether you use a simple note-card, a printable template or prefer a digital version, it’s a good idea to keep a paper copy of your calendar in plain view. “Making your meal plan visual may hold you more accountable for executing on the cooking. Plus, your family isn’t constantly asking you, “What’s for dinner?” They can just refer to the board, ” adds Jess. If you need some ideas, check out Pinterest for visual meal planning boards.
- If you prefer digital, create a sub-calendar for your meal plan in Google, Outlook or your calendar application of choice and share it with family members or roommates so everyone knows the plan.