Meal planning is creating a weekly (or monthly) plan for your meals in advance. Having structure to your meals can help you know what to prepare and relieve the stress of asking yourself “What’s for dinner?” each evening. 

When food shopping, stock up on foods that can be used throughout the week and shelf stable items to last throughout the month. Try to buy items in each of the five food groups: protein, vegetables, fruit, grains, and dairy.

Find more at www.eatright.org . Try to be mindful of what foods you nourish your body with this month, it is National Nutrition Month. Keep your food interesting by the following tips!

Week 3: Learn Skills to Create Tasty Meals

• Keeping healthful ingredients on hand
  • Remember, try to have goods on hand that can be used in a variety of dishes, such as onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and mixed vegetables, either fresh, canned, or frozen
• Practice proper home safety
  • Always keep knives stored away from children, have your smoke detectors well maintained, and develop a plan if the casserole catches fire in the kitchen
• Share meals together as a family when possible
  • As COVID-19 is still a concern, try to keep family meals limited to family who reside in the same household as you or have family dinners over Zoom
• Reduce food waste
  • Storing leftover dishes in the freezer comes in handy for nights where you don’t feel like cooking or baking. Don’t forget to label it with the date of which it was prepared.
• Try new flavors and foods
  • Buy new spices in small containers. This allows you to try a new product while also helps keep the spices as fresh as possible. Also try asking family for recipes you’ve never tried before and look in cookbooks for new dishes to try.