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Meal Planning Made Easy

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Weekly menu planning is a necessary habit to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not sure where to start? Master meal planning with these tips to be healthier, reduce your weekly grocery bill and eliminate the after-work scramble to get dinner on the table.

Recipe Starters

When choosing the base of your meals, select a lean protein source like boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ground turkey breast or lean ground beef. Or for hearty meatless meals, include beans, lentils and soy. Whether you are a vegetarian or simply include meatless meals in your diet, Morningstar Farms® products are any easy addition to your favorite recipes. Many varieties are cholesterol free, a good source of fiber and lower in saturated fat than their meat counterparts. Both Meal Starters™ Chik’n Strips and Crumbles are perfect as meal ingredients, or try heat and eat Grillers® Prime®, Spicy Black Bean or Tomato and Basil Veggie Burgers for a super-fast lunch.

Whole Grains

Make versatile whole grains like whole-wheat pasta and bread, brown rice, barley or tortillas part of every dinner. Whole-wheat, tortillas can be used straight from the package, warmed in the microwave or toasted in a skillet to make wraps, burritos, fajitas or tacos. New La Tortilla Factory® Smart & Delicious™ Soft Wraps™ Minis Honey Oat, Multi-Bran and Three Seed supply four or more grams of fiber, plus at least six grams of whole grains per serving. What’s more? Each Mini contains just 50 calories! Look for all varieties including White Whole Wheat and Fiesta flavors in the deli department.

Fresh Produce

Build your weekly menu plan with plenty of minimally processed foods from produce, fresh meat and seafood, dairy and frozen departments. As the seasons change, try new types of fruits and vegetables to liven up meals and maximize your intake of key vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Weis Quality Baby Bella Mushrooms can be enjoyed year-round. Mushrooms of all types are a hidden treasure of the vegetable world. They’re packed with B-vitamins, potassium and are the only produce source of vitamin D. They have a meaty texture that can be used to complement lean meat, or replace it for a meatless dish like this recipe for Cheesy Mushroom Quesadillas.

Pantry Must-Haves

Stock your pantry with basic ingredients like jarred pasta sauce, beans, canned tuna or chicken, pasta and noodles for last-minute meal solutions. No Yolks® Egg White Pasta Noodles are a flavorful, low fat and cholesterol free alternative to egg noodles. When cooked, they have a firm texture that stands up in any type of dish including casseroles, soups, and salads or when topped with sauce. Keep a variety of noodle cuts like Dumplings, Extra Broad and Broad on hand to suit all of your recipe needs.