14 Meal-planning tips for a cheaper, simpler and more nutritious diet

1. Get a workable system in place
Get a meal planning system in place. Buy a pad of tear-off sheets, print out a few copies of my free meal planner & shopping list PDF, write your own outline on a blank page, or perhaps download a meal planning app if you prefer to do it digitally. The most important thing is to make it easy and to make it enjoyable (I do mine on Sunday nights, with a big mug of tea, using a lovely pen – it’s the small things!).
A little hint: I keep all my old meal plans in a folder on my cook book shelf. I can then quickly flick back through a few past menus and use one of those if I am tight for time (usually with a few quick adaptations).
2. Do a ‘stock-check’
If you get a weekly vegetable box delivered, shop at a farmer’s market or grow-your-own, the first step is to jot down what fresh produce you will be getting this week. Also do a quick ‘stock-check’ of your fridge, freezer, fruit-bowl & cupboards and note any ingredients that need to be used. This will minimise food waste and give you a list of ingredients you know you’ll need to include.
3. Note your busiest days
Next, think about the days that you know you’re going to be busy or stretched for time. Star or highlight these mealtimes on your planner so you know not to put a preparation-heavy option on that day. I aim to have leftovers ready to go on busy days or something very simple like pasta, soup or a quick stew (salad in warmer months).
4. Investment dishes
Then find 1-2 days where you will have a couple of hours here and there to cook and use these to make some investment dishes. Perhaps a big tray of roasted vegetables, a chopped salad or coleslaw, a roast chicken, fish pie, chilli, curry or vegetable stew. Take a look at my batch cooking recipes and also my last two books – Nourish & Glow: The 10 Day Plan and Simply Good For You. Double up quantities if necessary so you’ve got plenty of leftovers to enjoy on busier days. Maybe you can freeze a few portions too.
5. Multi-task meals
If you know you’re going to have a dish in the oven for a while, use this opportunity to be energy-efficient and also put in some jacket potatoes, other roasted vegetables, or a simple casserole. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes to ‘piggy-back’ a few dishes together like this and can save a lot of time later in the week.
6. Think about protein
Once you know the days where you’ll have a little more time, think about the key protein sources you want to use – depending on your personal preferences and tastes. As an example, I tend to work with a few of the following different sources per week and find different recipes to jazz them up a bit;
- Legumes: Pulses / Chickpeas / Cannellini or Butter beans / Lentils / Broad beans / Hummus (legumes are my commonest protein choice – they are cheap, sustainable and speedy).
- Nuts & seeds: / Nut butters / Chia seeds / Hulled hemp seeds / Flaxseeds / Almonds / Cashews / Walnuts
- Soy products: Tofu / Tempeh / Edamame beans
- Poultry – Chicken or Turkey
- Oily fish – Mackerel / Salmon / Trout / Sardines
- White fish – Hake / Haddock / Pollock / Cod / Whiting
- Red meat – Beef / Lamb / Venison or other game (We tend not to eat so much red meat these days, but might have it twice a month or so)
- Dairy – Eggs / Cheese / Natural yoghurt
Jot a selection (perhaps 3-5 different options) of dishes using your preferred protein into your meal plan. We often have fish on a Thursday evening, for example, as that’s when a local fishmonger gets his fresh stock in. Try to keep possible use-by dates in mind.
7. Seek out inspiration
If you’re feeling stuck for ideas, have a flick through some recipe books, social media accounts, Pinterest or websites to get some inspiration. Instagram has the save option so you can create a file called recipes and whenever you see something lovely, save it there for another time and Pinterest is great for this (have you checked out my Pinterest page yet?). Save recipes or dishes you’d like to try, as you see them, so you’ve got a bank of ideas at your fingertips when they are needed. Keep a list (on the fridge or inside a kitchen cupboard door) of speedy, easy meal ideas that you know have worked well in the past (especially if you are cooking for a number of different people with varying dietary requirements or desires!).
8. ‘Cook once, eat twice’
Work on the basic principle of ‘cook once, eat twice’. When you’ve gone to the effort of preparing a dish from scratch, it’s a reasonable plan to eat it for lunch and/or supper the following day too. Just follow common-sense food hygiene practices and ensure things are heated thoroughly before serving as necessary. I have a selection of clip-top glass containers that are perfect for storing leftovers and oven and freezer safe too. They are a great investment.
9. Make breakfast an easy affair
Don’t worry about trying to ‘plan’ breakfast. It’s the one meal of the day where having a simple, go-to dish can serve you well, without being detrimental to your overall nutritional intake. It takes a lot of thinking (and shopping) out of the equation if you stick to 2 or 3 breakfast recipes on rotation. Just ensure your everyday choices contain some source of protein and are not too high in refined carbohydrates, saturated fat or sugar. There are lots of healthy, quick & easy breakfast ideas here and in my latest book Simply Good For You.
10. At the bottom of the fridge, lurks a good meal
Make a ‘bottom-of-the-fridge’ vegetable stew, curry or soup towards the end of the week to use up left over vegetables. It’s also a great thing to do if you’re going away and want to leave the fridge empty. They will all freeze well and mean you’ve got a home-cooked meal ready made when you get home. See my article on How to Build a Healthy Plate if you don’t have specific recipes.

how to build a healthy plate
11. Simple puds
I don’t bother with desserts day-to-day. I’ll have a piece of fresh seasonal fruit, a couple of squares of dark chocolate, or a dollop of natural yoghurt with a handful of chopped nuts and berries if I fancy something sweet. None of these need to be included in your meal plan.
12. Revisit your plan
Once you’re happy with the key dishes you’re planning to make this week, quickly skim back over your plan and fill in any gaps, adding vegetables and side dishes (even if you change these on the day) and make any tweaks. Frittatas, soups, pasta dishes or a quick dahl / chickpea & vegetable stew tend to be my gap-fillers, if you’re looking for simple inspiration (remember that I have lots of easy dishes here on my site: see Recipes).
13. A plan is just a plan
It doesn’t matter if you don’t actually stick to your plan 100%. I rarely stick to it precisely, but the process certainly helps reduce the amount of time I have to spend thinking about cooking and meals during the mayhem of the working week. It really has been a game-changer for me, as a little time invested upfront in planning (it takes no longer than 10 minutes to do all of this with a little practice), pays off hugely over the course of the whole week. Plus, it has reduced my food wastage (and therefore expenditure), as well as expanded my cooking repertoire (and thus dietary variety). It’s also easier to stick to a healthy eating plan if you know what you’re aiming for – it’s a proactive rather than reactive response to the fact that we all have to eat every day, regardless of how tired and busy we are!
14. Write a list
Finally, write your shopping list and put in your order. I mostly shop online for things that don’t come from the organic delivery company, or in bulk. This saves me time and money, as I am less tempted to buy extra things on a ‘whim’.
For those with a copy of my latest book, Simply Good For You, I have put together a free meal plan & shopping list.
Happy planning!
nourish & glow: the 10 day plan
My comprehensive 10-day plan that celebrates Positive Nutrition and which will help you look and feel better, now and forever.
further articles
Spring Health
New season produce, longer daylight hours and hopefully a few gaps in the weather allow me to get outdoors and move a bit.…
New In Nutrition | Feb 2021
New in Nutrition is a place to showcase the new products, books, podcasts, people, places or initiatives that my team and I…
Small changes still count
However persuasively sold to us, it simply isn’t true that we need to radically change everything about our lifestyle and…
How to spend less on food and still eat deliciously well
Food is often one of the biggest expenditures in many household budgets, after rent or mortgage payments. It is also…
100 healthy, plant-based recipes
A great many of us are choosing to enjoy more plant-based meals, for taste, health, environmental and/or ethical reasons.
12 Nourishing Convenience Foods
While I am an enthusiastic advocate of simple, home-cooked meals, there are certainly times when turning to healthy…
3 Christmas Tables
If you’re anything like me, half the fun of the Christmas meal is laying the table. It’s the one moment of the year where I…
New In Nutrition | Nov 2020
New in Nutrition is a place to showcase the new products, books, podcasts, people, places or initiatives that my team and I…
The Power of Positive Nutrition
Everyday food choices have become quite fraught for many people, which I think is a real shame. Food is one of life’s…
How I have changed my shopping habits recently
Perhaps one of the main benefits to come out of this year's experience was that it radically changed how I shop. Initially…
Thinking about: Caffeine
Wrapping my hands around a steaming mug of coffee on a cold morning, or sharing a cup of tea with a friend are a couple of…
New In Nutrition | Sept 2020
I’m so excited to share a brand-new feature with you, New in Nutrition.
80+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas
A nutritious breakfast can be a very positive way to start the day. Ensuring our bodies and brains are well nourished helps…
Why ‘eating the rainbow’ is not just a clichéd phrase
While eating a colourful diet alone is not sufficient – we also need to pay attention to the spread of our nutritional…
9 tips for a great night’s sleep
Many of us know the joy that comes from waking up after a wholly uninterrupted and blissfully restorative night, but also…
Is Joy a missing piece of the healthy puzzle?
Practicing good nutrition, healthy living, regular exercise or frankly, any aspect of wellness can, at least to some people,…
Vitamin D
It is tricky to get enough vitamin D from food sources alone and although sunlight is our key alternative source, there may…
Summer Health
Summer is peak growing season, with fields, growing spaces, polytunnels, allotments and perhaps even our own gardens or…
6 tips for cooking during coronavirus
It’s a strange world we all exist in at the moment and although it might not feel quite so new anymore, it certainly is a…
My 8 most-used pieces of kitchen kit
With so many of us now cooking all our meals at home and perhaps taking lockdown as an opportunity to finally clear out the…
How to enjoy cooking for one
First, I want to extend a validating hug to anyone struggling with the potential loneliness of cooking and eating alone,…
Self-care practices for our changing world
I feel passionately that NOW is the time when self care matters most. Access to support systems and professional resources…
Food & Mood
Good food is, for me, a huge source of comfort. That includes the process of cooking as well as sharing the resulting meal.…
Plant-based Diet: 9 Key Nutrients
This article gives a broad overview of 9 important nutrients to be aware of if you choose to consume a plant-based diet.…
Thinking About: Eating a plant-based diet
I believe it is important to be nutritionally informed when choosing to adopt a completely plant-based diet for the…
A Kinder Approach to Healthy Living
Mindful self-compassion is a beautiful concept and a radical shift for those of us used to having a particularly active and…
Winter Health
As autumn gently slides into winter and the riotous colours of Mother Nature subside into gentle, greyscale hues, the call…
How to ‘Build’ a Healthy Plate
If you, like many of us (myself included!), get stuck for inspiration on how to plan or put together a healthy meal from…
The Benefits of Keeping a Food & Symptom Diary
A food and symptom diary, can be a helpful way to take stock of our everyday eating and drinking habits and start to tune…
My Guide To Non-Food Treats
This is a concept that I have shared many times, but I realised I had never really compiled a list of ideas and suggestions…
Understanding Food Categories
I know it all might seem rather simple, but it is a good idea to build sensible, balanced knowledge of nutrition up from…
Eat More Fibre
Fibre is a key component of a healthy diet. Here in the UK, we are encouraged to consume 30g fibre per day – but the average…
What is Positive Nutrition?
In recent years, I have wholeheartedly embraced the idea of Positive Nutrition. For those who read Nourish & Glow: The…
Alcohol: How much is too much?
With Christmas soon upon us and the swing of festive parties and celebrations underway, champagne corks will be a-popping…
Spotlight on Exercise, Part 3: Creating An Exercise Habit
Moving our body throughout the day, regularly getting out of breath and incorporating some strength and resistance training…
Spotlight on Exercise, Part 2: The potential risks of over-exercising
Whilst no single definition of ‘over-exercising’ exists, I tend to think of it as the point at which your body is starting…