Quick Meal Planning Tips

I grew up in a household where my mother would scream "3ne mo b3 di den?" which means "what are you eating today?" My brothers sometimes decide, or we the girls, and my mother use whatever is available at the moment. Things changed when I married my British husband. Cultures difference. My husband was always encouraging me to 'Plan ahead, write it down, plan your menu'; it felt like a teacher-student something lol. But, it has impacted my life in so many ways especially as a homemaker. We also had four adopted children, so asking them what they wanted to eat followed by asking my husband what he wanted to eat was disastrous. Imagine how tough it would be to shop for both our food and his! In short, meal planning is the most practical method to use. How many homes carefully plan their meals? Which includes shopping for all of the ingredients needed for the week's meals. It was fun planning it together with the kids.

Here are some simple meal planning tips to help you get started.

Make a Weekly Menu:

• Make a weekly meal plan in advance. Think about traditional Ghanaian foods like waakye, banku with tilapia, jollof rice, or light soup with fufu. Sort it into different categories, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This was my meal plan for the week, except for breakfast. Breakfast was a quick cup of tea with a fried egg, oatmeal, toast, or porridge. I didn't make any plans for breakfast because it was a stress-free experience. My weekly meal plan was different from my husband's because he is British. But being a Ghanaian with four adopted Ghanaian kids, preparing a meal was not easy. You must make sure that you plan healthy meals rather than just writing them. This was my weekly healthy eating plan. Make sure you plan the meal with your spouse and children. They will tell you what they want, lol. You do not want to cook something that they dislike. 

The Burns Home:

Monday - Beans & Plantain

Tuesday - Yam & Kontomire (Tuna, egg, salmon, avocado)

Wednesday - Beef sauce with rice (Vegetable Salad)

Thursday - Palmnut soup with fufu/banku/eba (Chicken, fish)

Friday - Waakye (Salad, egg, fish)

Saturday - Jollof (add salad, egg, avocado sauce)

Sunday - Spaghetti with tomato sauce and vegetables 

Create a Shopping List:

• Create a grocery list for rice, beans, yams, plantains, tomatoes, onions, and peppers based on your weekly meal. This ensures you have all you need for the meals and keeps you from making rash choices. Look forward to my next post on grocery shopping advice, when I'll show you how to create a master grocery list. 

Use Leftovers:

• Make extra food so you can have it for a quick meal later in the week or for lunch the next day. For example, if you make jollof rice, serve it with chicken for dinner, then eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Add Vegetables:

• Make sure that your meal plans include vegetables. For added nutrients, think about putting eggplant, garden eggs, spinach, or okra into different meals.

Freezer-Friendly Recipes:

• Do not plan meals that can not be stored in the freezer. Meals that are easy to reheat and defrost should be prepped and frozen. Palmnut soups, stews, and light soup can all be stored in freezer.

Make a Meal Rotation:

• To make planning easier not a one way something, create a rotation of your family's favorite meals. This makes deciding what to cook easy and ensures variety. 

Plan for Snacks and Juices:

• When planning your meals, don't forget to include nutritious homemade snacks and drinks. Consider kelewele spicy fried plantains, fried sweet potatoes or homemade fruit juices.

Sample Meal Plan for a Week

Day 1:

• Breakfast: Oat or corn porridge

• Lunch: Waakye with fish

• Dinner: Jollof rice with chicken and salad

Day 2:

• Breakfast: Shibom (bread and eggs)

• Lunch: Light soup with fufu

• Dinner: Banku with tilapia and pepper sauce

Day 3:

• Breakfast: Oblayo

• Lunch: Rice and beans with vegetables

• Dinner: Fried rice with chicken and mixed vegetables

Day 4:

• Breakfast: Tombrown

• Lunch: Fried Sweet Potato, salad with eggs and chicken

• Dinner: Vegetable stew with boiled plantains

Day 5:

• Breakfast: Milo, Liptop with bread

• Lunch: palmnut soup with banku

• Dinner: Spaghetti with tomato sauce and vegetables

Day 6:

• Breakfast: Hausa Kokoo

• Lunch: Grilled/fried fish with jollof rice

• Dinner: Rice with egg and cornbeef stew

Day 7:

• Breakfast: Rice Pudding/Rice Water

• Lunch: Pancakes

• Dinner: Groundnut Soup with rice balls