I have been fascinated by the concept of meal planning for a few years now. I have repeatedly heard that it is one of the best ways to save money on the grocery budget and I know it must be a huge stress saver as well to not have to worry about what to make for supper each day. But I have to admit, I always thought the process was far too complicated for me to be able to manage.
Then Unilever, the makers of numerous dinnertime favourites including Hellman’s, Knorr and Ragu, gave me the chance to chat with expert meal planner Sandi Richard and I had high hopes that her advice might help me to finally figure out this concept and start enjoying the benefits of meal planning. Luckily for me, Sandi understands that busy parents don’t have time for a complex and confusing system when it comes to meal planning. The process should start, she says, with a simple sheet of paper (you can download a blank “Eat Sheet” on her website) and a family meeting.
Sandi was full of practical tips and the first one was that only five meals per week should be planned. She said there should be one day when parents can feel fine about ordering out and one day when eating grilled cheese and soup is acceptable, so five meals can take a family through the week without a problem. To decide on those five meals, she suggests just using a blank sheet of paper and filling in each of the meals. But to make the process work, getting input from the entire family is crucial!
What I loved about Sandi’s system is that every member of the family contributed their own meal ideas to the menu. Since my boys are sometimes picky about their food, this method allows them to choose meals that they’re sure to eat, but also allows me to choose meals I love that will introduce my boys to different tastes. And as Sandi says, if tacos end up on the menu every single week, there’s nothing that’s really so bad about that!
By using this method and creating different meal plans each week for about three weeks, a kid-approved rotation of meals is created that can be used over and over again. And all with minimal stress and no need for a complicated system! Sandi makes it clear that over-planning leads to failure, so simplicity should always be the goal!
I loved the idea of having children involved in the meal planning process, but I wanted to take that even further and have my boys actually get involved in the cooking as well. And once again, Sandi had the perfect advice! She suggests choosing a simple, assembly only meal and letting a child between 8-12 prepare it on their own from start to finish. This simple Parmesan Crusted Chicken was her personal favourite and I loved the idea of having Zackary make one of the week’s supper meals himself!
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tsp. Italian bread crumbs
Instructions
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Mix Hellman's mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
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Dip chicken breasts in mayonnaise mixture and place on baking sheet.
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Sprinkle chicken breasts with Italian bread crumbs.
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Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes and serve.
The result of having a child cook one of the meals, Sandi explains, is that with copious praise for the dish, the child is more willing to eat the meal and will also want to make it again. And once it’s been added to the rotation of meals, a child will usually request another recipe to create! The benefits of this are two-fold. First, the parent experiences less stress since the child is cooking one of the weekly meals. Second, the child is learning essential cooking skills that will be beneficial for a lifetime!
I loved chatting with Sandi Richard and really appreciated the “Love Every Meal” philosophy that she and Unilever are embracing. “Dinner is not a test and we have to stop treating it like one,” Sandy says. A little simple planning can help take the stress out of mealtime and prevent parents from feeling like they’ve failed their family when dinner rolls around. And to top it all off, Sandi says every family she has worked with has saved a minimum of 50% on their grocery bill once they start using this system!
Quick and easy is a philosophy I use a lot when it comes to cooking and so a meal planning system that embraces that same philosophy is one that I am much more likely to try. Start this simple meal rotation with your family and see how some basic meal planning techniques can save you money and minimize your stress when dinnertime rolls around!
kelly young says
July 2, 2014 at 12:48 pmi am going to try this tonight for dinner looks so good and great tips thank you
Melissa Benham says
July 2, 2014 at 12:50 pmyum!
Monique L.S. says
July 2, 2014 at 1:01 pmMeal planning is hard. I have been trying to do it, but not going too well as yet. I think you are right that the while family needs to be involved in the decision making. Perhaps I’ll show this article to my husband…hint hint. 😉
DH says
July 2, 2014 at 1:12 pmMeal planning is part of my weekly chores. It’ really is essential to families on a strick budget and helps to make the week go smoother, We don’t always follow to the T what’s on it the schedule but we will have the ingredients for that week on hand & choose to eat what we want the day before. Without it meal planning, we’d be eating weird combo meals like perogies & nuggets… (which we’ve done in the past!! lol)
kristen visser says
July 2, 2014 at 1:13 pmthis looks delicious!!! now i have super planned for tomorrow 🙂 thanks for the recipe !!!
Angie@Echoes of Laughter says
July 2, 2014 at 1:17 pmMeal planning is so important for families! And I love Sandi Richard’s books…they are great resources!
Lynda Cook says
July 2, 2014 at 1:26 pmthis is a great system that she has, and I too only usually plan for just 5 meals, great minds think alike..lol, this chicken recipe is so good and it’s a keeper in my house, the chicken is so juicy yumm!!
Gord says
July 2, 2014 at 1:29 pmLooks delicious, I should try this sometime, NAH I will try it soon!
DeeDee says
July 2, 2014 at 1:47 pmLooks good!
Chandra Christine O'Connor says
July 2, 2014 at 2:06 pmmy youngest enjoys cooking like me and has come to create delicious meals for us.
ginette4 says
July 2, 2014 at 2:36 pmWow this looks delicious, thank you for sharing this recipe, I’m going to make this for sure
Sheryl P says
July 2, 2014 at 3:40 pmWe’ve tried this and everyone in our house loves it! It’s so rich and tasty, and the chicken stays so juicy!
sarah sar says
July 2, 2014 at 6:57 pmLove how it’s super quick and easy to make. Will have to make this one day. Thanks!
Karen C says
July 2, 2014 at 7:15 pmIf I worked regular hours meal planning would be so much easier. I think I may just have to try it using your tips!
Doris Calvert says
July 2, 2014 at 7:31 pmyum, pinned and printed, now that looks delicious!
Andrea C says
July 2, 2014 at 7:51 pmIf u didn’t meal plan we wouldn’t eat lol. Sandie Richardson is the reason I learned to meal plan!
Lisa says
July 2, 2014 at 8:19 pmI love chicken and am always looking for new ways to prepare it so hubby doesn’t complain about me cooking it so often! This sounds great!
maria medeiros says
July 2, 2014 at 9:02 pmWonderful blog post! I find it very important to meal plan because then you just order takeout and that is horrible. 😀
Debbie W says
July 3, 2014 at 7:57 amMeal planning is so important to me. I don’t over purchase on groceries and hardly have leftovers.
Crystal Englot says
July 3, 2014 at 11:08 amThat is my favorite chicken! I always love to have Parm crusted chicken with honey mustard glaze when company is coming 🙂
Judy C (Judy Cowan) says
July 3, 2014 at 1:05 pmThe Parmesan Chicken sounds yummy! I have tried to do meal planning a couple times but I never stick with it. Maybe I should give it a try again.
kathy downey says
July 3, 2014 at 7:19 pmI love it when i find new recipes,thanks
LMJF says
July 3, 2014 at 7:48 pmA CHICKEN FAN….
Amy Lovell says
July 3, 2014 at 10:14 pmI hate meal planning, but this looks delicious thanks!
Shirley OFlynn says
July 3, 2014 at 11:01 pmLooks delicious!
nikki robak says
July 4, 2014 at 8:52 amI have tried meal planning but it never seems to work out
Robyn L says
July 4, 2014 at 8:59 ama must try recipe and thanks for sharing. yummy in my tummy
Teresa Claire says
July 4, 2014 at 11:02 amI have a similar recipe that I use to make chicken fingers using chicken breasts cut into strips…this looks delicious!
Kristine Ewald says
July 4, 2014 at 2:38 pmI am a huge chicken fan 🙂
Ester G says
July 4, 2014 at 7:54 pmThanks, I wonder how this would turn out with light Mayo?
Heidi C. says
July 4, 2014 at 10:47 pmThis sounds simple and very delicious. I am going to have to try making it!
Darlene Schuller says
July 5, 2014 at 6:43 amThis sound so yummy, thank you
CathyC says
July 5, 2014 at 8:33 amLove parmesan crusted chicken!
Athena says
July 5, 2014 at 8:24 pmmmmm sounds good!
Jeff Skidmore says
July 6, 2014 at 10:11 amWill definitely have to try this!
Shelley N says
July 6, 2014 at 4:36 pmLove Parmesan chicken but I am the only one in my household not allergic to dairy. great recipe though -nice and simple
Rachel C says
July 6, 2014 at 8:34 pmGreat chicken recipe! I love the idea of planning as a family so everybody has their favorites in the rotation.
angela m says
July 7, 2014 at 11:37 amMy family would love this recipe. thanks
Melanie A. says
July 7, 2014 at 10:04 pmYum! This chicken recipe is a family favourite!
caryn s says
July 8, 2014 at 2:21 pmThis recipe is a staple in our house as its a big hit with my kids!
Evan says
July 8, 2014 at 9:26 pmThank you very much for sharing these very helpful tips. Much appreciated.
Stephanie LaPlante says
July 9, 2014 at 1:24 pmOh that sounds soooo good!
cheryl says
July 9, 2014 at 9:04 pmI always love watching sandi tv show (which I think has be off air for some time now) it was so awesome and she was so great at meal planning
Anna W says
July 11, 2014 at 5:24 pmI keep saying I am going to start meal planning because I know it will save so much money, create less food waste and just make everything easier but I just have not got around to it yet!
Treen Goodwin says
July 12, 2014 at 10:11 amwow sounds delish i will be trying this out for sure thanks for sharing 🙂
Bev says
July 12, 2014 at 1:50 pmThe Parmesan Crusted Chicken looks very good!
Jenn L says
July 13, 2014 at 2:13 pmthis sounds delicious. you cannot go wrong with chicken and cheese. yummm
DARLENE W says
July 13, 2014 at 5:08 pmAlways coming up with something that everyone likes can be a challenge. Everyone get to prepare a meal every week, that takes the load off me
Linda Manns says
July 14, 2014 at 6:18 pmGood suggestions and the recipe looks great. I will put this information to good use. Thank you so much
rochelle haynes says
July 15, 2014 at 5:11 amNice food like to try this