What's for dinner? That's one of the questions I hate the most. Partly because I struggle with being the one who has to come up with meals all the time, but that's a topic for a different day. The dreaded "What's for dinner?" also signifies work for me. Are the meals balanced and nutritious? Did we eat that yesterday? Do I even have the ingredients on hand? If you've ever struggled with meal planning, this post is for you. Read on, dear friend. 

For me, meal planning is different from meal prep, but they're related.

• Meal planning is knowing what we're going to eat and when, and making sure I have the ingredients on hand to make said meal.
• Meal prepping is setting the time aside and making the meals and/or snacks ahead of time. 

I like to meal plan because it streamlines my weekly grocery shopping and communicates to my family what we're having and when so they can help out with the preparation. It also takes the guesswork out of the dreaded dinner question, preventing me from ordering a pizza on the way home at the end of the day.  

Our coaching team put together two sample meal plans and provided a blank page for you to create a meal plan of your own. They're totally free for you to use, re-use, or build your own plan.  

If you're interested in tips on how to make food ahead of time, check out this blog post with 5 Tips to Becoming a Meal Prep Master, or this webinar from our health coaches with step-by-step instructions on how to meal prep. 

Do you have any helpful tips or hacks that make meal planning and meal prepping easier for you and your family? Share them in the comments below!