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Here’s Why I Don’t Like Meal Plans: A (Tiny) Rant

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a HUGE fan of Meal PLANNING. 

But there is a difference between Meal Planning and FOLLOWING a Meal Plan. 

Also, full disclosure, I actually HAVE a sample meal plan that I created. And the entire time I was making the meal plan part, I felt awkward for all the reasons I’m writing about in this blog post.

The first drawback (for me) with a Meal Plan is people thinking it must be followed TO THE LETTER. Like, there’s no wiggle room for personal preferences. If you don’t like broccoli, but the recipes in the plan call for a steamed broccoli side dish or adding broccoli to a casserole then you’re just stuck eating broccoli.

Now, realistically, we all know that’s not true.

Just switch out the broccoli for another veggie you like, and you’re done.

But in reality, people who are following a meal plan want that plan to be tailored specifically to their tastes (and those of their family), and when they aren’t, when there are substitutions that need to be made, the simplicity and ease of following the plan has changed.

They now have to THINK about those substitutions. They have to DECIDE what will work instead of broccoli that everyone will eat. They have to make a CHOICE, whether it’s green beans or asparagus since broccoli is out, and how will the different vegetable affect the outcome of the dish.

The automation of the meal plan has been stripped because now you are thinking, deciding, and choosing what needs to be done.

My second issue with Meal Plans is Availability. Do grocery stores in my area have the ingredients necessary to make these meals? I live in a rural, landlocked state. Any recipe in a meal plan that calls for fresh seafood of any kind is an automatic issue. Yes, there are frozen options (or canned in some cases), but the availability of some ingredients is more difficult to deal with.

My daughter wanted to make an Indian dish that called for Garam Masala (a spice blend). The nearest store that had it was 90 minutes away.

There is a certain kind of bouillon I like to use when I’m cooking, but it’s not available in my area. When we travel for my daughter’s basketball games, I stop and grab some whenever possible.

See where this is going? While a meal plan is nice to have your variety and options all laid out with no effort on your part, there are times when things are simply not available or not easily available, depending on where you live and what certain recipes call for.

And that issue leads me into Price. Again, while it’s nice to have a meal plan that gives you variety so you’re not eating the same three meals on repeat, week in and week out, pricing can be an issue for a lot of families, especially if you’re on a tight budget. You might love the grilled salmon and asparagus dinner on a meal plan, but if those are out of your price range, you’re scrambling to come up with a cheaper alternative.

I love shrimp, but so does everyone else in my family. To make a full meal to fill up my family, it would require spending 3 to 4 times the amount of money on that meal as opposed to using chicken, pork, or even dried beans. Vegetables or fruits that are out of season cost more. Other specialty ingredients cost more.

Not in every case, but plenty of times, a meal plan can price you out of being able to use it correctly.

My last issue with following a specific meal plan is Complexity. I’m understanding this issue more and more as my son learns to cook with his girlfriend and calls me asking for advice. When you are the one creating a meal plan and already understand the basics of cooking, we forget that not everyone will also get it the way we do.

And as someone who has been cooking for a very long time, there are recipes I see that are more than I want to tackle, or I’m genuinely intimidated to try something that complex. And honestly, you’re a busy mom! Nobody got time for that!

Even on the days I DO have the time, I don’t want to spend it in the kitchen cooking. If you are active and on the go like we are, a complicated meal plan is going to frustrate you and you’ll stop following it if it makes your life more complicated, not less.

As of writing this post, we have been traveling for family reasons or for my daughter’s basketball schedule 7 out of 10 days. If I were trying to follow a meal plan that involved complex recipes, it would never work.

While it ABSOLUTELY can be a benefit (saving time, saving money, making your life LESS hectic) to use a meal plan for your family, I honestly believe it needs to be the RIGHT plan. Working with someone who can tailor a plan to your family’s lifestyle and preferences will be one of the best things you do for yourself.

Weekly, Monthly, or even Quarterly plans can be an enormous benefit once you get used to it. Following a pre-made or pre-created plan can work as long as you know what meals will work for you and your family, you’re prepared to make adjustments if necessary, the ingredients are available in your area, prices work within your budget, and the recipes are easy enough for your busy, active lifestyle.

After years of cooking for my family, I’ve found that Meal PLANNING (creating my own weekly plan) works so much better than using a pre-made plan. It was a huge help going through health and nutrition coaching to learn how to make this work for myself and my family.

Consider sitting down once a week to work through a plan or creating one to make the rest of your summer a much smoother experience!

www.thehiddenpoweroffood.com

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