Omnivore loving vegan, gluten-free & beverage recipes
Life’s Little Sweets celebrates seasonal cooking and local food pathways. Find inspiration from farms, CSAs, and home gardens with recipes that highlight fresh ingredients, community, and the joy of cooking through the seasons. Continue Reading
This recipe infuses the rich, distinct flavor of maple syrup into the classic buttery shortbread, offering a delightful twist on traditional shortbread cookies. Adjust the sweetness by varying the amount of maple syrup to suit your taste preferences.
When the weather gets cooler and those leaves start falling, you know it’s time to cozy up with a hot, delicious bowl of soup! We have a list of yummy, nutritious fall/autumn soups that you can make at home.
It’s time for some cranberry, pumpkin, apples, and everything spiced! Sweater season is here which means we’re hungrier than ever. Want to know what food to cook this Fall? Keep on reading!
This Pumpkin Spice Bread yields 2 generous loaves and can be customized with your favorite toppings and Vanilla Coconut Icing! Bring this favorite to your next holiday gathering! Be sure to check out the other #FoodieMamas pumpkin recipes below!
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Meal planning is a tricky and overwhelming task. Especially as a newbie, you are more than likely confused about where to start. You already have all the groceries and food. What next?
Making meal plans modified to your lifestyle and food options will be the most cost-effective and will lessen a lot of waste.
We understand it can get really intimidating, we know that spreadsheets and planners come to mind when people hear the word "Meal Planning" but we assure you, that we've made it simple for busy parents and home cooks to plan for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner here!
We concluded that meal planning starts with a few simple steps:
The biggest struggle people face when meal planning is the diversity of meals each week. From breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to snacks and desserts. Where do you even start?
We know this takes a lot of time, especially for a time-constricted parent or individual. So here are a few tips you can plan out meals throughout the week!
Set a theme or division for breakfast or dinner but also allow yourself some resilience. If you set a theme, make sure that it has to be secondary to the items that you already have on hand. So keep your pantry stocked with staples for times like this!
Keep it simple and thorough so that you can include fresh meals for each one.
Think about making snacks you can make easily and quickly with simple ingredients that you already have in store.
A few samples of it are veggie sticks or mixing oats with fruits and nuts so you can make your own energy balls.
Berries, nuts, and Greek yogurt are rich in protein and fiber, which will also keep you full throughout the day.
Don't overdo your sugar intake and munch on some carrots or whip up a smoothie if you can.
Sometimes we want to indulge in some after-meal sweets. But how do we add this into our meal plan?
Set aside some healthy single-ingredient, whole, and ideally organic food like dried fruits, fruit, nuts, and dark chocolate.
After you ate your meal, decide first if you're craving something notably sweet. The best lean and healthy dessert proteins are nuts, frozen bananas, and dark chocolate.
To save more time and money, you will want to have easy meals that you can just pull out of the fridge for the week. It adds diversity while not buying extra ingredients.
Every week, plan at least one meal that you want to double and freeze for later in the month!
Our biggest advice is to find a system that works for you. Keep it straightforward so that everyone in the family can understand and follow. A dry erase board, meal planning calendar, or app on your phone are all easy ways you can start with!
Remember, the more simple it is, the more you'll stick to the plan!
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