As personal chefs, when it comes to meal planning, we have worked with a variety of different styles when it comes to helping with our clients’ meals. Because we have had to brainstorm and problem solve through customizing plans that are family specific (including our own), we wanted to start a mini-series here within the blog as well as in our videos and podcast sharing tips about meal planning. With that here are some questions that we work through to decide on which plan will work best for each family.

Do I want to select 5 meals a week that I will fully stick to?

Do I need the structure of knowing exactly what I am going to be eating?

How much time do I have to cook?

What is my budget?

Do I have a picky eater or allergies to worry about?

Strict:

If you answered yes to the first two questions, then this is the meal plan you would fall into. You need something structured where you have all your recipes in order for the week. This allows you to know exactly what you need to buy without any variance. It is also helpful when it comes to a strict budget and more limited cooking time.

In strict meal plans that we have offered clients we offer a menu of the week’s meals, recipes, and shopping list so that all the guess work is taken out. Finding something that offers this will be the best fit for you.

Flexible:

If you were a maybe or a definite no to the first two questions this is the meal plan you would fall into. If this is you, then you prefer having a little bit of wiggle room on what your meals turn out to being. This means that you may select ingredients that can be utilized in a number of ways. You may also be a little more experienced in the kitchen.

For a flexible meal plan it is all about knowing how to utilize different cuts of proteins and ingredients in a number of ways. This is the meal planning category that we fall into as a family and personal preference, because sometimes we may not actually be feeling like having spaghetti when it gets to the specific day, so… chili instead. If a flexible meal plan interests you, we recommend that you are a bit more versed in cooking in the kitchen and we would recommend sticking with this mini-series since it will cover more tips on this type of plan.

The Done For You Meals:

If you answered yes to the first two and also have a bit more of a budget to play with, you may prefer to have either a box of premeasured ingredients delivered to your house, or you may want meals already cooked and ready to enjoy for the week.

Meal Kits:

These can be a good option if you are not too worried about sticking to a budget and want less time spent shopping and/or prepping. There are many options to choose from now since having these kits delivered has grown in the past years.

Personal Chef Services or Meal Delivery Services:

This option is good if you have room in your budget to have someone else cook for you to take out all the work. This is also good if you have picky eaters or allergies that need to be accommodated, since these services can generally be customized more to you. If you’re an Orlando local and this is the meal planning that fits for you, we offer this service in your area.

Let’s Talk About It:

We want to hear from you. What do you love and/or hate about meal planning? Do you have any challenges? What kind of content would help simplify the process? Do you need help with coming up with or creating a meal plan for you? How can we help?

Connect with Us:

Want to check out our podcast 100% Fresh with Two Chef Mission? Click here!

We hope y’all will follow along for these meal planning tips coming up!