Episode 81: How to Meal Plan to Simplify Your Life

Summary: 
In this episode, Jodi Speaks with Debra David about how to meal plan, individualized meal templates for each family, the benefits of meal planning and how to involve your family in the process. 

About Our Guest: 
Debra David is a Time Management Coach who helps women manage and organize their time and plan their hectic schedules. Her passion is helping mothers create calm in their lives in order to be the best wives and mothers for their families. Debra, who grew up in New Jersey, has been living in Jerusalem with her family for the past 16 years.    

Show Notes: 
1:33 Life Coach and mother of 8
“In the past I worked as a life coach and then I focussed on my kids and now I’m helping women plan their meals for the week and customize it for each one.” 

2:15 What is meal planning?
“Meal planning is basically planning out your week by making a customized chart that works for you and your family. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it just has to work for you. Having this chart up there on the kitchen cabinet or fridge helps you know what you’ll be making.”

3:17 Individualized meal templates
“Templates that I have are very individualized based on each family.” 

5:09 Benefits of meal planning 
“One of the most stressful questions that our kids ask us is ‘what’s for dinner?’ and when we have an answer ahead of time it’s great. The best benefit is having a plan. Because we have a plan, we can prepare ahead to defrost or have all the ingredients.”  

7:30 Simplifies food shopping
“It makes food shopping easier because you know what you’ll need and some women even tell me that they spend less money on food because they’ve planned ahead.”

9:07 How do we meal plan?
“Make a list of all of the meals that your family likes and then ask other people what meals work really well for their family and then decide what meals are easy, simple, quick and healthy meals for your family. We want to take the pressure off of ourselves.” 

11:20 Meal planning templates 
“Depending on your schedule, maybe Wednesday needs to be a more simple meal and then on Thursday you have more time so you can make something a little bit more complicated.”  

12:50 Involving your family
“Make sure that at every meal that there is at least one thing  that each child likes. The templates have notes too so if your husband is making something or an older child is making a side dish.” 

15:40 Picky Eaters
“Without any pressure, without anyone feeling bad, there can be another option of eating cereal and milk or something simple that they can eat if they don’t like the main meal.” 

17:55 What to do food wise when the unexpected happens 
“I like to suggest having a plan in your head of what to do on the unexpected days such as having a meal ready to go in the freezer. It eliminates the panicky feeling of not having a meal planned.”  

19:25 Shopping list
“Whenever I see that we finish the peanut butter or something, I add it to the shopping list that is already on the fridge. As soon as we write it down, it’s out of our head and it’s easier to handle.”

21:07 Lessening stress
“Take a minute to slow down and implement a habit that can help you. It could be having a notepad on the fridge.”  

Painless Pesach Challenge: 
bitly.com/painless2022

Organized Jewish Life Planner:
https:/amzn.to/3uZs8cJ 

Email Debra David:
Debra613@gmail.com 

Email Jodi:
jodi@loveadventuremom.com

Credits:
Host: Jodi Fried
Guest: Debra David
Editor: Gabrielle Topping and Iris Nelson