Meal planning is the key to successfully maintaining a whole food, gluten free diet cooked at home.
It was my privilege to be interviewed for an episode of A Canadian Celiac Podcast, which aired this week.
One of the things we talked about on the show was meal planning. Those of us who can't eat gluten don't have the luxury of just grabbing any fast food that might be available. It occurred to me that it might be valuable to you for me to share in more detail the tips that work for me on a weekly basis as I prepare almost everything I eat from scratch with unprocessed food.
If you haven't really set up your kitchen to be safe for gluten free food preparation, read How to Eat Gluten Free at Home.
1. Grab inspiration when it strikes!
The most difficult part of meal planning can be deciding what to make. I keep an ongoing notebook where I save ideas as they come to me. I keep a secret Pinterest board with recipes I want to try. It's organized into sections for various courses. When a great idea comes to me for a recipe I'd like to try, I save it right away.
If it's online, I'll pin it to the Pinterest board.
When I find a recipe in a magazine that's my own, I'll tear it out and save it.
If I'm inspired by a restaurant dish I've enjoyed while eating out or I come across a recipe in a cookbook that I want to try, I'll jot down a note in my book.
2. Practice meal planning weekly.
Once a week, sit down for a few minutes to plan your menu and shopping list. When you can draw from your sources of inspiration (See point 1 above.), this task is quick and easy. Keep careful notes of where the recipes are, ie. website, page in cookbook, etc.
Make a grocery list from your menu, and go shopping once a week. A lot of time is wasted traveling to and from as well as shopping in grocery stores!
3. Prepare extra while you're at it.
Prepare more than you need for one meal, so you have an extra meal or leftovers for lunch.
If you cook large cuts of meat like a large chicken or a pot roast, you can use the leftovers in salad, pot pie, or all sorts of other recipes.
Bones from a roasted chicken or turkey can easily be tossed into a pot to make healthful bone broth. I save them in a bag in the freezer until I have enough saved up for a batch of broth.
Your bone broth can later be made into Butternut Squash and Apple Soup or Borscht.
4. Use your extra time wisely!
On the days when you're enjoying leftovers, use the time not spend on preparing your main dish to chop extra veggies for a few salads.
Make some muffins, wholesome cookies, snacks, a batch of granola, or a loaf of gluten free bread. Trust me, it’s not as difficult as it sounds, and you can freeze some for later.
5. Batching saves time!
Mixing up a gluten free spice blend that works in several recipes saves you the time and hassle of measuring multiple spices and seasonings every single time you make each dish. My Gluten Free Spice
One batch of Spice Mix can be used to season roast beef, make Sweet Potato Frittata, Ground Beef Skillet, Easy Sausage and Beans Skillet, or Instant Pot Beef Roast.
Gluten Free Everything Seasoning is nice on eggs, avocado toast, or roasted vegetables.
One salad dressing like Simple Herb Vinaigrette or Honey Mustard Salad Dressing, shook up in jar, will last for several salads.
A flour blend for something you'll make often, perhaps Almond Teff Pancakes, will save time.
6. It's okay to purchase some prepped food.
Purchase pre-chopped and prepped foods when there are no added preservatives or other ingredients in them. Boxed fresh spring lettuce mix, spiralized sweet potatoes, or frozen vegetables can be healthful convenience foods. Frozen pomegranate arils can save lots of time, work and mess! I've used them sprinkled on fresh salads after a few minutes of thawing.
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Happy meal planning!
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maria says
I love to hear about meal planning tips... it's just as you say Cathy... you never know what wiil inspire you! Great podcast by the way ♥ Thanks so much for sharing!
Cathy says
Thank you! I've done public speaking before, but I've never been interviewed. Sue was a most gracious host, but it's still a little unnerving to not know the exact questions ahead of time!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking says
I love that these tips apply to meal planning in general! I eat gluten-free sometimes, but don't follow a strict gluten-free diet. But I usually try to eat as clean as possible and meal planning helps me stick to that and not resort to processed foods. Loved all your tips Cathy, especially making extra! I always double supper recipes in order to have workday lunches at the ready. Huge time saver! Happy Friday!
Cathy says
Being proactive on those workday lunches is a sanity saver! Have a great weekend!
Denise from Urb'n'Spice says
This is fantastic information, Cathy. I do the same thing as you do - save chicken bones until I have enough to make bone broth. As I cook and bake so much gluten-free for family members, it is really great to have an organized approach and your tips for meal planning are spot on. Thanks for sharing.
Cathy says
Thanks for stopping by, Denise! I don't know why it took me so long to start making bone broth. I used to think it was too complicated to do right away after carving the meat. So, my simplified version works for me!
Elaine says
Great tips, Cathy! Batch cooking is a lifesaver, especially for a food blogger! I don’t think I could throw away a chicken carcass if my life depended on it. Thanks for sharing your helpful ideas.
Cathy says
Thank you, Elaine! Have a great weekend!
Terri @foodmeanderings says
Cathy, this is a very handy post, not for those that eat gluten-free, but to those that want to eat healthy. It's really tough to find healthy (for me, weight watchers friendly) food on the fly. I have to plan better. You reminded me of that because I'm not so great at meal planning and planning out my grocery shops!
Cathy says
I'm happy that you found this helpful! It's true we should all try to eat healthfully whether gluten free or not.
Megan Stevens says
These are great and so practical; thank you! I love prepping more ahead of time and the emotional boost I feel when I go to grab those foods...how a better dinner then comes together faster!
Cathy says
Thank you, Megan! I couldn't agree with you more!
Lindsey Dietz says
Yes to preparing extra! I try to do this every time I cook so I always have some component ready for the next meal.
Cathy says
It's such a time saver, isn't it!
Joni Gomes says
What a great post! #3 is my favorite 🙂
Cathy says
Aren't leftovers great!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This is so helpful! Number 3 and 5 are my favorites and I would love to be better about #2 - meal planning is so helpful but I haven't been the best at it. I agree with #6 too, I do buy frozen organic veggies, especially when they're cheaper than fresh, but also riced cauliflower - I just don't have time to rice the cauliflower and it's so much easier to buy it already prepped. Great tips!
Cathy says
Yes! Riced cauliflower was a wonderful discovery for me!
Jean says
Such amazing tips! I myself am a batch cooker and it's crazy how much time it saves.
Cathy says
Thank you, Jean! I'm glad that you are also enjoying the benefits of batch cooking.
linda spiker says
Love these tips, especually the 'make extra'. That little tip saves me so much time!
Cathy says
It does save time, and it is often no more work!
Tessa Simpson says
Some great tips! I do most of these myself...key to saving time in the kitchen and being prepared with safe food!
Cathy says
Having safe food is key, isn't it!
yvonne says
Many great tips! Meal planning and making more of each meal so that you have leftovers are key to saving time in my week.
Cathy says
Thanks, Yvonne! I can't imagine how frazzled I would be without a plan!
Raia Todd says
Meal planning is so helpful! I also like the making extra idea, though it's kinda hard to do with 7 hungry mouths to feed... haha.
Cathy says
Yes, it must be challenging to keep everyone fed!
Meredith says
There are so many great time saving tips here... great for anyone trying to eat more home-cooked real food!
Cathy says
Thank you, Meredith!
Carrie says
Love all these tips especially about making wholesome snacks, cookies, granola etc.This is something I really need to do!
Cathy says
Thanks, Carrie! It's good to have healthful snacks available, so it's easier to resist eating garbage!
Leslie says
Great tips, Cathy! I'm a bit fan of making big batches of just about everything and making large batches of spice blends and pancake mix for quickie seasoning and breakfasts for dinner.
Cathy says
Thanks, Leslie! Big batches are great time savers!
Katie Mae says
Oh my, YES!! All of these things are so true for me!!
Cathy says
That's great! Thanks for stopping by!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This post is worth the save! Great tips!!
Cathy says
Thanks, Liz!
Brenda Persiani says
I want to start making my own spice and seasoning mixes. Do you purchase bulk spices that are organic and them mix your own combinations or have you dried the red peppers, onions, rosemary etc.. then grind them
are organic spices gluten free?
Cathy says
I'm glad that you plan to start making your own spice and seasoning mixes! I purchase bulk spices. They aren't necessarily organic, although I will choose organic when it's available.
No, organic spices are not necessarily gluten free.
Let me give you a word of caution about buying bulk spices if you need them to be gluten free. Purchase your spices where you feel comfortable that they are free from cross contamination. I'm fortunate to be able to buy mine in a store where the staff scoops them out with clean scoops. In bulk food stores where the public serves themselves from bins, there is a danger of cross contamination if there are gluten-containing items nearby.