Top Meal Planning Tips for Older Adults: A Nutritionist Answers Common Questions

I love cooking and planning meals. I also take pride in making wholesome, delicious meals for my family on a budget. There are many benefits to meal planning; some are obvious, and others may surprise you. I’ve answered some of the most common questions I get about meal planning for older adults.

What are the benefits of meal planning?

Lower Food cost

One of the most significant benefits of meal planning is cost control. When I go to the grocery store with a plan and a list, it is much easier to stick to the plan. There is less chance of impulse buys, which will help me on budget. This should also help create less trips to the store throughout the week for one or two items that were missing and more organized in the kitchen

Reduce food waste and save time

There is less of a chance of overbuying if you know what you need from week to week. I like to plan my meals based on potential leftovers as well. For instance, if I have roasted chicken one night, I can repurpose the leftovers into a chicken salad or pasta dish.

Reduce meals out

When you have your meals planned out for the week (or month), there will be less chance of grabbing food out or going through a drive-through. This is especially true if you have meat already thawed, or better yet, food in a crock pot ready to go! Planning meals takes so much of the guesswork out of what to eat from day to day. This can be a huge help for caregivers, too, who often are juggling multiple responsibilities.

How can I avoid impulse purchases at the grocery store?

We’ve all heard “never go to the grocery store hungry. I also find that when I do not have a plan, the same holds true. Suddenly, everything sounds amazing, and I buy all the produce or all the snacks. Or sometimes, I am like a deer in headlights and cannot form a meal in my head and leave empty-handed. But if I know what I will need for the upcoming week, I can stick to that list and my trip will go quicker and more smoothly.

Do you have tips on where to start?

Every Sunday, I look through my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to take a little inventory of what I already have. This helps me figure out:

• what I need to restock (rice, oil, etc.) or
• what I already have on hand (beans, tuna, etc.).
• Then, I consider my budget and look at upcoming expenses that may be looming overhead.

Next, I look through the ads to see what is on sale and for inspiration. There may be stock-up opportunities or ideas for meals that I had not considered. This helps with variety as well, as I often get into food ruts where I make similar dishes week after week.

Finally, I look at the calendar for the upcoming week to see:

• Do I have any late appointments, meetings, or anything else scheduled
• How many meals I will need?

I use all this information to decide how much stocking up I can do, if any. I built a flexible meal plan based on all that.

Some weeks, if chicken is on sale and I do not need any pantry staples I may buy some extra meat. Or if everything seems to need to be replenished all at once, I may look at less stocking up and plan for less expensive meals to stretch that food budget. If I have a night or two with later engagements, I may plan on ready-made foods like rotisserie chicken on a salad or a crockpot meal to make my evenings a little less stressful. Or I will make a batch of food like a casserole or pasta dish, where I can reheat easily.

Plan for all food groups

It may seem difficult to “eat a variety of foods,” especially if you are cooking for one or two. There are a couple of tips that may help.

Protein: Protein is the most expensive part of most food budgets. Usually, people plan the rest of the meals around the protein source. I like to purchase fresh, but when the budget and sales allow, I also like to stock up on things like canned beans and packaged tuna to keep on hand for quick and easy meals. If a larger quantity of ground meat is on sale, I will divide it into smaller portions and freeze it for future meals. Or if it is easier for you, you can always make a large pot of soup or casserole and freeze it individual servings. I plan my meals around the protein, but also like to cook for leftovers or try to get multiple meals out of the meat. One of my favorites is spaghetti and meatballs, then I use leftover meatballs to make sandwiches, or reheat and add to a salad or soups.

Fruits and vegetables: I buy a variety of fresh and frozen food and try to eat in order of shelf life. For instance, carrots, potatoes, and apples last a long time while berries, bananas and cucumbers have a shorter life. I can buy a bag of carrots for two weeks, but I may buy 1 cucumber to use within the next day or two. If I run out of fresh produce, I then have some frozen available.

Dairy: It is important to look at what you have before shopping to reduce the chance of overbuying. Non-dairy milk options like soy, almond or oat have a longer shelf life than traditional milk. Other forms of dairy like yogurt and cheese can last a few weeks.

Grains: Many grains are inexpensive and have a long shelf life. Grains can also be quite versatile. Pasta can be used as a side dish, pasta dinner, or pasta salad. Rice can be a side dish or ingredient in a casserole or soup.

Embrace batch cooking

I am most successful eating a well-balanced nutritious meal when I batch-cook something for lunch or dinner. It saves me time and money and keeps me from grabbing snacks instead of a full meal. Batch cooking is one the best time-saving meals prep tips for older adults and their caregivers.

Some of my favorites are pasta salad that I can eat for 3-4 days, a vegetable salad with beans or hard-boiled eggs, or a tuna/chicken salad. This is also something that can be done with larger meals like lasagna or soup, where extra servings are frozen for a later date. Or you can ingredient prep instead, where you make a pan of meatballs for the week to be used in various ways, or roast chicken as the protein for the week and eat in a variety of ways.

Do you recommend any tools or resources for easy meal planning?

Attached are some recipes for quick and easy meals for inspiration. There are also websites and apps where you can enter what you currently have, and recipes will be made based on your pantry!

Final thoughts

Meal planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start small, event planning just 2 or 3 dinners ahead can make your week easier. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or caring for a loved one, a little preparation goes a long way.

Resources

Here are some of my favorite sites I turn to when I need meal planning inspiration.

1. Recipes
2. Recipes by Ingredient | RecipeLand
3. Cooking for One Recipes - One Dish Kitchen
4. 69 Dinner Ideas for Two to Make Tonight | Taste of Home

The article provides information designed to complement your personal health management. It does not provide medical advice and not meant to replace professional medical advice. Linking to other websites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such websites.