Have you noticed that no matter how long you’ve been at cooking and meal planning, there’s always something new to learn? Kelli Foster, food writer for the site, www.thekitchn.com, thinks so, and wrote a helpful article all about mistakes we make when meal planning. Even our seasoned Cook’n cooks might find a helpful idea here.

She first admits that “Of course tips and strategies for getting started, choosing a week of recipes, shopping for your meal plan, and bringing it all together are crucial. But it's just as important to identify all the points where it can go wrong, and then having a smart solution to avoid each and every pitfall.” Kelli identifies 10:

1. Not giving yourself sufficient time for planning. Trying to pack the planning, shopping, and prep in as quickly as possible and not giving yourself enough time makes this process frustrating and overwhelming from the start.

Solution: Give yourself plenty of time for meal planning; set aside two to three hours each week for meal planning. Also, take advantage of the weekend to spread out the planning, grocery shopping, and meal prep. This way meal planning is achievable and sustainable over the long run.

2. Not picking the right recipes for your needs. Picking recipes that don't fit that criteria leads to dissatisfaction, frustration, and hunger.

Solution: To make meal planning work for you, begin by understanding what you need from a recipe and pick recipes that meet those needs. It seems so obvious, yet it can also be so easy to overlook. Before you even go searching for recipes, write down a list of what you want the recipe to do for you. Maybe it needs to come together in under 30 minutes, or be vegetarian. Perhaps you need to use up a head of cauliflower. Use these points to select recipes.

3. Being overly ambitious and unrealistic. Remember: Meal planning is a marathon, not a sprint. It's great that you feel so inspired and enthusiastic about meal planning, but making a plan that's overly ambitious and one that doesn't quite match your schedule or needs won't be sustainable in the long run.

Solution: Define your goals and assess your schedule to be realistic, then make a sustainable plan. Not sure what that looks like? Then start small, maybe with cooking two to three nights a week. In time you’ll figure out what works for you (and what doesn't); remember you can always revise your plan.

4. Not stocking your pantry. How can you efficiently cook when you don’t have what you need?

Solution: Seasoned meal planners rely on pantry basics as their helping hand for getting dinner on the table; they're also the key to back pocket recipes. Keeping a stash of versatile staples on hand simply makes meal planning easier.

Strategically fill your pantry with basic ingredients you use over and over again —olive oil, stock, rice, and canned goods. Even on days when it seems there's nothing to eat, these core ingredients turn eggs into a hearty frittata, pasta into a delicious three-ingredient dish, or rice into a one-pot wonder.

5. Not scouting the kitchen for food that needs to be used up. This habit is often the result of being in a hurry to “git ‘er done.” As mentioned above, meal planning takes time.

Solution: Before selecting recipes and heading to the store, scout the fridge and pantry for foods that need to be used up, then find a way to work them into your plan. You’ll always have help with this when you turn to your Cook’n program. It’s one of my favorite features!

6. Not writing down or saving your recipes. Again, ditto on being in a hurry.

Solution: Organization is key for meal planning success. Not writing down your recipes for the week (even if there are just a couple) or when you plan to make them, makes it easy to fall off track. (Again, is there a better tool for meal planning and organization than Cook’n?) Remember your meal plan and stay organized by deliberately selecting the recipes you plan to make each week.

7. Forgetting to take inventory of ingredients before grocery shopping. Yet again, ditto on being in a hurry!

Solution: Before finalizing the shopping list and heading to the store, always double check recipe ingredient lists with what's already in the pantry and fridge. It will help you use up foods you already have and prevent overbuying.

8. Skipping upfront meal prep. Meal prep is the special part of meal planning that gives your future self a helping hand. Skipping this hugely beneficial step leaves more work to be done on weeknights after getting home from work.

Solution: Don't discount or put off meal prep. Prep ahead and you won’t need to start from zero every night. Set aside a small chunk of time (even 30 minutes will make a difference) to prep ingredients, or even a full meal, for the week ahead. This habit makes weeknight cooking faster, easier, and more efficient.

9. Cooking new recipes every night. Trying new recipes is good, but it’s also important to do so strategically. Filling the week entirely with new recipes sounds nice, but will likely prove overwhelming and unsustainable over the long run.

Solution: Don't discount new recipes all together, though. Build most of your meal plan with tried and true recipes, then add one new recipe. This will keep each week fresh and expand your recipe repertoire at the same time.

10. Not having a back-up plan. Even the most seasoned meal planners experience the unexpected or sometimes just aren’t in the mood to cook. Without a Plan B, there’s a tendency to resorting to fast food or other crummy choices.

Solution: Have a back-up plan (those “back pocket” recipes). These are your super-simple recipes that you know by heart that come together quickly.

NOW, we want to know if there’s any suggestion you aren’t already doing that you would like to start? Leave a reply with your thoughts and let’s help each other do better at this necessary and smart habit!