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I’ve tried meal planning many times. You know what happens every time I do? Thursday Paige decides she does not like what Sunday Paige planned for the day. Go figure!
So, instead of trying to force myself to stick with a meal plan, I created a new system — the tier system! Follow along as I show you why this is the best thing since sliced bread.
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TIME STAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:51 My 4 tier meal system
2:49 Breakdown of 4 tiers
4:15 Why break up meals into categories?
5:12 Tier 1: 5-minutes or less
6:10 Tier 2: 5 – 20 minutes
8:10 Tier 3: 20 – 35 minutes
9:10 Tier 4: Larger meals
9:40 How to plan your week
10:42 My cookbook!
12:04 Bye!
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40 Comments
Love love love this idea! I have always felt terrible that I am not organized like other menu planners. I am hopeful this is going to help me big time!! Thank you!
One thing I find helpful is to have two lists… a winter meal list and a summer meal list. If I’m stuck for ideas, a quick peek at the list usually provides some quick inspiration.
you've pretty much described the solution to all my meal problems. Great idea
This is my kind of “meal planning”! Right in my wheel house. I LOVE it!! I have always disliked “meal planning”, for some of the reasons you mentioned. I find I go through “phases or cravings”. This will definitely be my “go to” from now on. THANKS!!
I would totally plan my kitchen differently after seeing yours. Maybe next time we redo it. As far as meal planning, I have never done it. It doesn't make sense to me. We buy food on sale and stock up, and can and freeze garden produce. So, I try to use up anything that is fresh, then we work through the freezer and then use canned and dried stuff last. Of course if we are busy we have quick meals that we make in minutes or whatever. "Meal planning" (for dinner) for me is like the night before or the morning of. Breakfast is a variety of things and lunches are often leftovers or something simple. It's really not that hard. (We have 11 kids by the way…that's way more of an adjustment than anything having kids come and go.)
I usually meal plan, but I do struggle at times. I have a list of my meals, broken down by kind of meat. I should try to break them down like this and see if it helps even more. The meals I struggle with the most are lunches. I love having my canned food, because it makes things so much faster. I think sometimes, I just get overwhelmed.
Makes sense. I've been doing this since forever.
I’m more of a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal…moment to moment most of the time, along with this method. What’s for dinner tonight? 🤷🏻♀️I have NO idea, but it involves a chuck roast. I’ll figure it out in a few hours. If you have frozen meat and you need to cook it the same day, quick thaw on a metal sheet pan set on the stove (no heat), and if it’s going to be cut up, cut it frozen and it will thaw quicker. Make thermodynamics your friend.🤣
Just buying what I like when I'm at the store is always the starting point for meals. At the moment of cooking, it is simply what sounds good that I have the ingredients to make. All this other thought, putting on labels, creating categories or tiers just seems like time better spent on other things.
only 3 minutes into this and loooooove it . . only hubby and me most nights .. entire family with grands on Sunday .. and grands a few other nights ..but those meals have become simpler over time . .we utilize left overs a lot . .and try to use what I have on hand . . oh I just love this .. thank you!! Full nutrition, speed and simple ..
got a new subscriber ..
This reminds me of Pro Home Cooks Mike Green. He has the same advice to give. Keep staples in your pantry and use what you have on hand to make your meals. He's not a traditional meal planner either. And neither am I. I have gotten your e book and will have to get to brainstorming on some tier meals that will work for me. Thanks for the inspo!
This is brilliant. My challenge is to set aside time to make a meal. So Tier 1 is my go to, whatever is ready or simply needs some time in the oven. I can see myself recognizing the time it takes to make different mmeals and this may allow to me to add in more Tier 2 meals. Thanks so much!!!
Where did your big cooker you got on graigslist go?? ❤️🇮🇪
I've been super fatigued with meal planning especially since the pandemic. Turns out most of my meals were tier 4 where I was spending an entire weekend day cooking for the week. Time to pair it down a bit and beef up my tier 2 and 3. Thank you for the insight Paige!
Also, did I miss something? Did your gas range bite it?
I like this. I'm partially disabled, so meal planner me is often let down by actually have to make it me. I often do planned-overs: I'll cook up a huge batch of ground beef and portion it out. One day it's taco salad, another day it's spaghetti sauce, or chili, or burritos, or DIY hamburger helper. My freezer is rarely without some precooked ground beef.
Paige, I love how your industrial-engineer brain works in the kitchen! It's great how you've categorized the tiers, and alotted time for creativity in other aspects of your life. Good thinking!
Like you, I kinda-sorta had a tiered system, but never articulated it as such. My de facto Tier 1 system (in the words of someone who raised her children 50+ years ago) is: "15 minutes from the can to pan to the man." 🙂
Never thought about it but I guess I already do this method, it all depends on my mood that day!
So you've successfully pointed out my problem for me. We plan what are mostly tier 3 meals (I would put Thanksgiving at tier 5), when I really only have that in me a couple of times a week. I need to figure out some tier 2 meal ideas.
Instapot and crockpot are gonna be your friend if you forget to thaw out your meats.
I didn’t receive my cookbook…how do I contact you?
I do something a bit similar. Mine are on a spreadsheet categorized as Easy, Moderate, Hard, Crockpot, Instapot and Sides. Easy is obviously thrown together w what’s on hand. I do consider crockpot and instapot somewhat easy too but usually have to get additional store items. Nice video!
Great subject and a lifelong challenge for me. Musicians and sports team participants to feed. Lots of people in my family with crazy schedules!
A book that was life-changing for me on this subject: “An Everlasting Meal” by Tamar Adler
Ethan Chalbowski just did a great video on meal planning using ‘the weekend braise’ which is how I have functioned for years.
Farmhouse on Boone is the sourdough queen who also cannot meal plan. She has amazing content for cranking out all kinds of healthy meals, planned and not.
Oh my word, Paige is my sibling!
Not exactly like you but somewhat. Thanks.
I meal plan on a Sunday. Monday is always a "clear the fridge" meal as I get fresh veggies delivered on Tuesday. However, I have my diary next to me so I know what days need quick and easy and what days I have more time. Also I always have frozen pizza, burgers and battered fish in the freezer for those days when things haven't quite gone to plan 😂
I even struggle with those meal kits. I pick the meals, and many times by the time I get to one, I frequently end up using the ingredients in a completely different way. I do things similarly to you,
I live alone and it took a lot of trial & error (and honesty about food waste) to come up with a process that works for me.
Muy interesante,siempre aprendemos cosas que aportan ,gracias
I batch prep. I make huge batches of homade, orange chicken sauce and store it in 32 oz mason jars then I buy those big ass bags of panko chicken from Costco and I can bust out orange chicken for my family in 45 minutes. Mexican tamales can be made in mega batches and keep in the freezer for a long time. I grew up in a house with 3 other siblings so my mom cooked for a small army.
I love that you made this video. This is EXACTLY how I do meals. I have always felt like I was doing something wrong by not having a meal plan. I have tried over and over again and it just doesn't work for me. I like to make meals based off of what we have in the house and what our schedule looks like. I have never labeled them as "tiers" but always think of them as fast, normal, & fun/fancy. Fast=25 min or less, normal=25-60 minutes, and fun/fancy= over an hour.
I have been cooking for a family of 14 for 30 years!! I NEVER meal plan! I keep a variety of basics on hand and have a mental list of things to make. I wake up each day and decide what I'd like to make for all 3 daily meals. Only once in awhile will I buy special ingredients to try something new. I find it very easy to shop , keep a stocked pantry, and cook everyday without any schedule or written plan. I too , like you, have tried meal planning a few times, but the free spirit in me couldn't keep to it! 😉
I never thought of meals as tiers, but I agree with the concept, and I cook almost exactly as you describe the way you do!
Love this concept! I'm an avid meal planner- to the level that includes all meals and snacks, plus variables for all family members based on dietary restrictions (we have a lot) and tastes. But part of the reason I meal plan is to make sure I take advantage of leftovers and quicker meals on those nights when I know I won't have a lot of time to make dinner. I have my meal ideas organized in a spreadsheet by protein type, but I think organizing them by tier might be much more effective.
This is very similar to my style. I have 3 groups, super quick and easy- medium level- and fancy.
I look what all I have going on during the week, figure how many easy days vs busy days, then plan meals according to that. I also try to keep things flexible enough so that if I dont want x, I can still have y.
Oh my goodness I have felt like this for such a long time! I am an ex-culinary professional now housewife. I can’t really stick to a meal plan because it’s more of a feeling for me so what I have worked out is as long as I have a protein starch and a veg I can make anything.
So most days I wake up with no idea of what we’re having for dinner but I go in the freezer and I pull a protein out and then throughout the day I will think about what we’re having for dinner. I used to do a meal plan. I found it boring. I found it to predictable because of course you’re writing out your meals for a week or two weeks so you know exactly what you’re having, there was no excitement there for me. So now I’m just pulling out a protein in the morning and going from there unless I know, I’m gonna be making a long cooking meal like a beef stew or anything like that.
I still just call this meal planning. Having to figure out what meals fall into each tier sounds like more work for me. Lol
I enjoy doing partial meal prep on Sundays so I'm not having to prep or make every part of each meal that day. And fridays I just know to plan something that takes little effort, so it's almost always nachos. 💚
The Pantry Principle. The Tightwad Gazette taught me this in the 90's. I am way too contrary to even tell myself what to do.
Very interesting. I actually do this. Never knew it had a name, lol. Thank you so much for sharing.
I like this. I did something like this when my kids were little. I prepped hamburger and chicken chunks in quart sized freezer bags and had a variety of sauces and seasoning packets. I kept rice, pasta, beans,biscuit dough,
grains etc. I was able to create a variety of meals very quickly. I always kept frozen and canned veggies on hand. 😁
I don't like leftovers and I don't like freezer meals so what i do is I prepare my staple meals with the meat raw and freeze it like that, for example fried chicken i put the egg mixture and breadcrumbs and freeze it like that so I can any day I have brain fog or im busy with something else I can just fry them and make a mash potato next to it. Or chicken nuggets I cube the chicken put it in containers with the batter and freeze it raw, or meatballs i make the mixture and freeze it in containers as well, or other sauces that have a few steps i just double the sauce and freeze it in a container.
Are you related to whatsherface on yt? You two look so much alike and even talk simular 😆
I love this way of thinking. This fits my brain so much better than the meal planning out there. Thanks for sharing