Recently, I had the honor of teaching nearly 200 women the benefits of Mastering Meal Planning as part of Compass Bible Church’s Navigating Motherhood ministry.
And even more exciting is the fact that this presentation was recorded. So now even more women, just like you, can learn about the Joys of Meal Planning and be encouraged to incorporate these time-saving strategies that make it easier to provide nourishing home-cooked meals!
It is such a privilege to be able to share this special presentation with you! My prayer is that this will bless you as you strive to nourish your families!
P.S. Please be sure to download, my free Mastering Meal Planning handout, to get the full benefits of this free video course! And after you finished watching this video presentation, I also recommend checking out ”Cook Once, Eat Twice or More,” for additional helpful strategies to save time and money.
P.S.S. For free healthy whole food meal plans and my customizable meal planning template, please see the Meal Planning section of this site.
Joyfully Serving HIM, Kelly
Hey Kelly,
Just wanted to thank you for sharing your presentation on meal planning. I would say that I’m already a great meal planner, but I really admire that you were able to share this with your church. I know God is blessing and will continue to bless you and your family for your willingness to invest in the health of other families. Thank you for running your site with His Kingdom in mind!
Blessings,
Lindsey
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Lindsey! I am beyond honored that the Lord will allow me such opportunity to help others live healthier for His glory! Lots of blessings, Kelly
A great presentation! Thank you for all of the tools and the inspiration.
Thanks so much, Amy! So glad you’re finding this helpful to you! Appreciate you taking the time to leave a kind note of encouragement! Blessings, Kelly
Kelly,
That was great and you’re a great speaker! Your voice is different than I imagined. I am thankful for your wonderful recipes. The bonus is that my husband likes them, too! Meal planning takes one less burden off my shoulders.
Andrea L.
Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement, Andrea! I know it’s always funny to see and hear people because often they aren’t what you had envisioned. I tend to talk too fast and I’m sure have a completely weird accent since I grew up in the South, yet my family was all from the North (Michigan) and I have been living in CA for over 15 years now. LOL! Thanks again! So glad you found the information helpful and that you and your hubby are enjoying the recipes as well! Lots of blessings, Kelly
How funny! I live in the south and have for 16 years. I did not hear an southern accent in your speach at all. Most of my life I lived in southern California. I don’t sound Californian anymore, nor do I sound Texan. I guess I am in between.
Andrea L.
Hi, Andrea! When I first moved out here, people would often remark that I had a slight Southern accent. I agree with you (and so does my family) that I really don’t have it anymore. When I talk to my brother in particular (he lives in AL), we’re always laughing about my lost accent and his thick Southern draw. But I do still use some of my favorite Southern expressions – of course, “ya’ll” being one of those! LOL! Thanks for your sweet note! Lots of blessings, Kelly
I just watched your lovely seminar and am greatly inspired! Though I’ve been doing much of what you’ve said for years, it is helpful to get some fresh ideas! I really like the idea of having a prep day each week. That makes so much sense!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind note, Karen! I’m so glad you found this information helpful to you, even though it sounds like you’re a seasoned meal planner! Keep up the great work – I’m sure you’ll find having a prep day to be a great addition! Lots of blessings to you, Kelly
Just watched your presentation. I never planned my meals before and I am very guilty at buying the same stuff and making the same food. I hate cooking and my family is very picky eaters. I think if they were to eat better I would like to make food.
We live in South Africa and food is very expensive here. I would really like to start the meal planning. I only go to the shop once a month. However I would like that my family eats healthier and I know that would mean more trips to the store for fresh produce. My biggest problem is how do I get my kids to eat health and veggies. They are 8 and 9. My daughter is willing to try stuff, my son refuses. This is very daunting for me and I know we are not getting in the good stuff. What must I do? Please help me?
Hi, Maryna. I think everyone at some point in time deals with a picky eater(s), I know I have my share of fun trying to get more veggies into not only my boys, but my hubby too!
My best advise to you is to take it slow, get your kids in the kitchen with you, where they can participate in creating meals together with you – it’s a great opportunity to teach them about healthy eating and so much more. Start with where you’re at – plan the meals that you frequently cook, and monitor your budget, then slowly make changes as you’re able to both time, and money wise. Here are a couple of posts that will help you gain a broader perspective. And most of all, take your desires to the Lord and He will guide you on the path He desires! Lots of blessings, Kelly 
• Developing a healthy eating plan and budget: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/8-tips-for-real-food-on-a-budget/
• Cooking with Kids: http://thenourishinghome.com/kids-in-the-kitchen/
Hello, Kelly. You did a great job on explaining the purpose behind meal planning. I wish you would go into more detail/scenarios of the actual batch cooking. I work two jobs & am beginning training for another state licensure. On top of all this, I’m a newlywed and new stepmother. I would love to learn more about batch cooking but I’d also like to know what to do with all of these leftovers? Do you have any suggestions?
Hi, Tori. Appreciate your kind words. I had just 40 minutes to speak and the topic requested was meal planning. So although I tried to squeeze in some of my “Cook Once, Eat Twice or More” info, there wasn’t time to cover it, at least not in this particular presentation. However, if you check out this post below, I do discuss how to group meals, batch cook and schedule it on your meal plan. And that’s what you should do as well with planning for leftovers – when you make out your meal plan, figure out where they fit in, whether as lunch, or used in another meal, such as leftover rice used to make a veggie sauté with rice. Hope this helps to give you a better idea so you can start implementing this great time-saving step. Lots of blessings, Kelly
• Cook Once, Eat Twice or More: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/cook-once-eat-twice-or-more/
Kelly- Thank you so much for sharing this. I ebb and flow in my meal planning. I really want to plan better and make healthy foods for my family. I am excited to try some of your ideas and I will be reading your handout. I also want to try some of your recipes. I know I should cook once and eat twice. These are all doable ideas. I just need to motivate myself to plan and get going. Thank you! I really enjoy reading your meal plans. I have made a few things.
Hi, Shonda. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note! I am thankful that you’re finding this site helpful and inspiring! I hope it continues to be a source of encouragement to you and just remember to take baby steps. Start with planning a few dinners a week and then build upon that foundation. It will be far less overwhelming, which will help you to stick to your goal and make forward progress. Lots of blessings, Kelly
Thank you SO much for this. I have recently been getting a bit carried away with healthy meals for my family. When I say “carried away” I mean that I felt that it got out of balance and that I was starting to become consumed by it all. I had started to become exhausted with all of the time it was taking to cook and clean for my family of 6 and I felt that I was becoming a slave to nourishing my family – rather than it serving us. I am going to try to use your meal planning template and am praying that this will help me. Thank you so much for your closing words. So good to be reminded of WHY we are doing this – not just for health’s sake, but so that we can better serve the Lord. God’s love,
Angela of Australia
Hi, Angela! So happy this video presentation encouraged you. I so appreciate your words and totally agree!
I just want to further encourage you to keep focused that nourishing your family is so much more than just what you feed them. I can see that you’ve realized through this experience of getting “carried away” that nourishing your family can get really one-sided when you are so focused on trying to keep up with being the perfect real foodie. It can lead to a level of exhaustion and stress that leaves little time left to nurture your family in even more important ways – to love and care for your hubby, to guide and instruct your children, to play, to laugh, to share time together as a family. So as helpful as healthy eating can be, it isn’t helpful if Mom is spending a majority of her time doing it and is becoming overwhelmed and stressed out by it.
I say this because I’ve been there, done that. And it was after reading the book “Idols of the Heart” that I really began to see how slippery a slope it can be when our good intentions get us so distracted that we become worn out and stressed out and lose focus on what matters most – the Lord and the ministry of loving and serving our family and others.
So just remember that you don’t have to be perfect – that’s a trap that we can fall into that leads to us becoming slaves to an ideal. Meal planning can be very helpful in thinking through what you can put together in the time you have available, with the resources you have available and hopefully with a lot less stress and time. I said a prayer for you and am SO happy you took the time to write me. It’s exciting to hear from beautiful women like you all across the globe who are seeking to serve their families well with love for the Lord! Many blessings to you and your family, Kelly
Thank you Kelly for your personal reply and for praying for me.
I was having some time with God just the other day and broke into tears because of how weary this (not the meal planning, but the pursuit of perfecting our diet) has left me. God so very gently showed me that I had allowed something good to become like an idol – something that I was devoting myself to in a way that was out of kilter with my priorities. So it was confirming to read what you wrote here. I SO agree that nourishing our families is so much more than feeding them good food and I have to admit that the pursuit of getting it right with our food has taken me away from nurturing my family and even my relationship with God. It’s good that I am aware that I need to restore balance, now I just have to try to figure out what that looks like.
Love your sweet heart, Angela! Yes, it’s a constant struggle to keep our priorities where they should be. Don’t feel like you’re alone. See me here developing recipes and sharing them on this site, and all that goes with this … yep, it’s real easy to lose focus and get too caught up in all of this – believe me, I know and I am constantly on my knees asking God to keep be from getting too caught-up. Even good things as you said can quickly become idols. So be comforted with the knowledge that the Lord loves you SO much that He’s showing you this because His desire is for you to keep Him close – as your first focus – because He knows that HE alone can satisfy … anything else we try to put in His place over serving and seeking Him first is a sad substitute that eventually enslaves us. Prayers and love to you in your mission to restore balance! Please keep in touch and let me know how it’s going and know that I appreciate your sweet words – they encourage me more than you know! Lots of blessings to you, Kelly
Thank you for your love and encouragement Kelly.
What a wonderful blessing you are!
I will keep in touch from time to time, and continue to enjoy your blog.
Wonderful! I am so happy to help!
Blessings to you, Kelly