Weekly Meal Planning Tips + Bonus Tomato Basil Chicken and Rice Recipe

This shop for weekly meal planning tips has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PremiumPrep #CollectiveBias
I love to cook meals at home, but if there’s anything I’ve learned over the years it’s that without weekly meal planning, cooking at home feels like a chore during the week. Meal planning is the only thing that helps us meet our diet goals, otherwise busy schedules take over and fast food and takeout starts to sound like the better option.  Having a weekly meal planning routine is key to being successful when it comes to meal prepping.  In today’s post I’m sharing weekly meal planning tips that have worked best for me and will work for you! Before we get into meal planning tips, I wanted to share a recipe that’s been time saving for busy nights but great for batch cooking since it makes lots of leftovers!  Allow me to introduce you to my go-to tomato basil chicken and rice recipe!
TOMATO BASIL CHICKEN AND RICE RECIPE

Ingredients:
– 4 grilled chicken breasts
– 2 cups of Bertolli® Tomato & Basil sauce (for chicken)
– 4 cups of cooked tomato rice *see rice recipe below
– Chopped basil

Tomato rice:
– 2 cups uncooked rice
– 1 cups Bertolli® Tomato & Basil sauce (for an easy, delicious Tuscan flair!)
– 4 cups of chicken broth
– 2 tbs butter
-2 tsp garlic salt

*This recipe makes approximately 4 servings which allows enough leftovers for 2.  If you’re feeding a larger family, consider doubling this for leftovers.
Instructions:

Cook the chicken breasts either on a stovetop or grill until cooked, then set aside.  For the rice, bring the chicken broth, Bertolli® Tomato & Basil sauce, butter, garlic salt, and uncooked rice to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes until rice is cooked.  Slice the chicken breast into strips to top over the rice, then top with 2 tablespoons of sauce.  Garnish with basil then serve.
Every time I cook I end up with a ton of leftovers, which is great for lunch throughout the week.  This tomato basil chicken and rice recipe is perfect for making batch meals if you’re trying to meal plan.

Tip:  make this recipe on a Monday since it’s simple to do and makes a lot! Read on for more helpful tips below.
WEEKLY MEAL PLANNING TIPS:

1. Make a shopping list and get all ingredients at once

One long shopping trip is easier than running to the grocery store multiple times throughout the week for random ingredients.  Before you start your week, brainstorm which recipes you want to make for the week, then create a master shopping list for all the ingredients you may need.  This will save you time later!

2. Batch cook what you can

For example, if you tend to eat a lot of chicken or a certain vegetable side item multiple times per week, you’ll save time by cooking those items in large batches at once.  The idea is to have repetitive ingredients readily available at your convenience.
3. Create a meal calendar

One of the best meal planning tips I’ve ever received was as straightforward as having a calendar. Write it down or it won’t happen is my motto.  This is so true when it comes to meal planning.  Before you jump into the week, write out your meals for the week. This will give you a schedule and will help keep you on track.

4. Cook larger dishes at the beginning of the week

Cooking larger recipes at the beginning of the week, like casseroles and soups, will give you the most out of meals (more leftovers = more lunch!) and will eliminate waste.  If you tend to eat out on the weekend, you may not want to make a large dish with leftovers on a Thursday- save those for a Monday instead!

5. Have a weekly theme

In addition to using a calendar and writing down your nightly meals, it also helps to have a weekly theme.  This keeps things simple and less stressful when it comes to trying to figure out what you want to eat.  For example, every Tuesday can be Taco Tuesday, Wednesdays can be a soup, etc. Out of these meal planning tips, batch cooking is my favorite.  I find it saves me the most time, especially for busy weeks where I may not be able to cook each night.  On those weeks, I tend to make a large recipe, like the tomato basil chicken and rice I shared above, or a big pot of red beans and rice or a casserole since I know I can stretch it through the week for lunches.

For batch cooking and meal planning, you’ll need a food storage system to make things easy and convenient.  I’m loving the new premium Rubbermaid® Brilliance™ food storage kit I found at Walmart since they’re stackable and don’t take up much fridge space.  They’re also great for storing leftovers and pre-packing meals since they’re spill proof, microwave safe, and stain resistant (I cook with red sauce a lot so this is amazing).  Right now with Ibotta you can get $2.00 off a single Rubbermaid® Brilliance™ container at Walmart and $5.00 off the Rubbermaid® Brilliance™ 10 piece set.

If you’ll be giving the tuscan tomato basil chicken and rice recipe I shared a try, be sure to also grab this Ibotta offer for $0.75 off any Bertolli pasta sauce variety.Do you meal plan?  If you’re looking for more meal planning tips and recipes, be sure to check this out!