Introduction

Many Skinnytaste fans use my meal planner every week, and now it’s back and better than ever! This journal has an updated format to make meal planning extra easy. Since most of you track your food and exercise on a phone app like I do, I’ve removed that from this newest version to make more room for you to jot down shopping lists, weekly intentions, gratitude, and goals to help you take an organized, proactive, and mindful approach to the lifestyle you want.

This journal is your best buddy for eating well and losing weight. If you read the Skinnytaste blog, you know that my tried-and-true advice for weight loss or maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to cook healthy meals at home, to plan ahead to keep you on track, and to get your head in the game with intentional goals and accountability strategies. Cooking at home allows you to be in control of the healthy ingredients that go into your meals, which also means you can pack them with flavor. But without planning ahead, cooking meals throughout the week can seem like a daunting task. That’s where this journal— with recipes, meal plans, and tools for healthy habits—makes all the difference! Sticking to your lifestyle changes has never been easier.

Use this journal as a weekly tool to help you plan your meals and schedule healthy activities throughout the week. The blank weekly meal planner pages give you a bird’s-eye view of the week ahead so you can make realistic decisions about when you’ll cook, when you’ll eat leftovers, and however else you want to approach your meals for the week, like the occasional takeout or night out. The grocery lists help you plan out the week, too, and they include category headings to make shopping even easier and more efficient at the store. Plus, one of my favorite features we’ve added to this updated journal is tear-out pages—now you can take your grocery list to the store with you and stick the weekly menu plan on the fridge for the whole family’s easy reference!

I’ve included over thirty-five delicious recipes to use in your meal plans to help you get started—more than twenty are brand new, while the remaining are fan favorites from the Skinnytaste blog and my cookbooks. The recipes are easy to prepare, and include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus there are twelve weeks of done-for-you meal plans that use those recipes. The meal plans also include meals that don’t require recipes, and others use leftovers to make meal prep a breeze.

My goal in creating these flavorful, healthy recipes is to make sure you don’t feel like you’re eating “diet” food or missing out on your favorite dishes. If you don’t enjoy cooking or eating healthy foods, you aren’t likely to form lifelong healthy habits!

In addition to the recipes and meal plans, I’ve included space to journal your health and happiness goals, things you’re grateful for, and affirmations to focus on for the week. These prompts have helped me integrate mental health habits into my routine, so I hope you find them helpful, too. I’ve found that having a healthy mindset is just as important as having a healthy diet! By mentally supporting yourself and focusing on the positive, you’ll give yourself the energy, inspiration, and focus you need to create a healthy life you love. On page 9 you’ll find more information about how to approach these mindfulness strategies and a list of possible affirmations for health and happiness from Skinnytaste dietitian, Heather K. Jones.

Staying organized and planning ahead can keep you on track in your healthy eating and cooking journey. I hope you find The Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner to be a helpful tool that keeps you on the right track to being your very best (and healthiest) self!