Meal Planning

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Meal Planning is the number one, “can’t live without it,” practice preached to all AIP newbies.  Success on the AIP is so much easier when you have a few good tips, tricks and tools under your belt … and your secret weapon of course is meal planning!

What Is Meal Planning?

There’s really nothing mystical to it – it’s simply planning in advance what you’re going to eat for the week! Yup – it’s that simple.  Decide what you’ll make, plan to make enough for left-overs to make the load lighter, write a grocery list, shop for your supplies and you’re set for cooking daily or even better – batch cooking (we’ll talk more about that later).

If you’ve never actually planned your meals before this may seem a little daunting … but trust me … it’s worth it!  Having an AIP compliant plan in place removes the temptation to cheat or the risk that you’ll slip up.

How To Start?

If you want to keep it old-school (we’ll get to high-tech in a minute), simply pick out a few recipes and make a shopping list.  Try to keep it basic as you start out and remember to schedule yourself a night or two off – that means cooking larger meals so you’ll have left-over nights (my fave).  In need of recipes?  You’re obviously in the right place!  Try searching here or in our Facebook Group – there are thousands of great recipes that are 100% AIP Complaint and lots are perfect for beginners, ideal for meal planning and batch cooking (yup – I’ll get to that soon I promise).

If you want a little kick start, be sure to grab a copy of The Autoimmune Protocol by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne that I keep talking about, not only is it the best guidebook, it will provide you with four weeks of meal plans and shopping lists.

Real Plans

If you want to go a little higher-tech you’re going to want to get your hands on the RealPlans meal planning app.

RealPlans is the perfect partner on the AIP, a great source of recipes and a great way to store your personal favorites (from our group, this blog or old family favorites you’ve modified)!  It’s actually the ONLY app that caters specifically to AIP.

It’s so adaptable that you can use it through all stages of the AIP – that’s right, elimination stage through reintroductions … AND … you can even customize it to you personal needs if you have additional food allergies or sensitivities.

Meal planning has never been easier … especially for the AIP!

Read my full review on the app in my blog post here, or just jump right in and get started with this amazing affiliate.

Batch Cooking

If you thought meal planning itself was the most amazing concept ever, just wait until you learn the art of batch cooking!

What’s the Big Deal About Batch Cooking?

Oh nothing really … just that you can make all the healing food you need for a week in as little as FOUR HOURS!  Say What!?!

Amazing, right? One word of warning on this however, if you’re exhausted batch cooking can really knock the wind out of your sails, so try not to be too ambitious and maybe enlist the help of a friend or loved one.

How Can You Get Started?

Fortunately there are a lot of great FREE batch cooking resources for the AIP.  Be sure to check them out – it could very well save your sanity!

FREE AIP Batch Cooking 101

FREE Recipes for AIP Batch Cooking

FREE Recipes for Batch Cooking AIP Lunches

For more batch cooking recipe ideas, be sure to check out our Facebook Group – just search for terms like “Batch Cook” or “Meal Prep” and even “Freezer Cook.”

Need More Help?

If you’ve never been one to do a lot of cooking, I know this can all seem really overwhelming.  If you need more help with batch cooking you may want to take advantage of Mickey Trescott’s reasonably priced AIP Batch Cook program.

You’ll get the complete program, 7-day meal plan, step-by-step cooking tutorial videos, grocery lists, chop lists and tool lists … plus printable everything!

Learn more about the program here.

More Cooking Hacks

9 AIP Cooking Hacks to Save Time & Nourish Your Body

Everything you need …

Meal Planning

Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Success on the AIP is easier when you have a few good tips, tricks and tools under your belt.

Food Sourcing

Sourcing AIP ingredients can be tricky, but we’ve got you covered!
Check out our shopping and brand recommendations.

AIP Convenience

Being on the AIP is not exactly what most would call convenient, but thankfully  there are some wonderful options!

Coaching

Big lifestyle changes and health challenges can be overwhelming.  Some find the process much easier with proper coaching and medical guidance.

Self-Care

Self care is about taking proper care of yourself, taking the time to do some of the activities that nurture you, and treating yourself as kindly as you treat others.

Motivation

Healing is a journey, not a destination.  Along the way we all need some motivation.
Here we’ll share motivation, stories of AIP healing and tips for success.