- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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Oct. 24, 2009
Menu planning: Save your diet and save time
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Menu planning can do more than save your diet — it can save you time and money. Planning a week's meals will organize your shopping list and lessen your time at the grocery store. Stick to your list and you'll also avoid overspending.
There's no perfect way to plan menus. Some people like to look at cookbooks or Web sites for recipes. Others look for sales and coupons and build meals around the sale items. My personal approach is a little different: I like to build meals from the staples I keep in my pantry and refrigerator. I then use garlic, seasonings, low-fat dressings or salsas to add variety and flavor.
My weekly grocery list typically looks like this:
- Fruit — what's in season or on sale plus family favorites
- Veggies — salad greens, carrots, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and any others I need for specific recipes
- Whole-wheat tortillas, bread or rolls
- Skim milk and low-fat yogurt
- Meat, fish and nuts — what's on sale
- Canned items — veggies, fruit, fish, beans
- Starches — brown rice, potatoes
From just these foods I can make a variety of meals, such as:
- Traditional dinner: Roasted meat, sautéed or steamed veggies, whole-wheat roll or small potato (with skin) or rice pilaf, and a side of fruit
- Tacos: Tortillas filled with beans, grated cheese, veggies and perhaps meat or fish, with a side of fruit
- Salad: Spinach or other salad greens with leftover meat, veggies, fruit and beans or nuts, with whole-wheat dinner rolls or bread
- Stir fry: Veggies, with or without meat or fish, over brown rice, and a fruit and yogurt parfait for dessert
I just add a glass of milk or some yogurt, and I've got four dinners that not only please my family but are also nutritionally balanced.
Leftovers? I've got lunch for the next day.
So what do you do? Are you a planner? Does menu planning help you eat healthier meals, spend less or save time? Have you had success getting your children, spouse or other family members involved?
Thanks for sharing,
Katherine
11 comments posted
June 28, 2011 9:16 a.m.
I have been planning menus for years. When my husband was diagnosed with prediabetes, I went to the library for books, searched online recipes from trusted sources (yours, ADA, etc.) and went to work organizing menus. I work so it's great to have plans!
- Pat
February 9, 2011 1:38 a.m.
I am struggling with diabetes and am having difficulting establishing a meal plan which is affordable. The main problem is I have been struggling with bi-polar and ADDD and these two make it extremely difficult to sit down and write one out like I had one years ago before I became so ill. I cannot receive services from a nutritionist for I am also unemployed, have no health benefits and live in a rural area of Arizona. Is there some Meal Planning 101 For Dummies out there?
- Julie
January 11, 2011 8:52 p.m.
I put together an excel spread sheet that has a 4 week 7 day calender for the month. I have categorized food dishes under Italian, Cajun, Mexican, Sandwiches, Salads, Soups as well as a sauce section ( I have recipes in a binder under these same categories). This system allows me to view all the different dishes that I like, select one and and drop into the monthly calender. My staples consist of pasta, potatoes or rice with protein being skirt steak, fish and chicken breasts. My problem is that I get away from using recipes and lean back on easy to make dinners which end up making me board. When I do make a main course from a recipe, I end up eating it all week because I am the only one in the house. It seems like it is easy to get exhausted with all the choices out there. Maybe less is more and I need to look further into cooking with herbs and different spices to achieve an exciting dish. I wish the Mayo Clinic would come up with some menu planning/ recipe book for me to follow that can keep me on track. Recipes that are designed for making a single serving.
- David
June 9, 2010 10:26 a.m.
We are reasonably successful with meal planning--but we also struggle with ideas. Aside from recipe books/magazines and online recipes, there have been two key pieces for us: first, we keep a record of our weekly plans, so we can look back for ideas. It's funny how you can forget! And when we find (and try) a good recipe, we take a few minutes to write out an index card that lists the key ingredients, and where to find the whole recipe. We store all of the index cards in a small dollarstore photoalbum. That way, we can compile a grocery list easily, and when it comes to making the meal, we can find the recipe in a hurry!
- Marnoi
February 11, 2010 2:52 p.m.
i have the book about healthy eating from mayo but i didn't understand 'portions'. if vegetable portions are about 25 calories per portion, then one lettuce portion should be about 200g, which is about one lettuce (one bunch or letuce "head")! so for one family that is 3 or 4 lettuces daily for one portion per person. that is little complicated. in book it is written "two cups of lettuce" but how to put big leaf in cup? i would prefere to measure weight but that amount looked supspitious. how many leaves of letuce is one portion? for leek for example, i calculated one portion is one bigger leek, about 100g. is that it or it can be lesser for portion? and for proteins, how many calories are in one portion? every example in book is 90g but that are different amounts of calories. i have to know this for food which is not on list or should i get 90g for every fish? sorry for my unperfect english :)
- masha
January 3, 2010 5:36 p.m.
I followed a strict diet in my 20's, even carried two baby boys and continued the diet. I am now pregmamt again and can't remember my menu plannig, can you help me
- Pregnant, and vegetarian
November 7, 2009 5:34 p.m.
Vivian, Cooking Light Magazine has excellent recipes for the health conscious person. I love it when they redo a family recipe to make it healthier. I look at the grocery ads, find my recipes for the items on sale and take an inventory as to what I have in the cupboard and our dinner meals are planned. Left overs are next day lunch. Breakfast is planned with hot, wholesome grains (cereal, waffles, pancakes) and a protein. Morning and afternoon snacks are always fruits. Veggies with lunch and dinner. Meal planning, grocery store ads and coupons definitely save money. Crockpot, wok and indoor grill are big time savers.
- Kay
October 29, 2009 3:46 p.m.
Well, this isn't exactly the same type of menu, but planning what you eat around restaurant menus is equally challenging.
- Shawn
October 28, 2009 10:10 a.m.
I cook for my boyfriend and I. I will eat mostly anything except mushrooms and fish, but he is very picky. I can plan all the meals, but he will hate 4/5 of them. So recently I have been letting him look up online some meals he would like to try. They have been more extravagant than a salad or stir fry, but it has been working good so far.
- Danielle
October 27, 2009 6:52 p.m.
I am definitely not a planner, but would like to improve in that area. My problem lies in deciding what to have for meals. It is just my husband and me, and I prefer healthier eating, but he does not. He is a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I just need some good ideas!!
- Vivian
October 26, 2009 11:55 a.m.
I’m definitely a planner and a one-grocery-trip-per week person! Each week when the grocery ads come out, I take enough time to peruse what’s on sale that. I start my grocery list with the sale items that I usually buy or plan to buy in order to stockpile a few. From there, I take a quick glance thru the cupboards and freezer to see what existing items could be matched to sale items to create a menu for a full week. Then I create a weekly meal planner using those items. It may sound like a lot of committed time, but it really isn’t when you consider the time it saves during the entire week. My husband & I both work fulltime and it’s usually late by the time we get home at night. Having home-cooked items that can be popped into the oven or microwave to warm up is a time-saver on those nights! And incorporating the use of crock pot meals is also a great helper to save time. We are way more health conscience now and I like being able to control certain aspects of the meals, like the amount of salt being added, fresh ingredients versus canned, etc. It is enjoyable to create good, wholesome meals and still save time and money along the way.
- Lee
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