In Other News

BACK AGAIN: It’s the Project Meal Plan
4-Week Meal Planning Challenge!

The first Meal Planning Challenge was so successful, we’re back for another round! This time, I’m hosting a 4-Week Meal Planning Challenge that’s timed perfectly for back-to-school!! Building helpful new habits (or refreshing old ones) isn’t just for January!

This round of the 4-Week Meal Planning Challenge starts on September 3rd!!

Do you find yourself starting from zero on dinner every night? Are you getting tired of daily trips to the store for ingredients you forgot? Or are you simply trying to reduce your food waste by planning ahead?

I have a solution. It’s called meal planning! Whether you’re a beginner who wants some incentive and support to gain a new habit, or an experienced meal planner who wants to jump back in, this challenge is for you!

Best part: be entered to win weekly prizes just by sharing your meal plan!

I challenge you to plan each week’s meals
ahead of time for four weeks in a row. 

Meal planning can help you save time, reduce your grocery bill, make better food choices, and more. But don’t just take it from me! Here are things past challenge participants liked about meal planning:

• “Less stress during the week and a reminder to defrost the night before.” – Martine
• “My family doesn’t ask me what’s for dinner!” – Rosey
• “Less stress around meal time.” – Nicki
• “Saving money and healthy eating.” – Tamara
• “Not having to make a decision every single day about what to eat.” – Gayle

Sign up for the Project Meal Plan email list to join the challenge:

How to participate in the 4-week challenge:

1. Sign up for the Project Meal Plan Newsletter. This is how you will receive updates about the challenge.
2. Join the Project Meal Plan Facebook Group. This is where you will share your weekly meal plans each week.
3. Every Tuesday during the challenge, I will send you an email with a reminder to share your weekly meal plan in the Facebook Group. The Week 1 email will arrive Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019. 
4. Weekly meal plans can be posted in the facebook group from Tuesday when you receive the email to the following Monday at 11:59PM PST. Your meal plan can be any days of the week – it does not have to be M-F. Plan according to your own schedule! 
5. Your meal plan post will count as your entry to the weekly prize drawing. After each week is over, I will randomly select a winner from everyone that posted their meal plan. 

If you participated in the January 2019 Challenge, please note this change: There will NOT be a weekly Facebook “thread”. You will post your meal plan in the Facebook group. No need to go searching for a specific thread within the group, though you are welcome to share your meal plan as a response to my weekly reminder posts during the challenge. Weekly reminder emails will simply have a link to the main Facebook group where you can post in the group feed.

What does my meal plan have to look like?

I am very flexible on the requirements of your meal plan – the point is to do what will help you the most. You can always use my Weekly Meal Planner template, but it’s not a requirement. Here are some basic guidelines/suggestions for what your meal plan should look like:

• any format: pen/paper, spreadsheet, photo of fridge meal plan, screenshot of a note on your phone – whatever works best for you!
• plan three meals a day for at least five days of the week
• specific days of the week do not matter – plan according to your schedule (Sunday-Thursday; Tuesday-Saturday, etc.)
• any style: arrows, stars, different colors, super detailed, just basic info, anything goes as long as there is some kind of food written

RULES to enter the weekly prize drawings:

• You do not have to participate every week, though the best way to build a new habit is to be consistent!
• You can jump into the challenge during the middle! Again, no need to participate every week if it’s not possible for you.
• Do not post the same EXACT picture of the same meal plan every week. I will figure it out. The point of this challenge is to build a new habit. To do that, you’ll actually have to put in a little time every week to write your meal plan!
• Sorry, the weekly prize drawings are only open to residents in the U.S. and Canada, but anyone can join the group and participate in the challenge.
• To stay in the spirit of the challenge, I encourage you to do your best to follow the meal plan you create for yourself. While this isn’t required for entry into the drawing, it will really help you see the benefits of meal planning 🙂

Important dates during the challenge:

You don’t have to remember these, just use this as a reference! One prize drawing will take place each week during the four week challenge. Here are the dates for each week and approximate dates for the prize drawings:

September 3rd: Start of meal planning challenge; Start of Week 1
September 9th: End of Week 1
September 10th: Week 1 Prize Drawing & Announcement; Start of Week 2
September 16th: End of Week 2
September 17th: Week 2 Prize Drawing & Announcement; Start of Week 3
September 23rd: End of Week 3
September 24th: Week 3 Prize Drawing & Announcement; Start of Week 4
September 30th: End of Week 4; End of meal planning challenge
October 1st: Week 4 Prize Drawing & Announcement

Sign up for the Project Meal Plan email list to join the challenge:

So what are the prizes going to be??

This time around, I’m doubling the prizes and giving something away EVERY WEEK. 

I’m keeping the exact prize schedule a secret until each week arrives, but here are the four prize possibilities (affiliate links to Amazon – all prizes except meal planners will be shipped from there):

• My favorite 2-Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers that are perfect for lunches! People always ask where I get mine!
• Snapware 24-piece Glass Container Food Storage Set because glass containers are useful to store any kind of leftovers, whether they stay home or go to work with you.
• Set of 2 Cookbooks: Cook Once, Eat All Week by Cassy Joy Garcia & Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men & Women by Kevin Curry; because everyone needs more meal prep ideas!
• And finally, a 6-quart Instant Pot! because Instant Pots are glorious! 
• Every week prize: A laminated Project Meal Plan Weekly Meal Planner with fridge magnets & dry erase marker – the same exact thing I use for my meal planning every week.

If you still aren’t convinced…

Overall, everyone really seemed to enjoy the first meal planning challenge we had back in January 2019. 100% of individuals who took my post-challenge survey said the challenge motivated them to plan their meals!

Back to school is a great time to try out meal planning and see what it can do for you and your family. January isn’t the only time to work on forming positive habits. Whether you are in school, have school aged-children, or have nothing to do with schools at all – Meal planning can help anyone!

Here’s a few things people liked about the last meal planning challenge: 

• “I liked the time frame- enough to make it a routine (habit) just not a daunting lengthy commitment.” – Terry
• “I had fallen off the meal planning wagon and was grateful for the challenge getting me back into the habit.” – Martine
• “I think the way this challenge was organized was perfect. It was a great way for first timers like me.” – Brittani
• “Seeing other people as excited about meal planning as I am! Also love all of Danielle’s tips and recipes.” – Jen

I’ll be meal planning with you every week!

Newsletter subscribers already see my weekly meal plan along with a few meal plan recipes ideas every week. But during the challenge, I’m doubling down on the ideas and meal discussions. This time, look for more recipe ideas in the challenge emails, and a weekly What’s for Dinner discussion in the Facebook Group.

Sign up for the Project Meal Plan email list to join the challenge:

Respond to any of my emails, leave a comment here, or head to the Facebook group if you have any questions! Can’t wait to jump in and see how meal planning helps you! 

Get started with my best meal planning resources:

• 5 Steps to Help You Make a Weekly Meal Plan That Works
• 10 Simple Things to Remember When You Start Meal Planning
• My Meal Prep Container Recommendations

Disclaimer: Project Meal Plan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. For more information, please see our Full Disclosure & Privacy Policy.