THE SMART MEAL PLAN FORMULA

If you are beyond busy and scheduled to the max, but looking to pull off weeknight dinner on the regular while staying sane, I'm here for you!

Join me for a weeknight meal planning course to help you create good habits for dinner at home. Eat more family dinners, and save time, energy, and money! You already wear so many hats, and family meal planners and chefs are just the tip of the iceberg. I’ll share my approachable method for planning a week’s worth of dinners! The course will be full of quick tips and takeaways that you can implement immediately. Taking this self-paced course will save you time and energy down the road. Let’s get dinner made during the week with less stress and give you more time to relax and actually enjoy your evening.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed all that Marcia has offered on her Smart in the Kitchen website, the photos, ideas and personality always made it fun to visit. It wasn't until after I started implementing her meal planning techniques though that I realized the full benefit of this resource. She has made meal planning something that I look forward to -- it helps things run efficiently and makes dinner time special for my entire family during the week, from time and money saving practicality to trying new recipes. Her tips and tricks are easily adaptable into any schedule. I love when something takes the "thinking" off my plate and her course definitely fits that description."
- Ruth Keyes

Module 1: Let’s Get Organized!

I know, I know. This isn’t an organization course! But cleaning out and organizing your kitchen, pantry and freezer can lead to a transformation that will bring back the JOY to your cooking! An organized kitchen is the first step towards clearing the path to meal planning success.

Highlights: 

• We’ll talk about the best tools for kitchen organization, from baskets and canisters to knife blocks.
• A checklist for how to maintain your kitchen for ultimate performance.
• Pantry and freezer checklists for what to keep stocked.
• Recommended notebooks and meal planning systems.
• A “tech library” resource list of meal planning apps.
• Free meal planning template pages.
• Recommended kitchen equipment workhorses.
• A checklist of my favorite kitchen equipment essentials.

Module 2: Creating Your Game Plan!

Here’s where we get into the nuts and bolts of what to cook and when. Don’t spend precious time wondering what to make for dinner. Have a strategy, or rubric, in place that will take the guessing game out of dinner planning. We will strategize a plan that works for YOU! Because what works for me may not work for you! But I’ll teach you how NOT to overthink the process. We are going to rock this meal planning thing!

Highlights:

• We’ll create a master list of YOUR theme nights, or the rubric that will kick start your success. 
• Understand how and why to ask for input from your family.
• Create your “tried-and-true” list of favorite recipes.
• Set your intention for how many nights a week you intend to cook.

Module 3: Grocery Shopping & Food Storage

Don’t waste time going to the grocery store and buying things you don’t need (and will eventually throw out). I’ll teach you my super fast way to make a grocery list and shop for a week’s worth of meals in no time. We’ll save you time and money, and we might just help the planet a little in the process.

Highlights: 

• Grocery shopping list hack and a printable shopping list template.
• How to organize your refrigerator and store food 
• NEW: A produce PDF with instructions for how to wash and store each item
• The “one thing” approach to meal prep (spoiler alert: It’s not taking up your entire Sunday to cook a week’s worth of leftovers!)

Module 4: Timing!

I’ll teach you how to time your recipes and how to time your dinner. We’ll also talk about what to do if you’re feeding multiple kids at multiple times of the night.

Highlights:

• How to keep things warm (without a warming drawer).
• What to do when your best laid plan falls off the rails.
• Emergency dinners you can make with zero prep in a pinch.

Module 5: Leftover Makeovers and Freezer Meals!

We’ll talk about a strategy for stretching your effort. Cook one basic recipe and reinvent it multiple ways (so your family can’t sniff out leftovers). 

• The best basic recipes for reinvention.
• Tons of ideas for what to do with leftover flank steak, roast chicken, roasted veggies, and more!
• Freezer basics.
• How to plan for “no cook” weeks!

HERE'S WHAT YOU GET INSIDE THE COURSE!

Plus you’ll get a 14-day risk-free guarantee!

Let’s be honest:

I can help you get dinner on the table.

The Smart Meal Plan Formula is the REAL system I use to pull off weeknight dinners for my own family. Week after week after week! 

At the end of the first two weeks, you’ll have received access to the private Facebook group, various extras and bonuses, checklists and the entire first two modules. 

Meaning, you will have had the chance to implement some very valuable tips and tools.

If after the first two weeks you truly feel like the content of the course is not for you, simply email me and show me you’ve put in the work to implement the lessons in the first two modules and let me know why it didn’t work for you.

You’re just getting started making dinner on a regular basis, and you want a guide (that’s me!) who’s mastered what you’re trying to achieve.

You’ve tried to get in a meal planning routine, but you can’t seem to take the time to plan consistently or pull off a plan that actually works!

You’re spending way too much on takeout and it’s clogging up your trash can and depleting your bank account!

You’ve been cooking dinner for years, but you’re burned out, uninspired or you just know you can plan more effectively.

You’re already meal planning. Well, that’s a huge celebration! But if you want to make it faster, more effective and just learn a boatload of kitchen and cooking wisdom, this is for you!

You’re ready to do the work and set the intention to consistently pull off family dinners.

Why I’m the person to guide you through this dinner transformation.

I didn’t always operate with a meal plan.

When my three children were all under five, I operated on fumes (and lots of caffeine). But I had a few tried-and-true tricks up my sleeve that saved me time and again. Pasta and marinara, big pots of chili that would get noshed on during the week, spatchcocked chicken (that cooks FAST) with garlic and lemon. Simple weeknight meals became the salve for sleep-deprived family life.

Meal planning came into my life as a sanity saver about the same time our afternoons became more stressful than ever. Wrapping my brain around school homework (and being present and patient enough to help with it), decoding carpool spreadsheets and staying on top of my own deadlines meant something had to change. 

And fast.

I’ve been trained as a professional chef, and I write recipes and teach people how to cook for a living. But my primary job is parent, and part of the job description is to feed my family. I want my kids to be fueled up for studying, sports and life. I’d like to share my strategy to help other busy parents. 

Weekly meal plans make life easier. Don’t get me wrong, Friday night dinners at my house are typically leftovers. But the time is more crucial than ever to have family meals. To pause, sit down at the table and connect. No phones, no distractions -- just dinner and real-life conversation with those who mean the most to you. 

I’m here to help make that happen.

"I am a busy working mom of four.  Every evening, I dreaded hearing "what's for dinner?"   I usually scrambled to get something on the table, but it was stressful and didn't necessarily taste that great.  We had a bunch of things on repeat - chicken tenders, pasta, grilled chicken being the top repeat offenders.  Enter Marcia and her meal planning.  Every Sunday, I pull out my handy meal planning notebook and plan our meals for the week.  I don't serve the same thing within a month.  We waste less food because I have a grocery list that reflects what I am actually going to use.  And the kids don't have to ask me about dinner - they can check my notebook to see what I have planned.  The best part is that I am less stressed and we are all enjoying the meals so much more.  I recommend taking a little bit of time to meal plan and Marcia is a wonderful guide to get you started on your meal planning journey."
-Deirdre Carr