The Plan to Eat Podcast

Hosted by Plan to Eat

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Episodes

144

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

A podcast about meal planning, family dinners, grocery shopping, and cooking more meals at home. Join Roni and Riley for practical conversations about weekly meal planning, saving money on groceries, reducing food waste, and making dinnertime easier. Each episode shares simple strategies to help you save time in the kitchen, use the food you already have, and stress less about what’s for dinner. Contact us at podcast@plantoeat.com.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 13549 min

#135: How to Waste Less Food at Every Stage - Planning, Shopping, and Cooking

This week, we're talking about the full lifecycle of food in our homes, from the moment it's planned all the way to the moment it's eaten (or thrown away). We talk through the most common breakdown points in the planning, cooking, and shopping, and why every ingredient needs a clear purpose. We also cover how to shop your fridge and pantry before you head to the store, how to build flexibility into your meal plan, and what it looks like to treat your leftovers with the same intention as a planned meal. Enjoy!Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

May 27, 2026Episode 13444 min

#134: How to Decide if Meal Prep Is Right for You

In this episode, we’re talking about the pros and cons of weekend meal prep vs. weeknight cooking. We’re breaking down the different ways people make dinner work for their schedules, energy levels, and preferences. We talk about food fatigue, leftovers, decision fatigue, unpredictable schedules, and why there’s no “right” way to meal plan. Whether you love prepping meals on Sunday, prefer cooking fresh every night, or fall somewhere in between, this episode will help you figure out which approach best fits your real life! Enjoy!Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

May 13, 2026Episode 13339 min

#133: How We Actually Make Dinner in 30 Minutes

This week, we’re breaking down how to actually get dinner on the table in 30 minutes. We talk about quick recipes, but also systems we use that make weeknight cooking faster and less stressful. We discuss what slows dinner down, common mistakes, and how to simplify your approach. From using convenience ingredients to prepping ahead and building a go-to list of fast meals, this episode will help you think about how you approach meal planning and cooking so it works for your busy life.Connect with our 30-minute recipes from the link below!Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

April 29, 2026Episode 13257 min

#132: Stop Avoiding Your Meal Plan: Simple Ways to Get Started

This week, we’re diving into why meal planning is so easy to procrastinate, even when we know it makes life easier. From busy schedules and mental load to perfectionism, habits, and not knowing where to start, we break down the real reasons meal planning gets pushed off. We also share practical ways to get unstuck, including starting small, lowering expectations, using templates, and building a system that actually works for your life. If meal planning has been sitting on your weekly to-do list longer than you’d like, this episode will help you move forward with less pressure and more clarity. Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

April 15, 2026Episode 13150 min

#131: A Flexible Family Meal Planning System with Hannah Van Ark

This week, Hannah Van Ark joins the show again to talk about family meal planning and creating systems that make feeding your family easier. After becoming a mom, Hannah realized that most families don’t need more nutrition knowledge; they need practical systems that reduce stress and get balanced meals on the table. We discuss flexible meal planning, how to serve one family meal without being a short-order cook, navigating picky eating, and creating calm at dinnertime. Hannah also shares her five components of a balanced meal and practical ways to adapt meals for kids while still meeting everyone’s needs. If feeding your family feels overwhelming, this episode offers a realistic, encouraging approach to building a meal system that works in real life. Follow Hannah on Instagram @plant.forward.familiesJoin Hannah's masterclass here: https://theplantforwardnutritionist.kit.com/mealplanningmasterclassSign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

April 1, 2026Episode 13039 min

#130: The Truth About Why Dinner Feels Exhausting

This week, we’re talking about why meal planning can feel more exhausting than other household chores. Tasks like vacuuming or folding laundry can usually wait, but feeding yourself or your family happens every single day, multiple times a day!From deciding what to cook, grocery shopping, managing preferences, and actually making the meal, the mental load adds up quickly. We explore the invisible work behind feeding a household, why thinking about food can feel so relentless, and how the emotional and mental weight of meal planning makes it different from other chores.Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

March 18, 2026Episode 12945 min

#129: How to Beat Dinner Decision Fatigue

When life is busy, mental bandwidth to decide what's for dinner disappears. It's easy to get stuck in a rut and feel completely uninspired to meal plan. Even strong planners have periods where ideas dry up, and planning feels like a chore. In this episode, we're combating a lack of creativity and recipe ideas with so many great tips to help you create this week's meal plan. From finding new recipes online, to phoning a trusted friend, to capsule meal planning. We hope you feel inspired and ready to start planning at the end of this episode! Enjoy!Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

March 4, 2026Episode 12837 min

#128: How to Use What You Already Have (And Waste Less Food)

This week, we're tackling food waste! Leftovers pile up, ingredients get pushed to the back of the fridge, and before long, our precious kitchen inventory goes to waste! Riley and Roni discuss practical strategies for reducing food waste and using up what you already have at home. We will teach you our favorite meal planning strategies to actually use the food you're buying and stop wasting it!Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

February 18, 2026Episode 12736 min

#127: Everyone in my house eats differently. Now what?

From answering your dinner dilemmas in 2025, we learned that many families juggle multiple dietary needs: picky kids, allergies, macros, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, low-sodium, etc. And creating meals that satisfy everyone feels exhausting!This week, we're spending the entire episode tackling the problem of managing multiple diets and dietary needs in one house. Our goal is to help you avoid being a short-order chef in your house and reduce the burden of cooking for everyone's needs and preferences. We hope you get a lot from this episode! Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest

February 4, 2026Episode 12649 min

#126: Meal Planning for Busy Weeks and Unpredictable Schedules

This week, we're helping you handle crazy schedules and a lack of time to plan and cook. Evenings get packed with kids’ activities, meetings, and errands. Schedules can change at the last minute, making it hard to cook consistently, prep ahead, or stick to a plan. If you find you're often getting takeout, skipping meals, or wasting groceries, this episode is for you!Let's dive into some tactics to help you save time, get people fed, and stick to your meal plan. Enjoy!Sign up for a free trial + get 20% off your first annual subscription: plantoeat.com/PTEPODContact us: podcast@plantoeat.comConnect with Plan to Eat online:InstagramFacebookPinterest