Get meal planning tips to help you design the perfect meal plan for spring. Includes spring produce guide and the best spring recipes.
Key Takeaways
- Know what's in season so you can make the most of the tastiest, healthiest produce.
- Make a seasonal culinary “bucket list” to ensure you don't miss your favorites this spring.
- Incorporate at least 2-3 seasonal produce items in each week's meal plan.
- Try Prep Dish meal plans for free! Our plans always factor in the season to maximize flavor, nutrition and budget.
Don't you just love the fresh start of a new season? Even if the weather hasn't quite turned a corner where you live, there's that eager anticipation of warmer weather and sunshine around the corner. Watching the first wildflowers pop up, listening to the sound of spring rains and, of course, enjoying the bounty of spring produce!
I am such a fan of seasonal eating and love incorporating different produce at different times of year. Not only does in-season produce just taste better, it's also more budget-friendly, easier to buy local and helps ensure my family gets a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year instead of just relying on the standbys of apples and carrots.
Clearly, there are many reasons to eat seasonally, but how to actually pull it off is a different matter. If you know me at all, you won't be surprised by my solution: meal planning. In today's post I'll walk you through my best meal planning tips for spring, including what's in season, how to meal plan and my favorite spring recipes. Here's to another delicious season!
The Best Spring Produce
Before you can craft a stellar spring meal plan, you need to know what's in season! With virtually all produce available in the grocery store all year long, it can be hard to tell. One fun way to see what's in season is to visit a local farmers market. If you don't have time for that though, here is a list of some of the best spring produce:
Radishes
Radishes are such an underrated item in my book. If you find them too spicy, I urge you to try sauteed radishes! They are so tasty and don't have the signature “bite” commonly associated with radishes.
Carrots
If you're like most people, you probably eat carrots all year long. That said, pretty much all produce tastes better when it's in season so scoop 'em up now! And if you need something to dip your carrots in, definitely give my paleo ranch a try!
Peas
There are few things better than spring sugar snap peas straight off the vine. Peas are also delicious in recipes like my Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes or simply tossed into your favorite spring soup. If you haven't tried steamed sugar snap peas, that is also an excellent way to enjoy spring peas!
Strawberries
I can barely even eat strawberries when they're out of season, the taste just doesn't compare to the ripe ones. So if you're like me and count down to when these little beauties are in season, now's your chance! And if you want a super fun strawberry-inspired treat, these strawberry lemonade bars are a must-make!
Asparagus
Asparagus can taste too chewy and “woody” in other seasons, but it's the perfect side in spring! Grill it, roast it, saute it, you can't go wrong! Simply add a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of salt, that's all you need.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is one of the few produce items you can't even find most of the year. Spring is the time when it's at its best.
Cherries
Cherries start to come into season in spring and I for one am here for it! Add them to your yogurt, oatmeal, or even salads. You can also make this healthy cherry mousse for a fun, seasonal treat!
Broccoli
Broccoli is another springtime produce item, perfect for this time of year. Add it to a stir fry or simply roast with olive oil and salt.
Cabbage
Whether you make a slaw or enjoy cabbage sauteed or roasted, cabbage is a great choice this time of year.
Beets
Beets are a nutritional powerhouse and I for one love their earthy taste, especially when roasted. If you've never prepared beets, don't be intimidated! I have a short video on how to chop beets.
How to Design a Spring Meal Plan
Now that you know what's in season, where to begin? As someone who's been meal planning professionally for over a decade, I've picked up a few tips and tricks.
1. Review Your Calendar
The first step to any meal plan is to review your calendar. Even if you plan out the absolute best recipes, if you don't have time to make them, what's the use?
In addition to looking at your calendar each week as you make your weekly meal plan, the start of a new season is an excellent time to review your calendar for the next few months.
Do you have travel coming up? If so, check out my Healthy Travel Food post and plan some meals and snacks around that.
Do you have a super busy season coming up? If so, choose a few freezer meals and stock your freezer – your future self will thank you!
Also, take a look at your weekly schedule. If you get home late on Tuesdays for soccer, make sure to plan quick and easy dinners for Tuesday nights. Or, make a double batch of Monday night dinners and enjoy leftovers on Tuesdays.
You get the idea! I use our Prep Dish meal plans every week but I still look at my calendar regularly and adjust as needed.
And if you meal prep (which you totally should!) I highly recommend scheduling your meal prep too. Actually putting it on the calendar makes it so much more likely it will get done.
If all of this sounds a little overwhelming, it doesn't have to be. Here at Prep Dish, we take care of the meal planning for you. Our subscribers receive 4 weekly meal prep meal plans, including an organized grocery list and detailed prep day plan. I'd love to offer you a free trial to get your spring meal planning off to a good start!
2. Make a Spring Bucket List
Once you have your calendar set, try making a seasonal bucket list. When life gets busy, it's easy to let an entire season slip by without enjoying your seasonal favorites. Whether it's shepherd's pie, an asparagus bacon frittata, or a spring lamb roast, list out your springtime favorites to ensure they make at least one appearance on your spring meal plan.
It's also fun to add 2-3 spring produce items to your weekly meal plan to make sure you're getting to enjoy the best of the season. This could be as simple as snacking on strawberries and sugar snap peas and adding roasted broccoli as a side dish.
3. Choose Your Recipes
Now for the fun part! With your calendar in place, you should have an idea of about how many recipes you need to choose. Select some recipes that incorporate all of that beautiful spring produce. Make sure not to choose all new or complex recipes though. Mix in a few family favorites that you've made so many times you don't even have to think about it to keep things low-stress.
Scroll down for some of my personal favorite spring recipes!
4. Schedule Your Recipes
Once you've chosen your recipes, go ahead and schedule them on your calendar. You can always move things around if necessary, but this takes away the constant question in the back of your mind, “what's for dinner?”
I also like to make a note of when I need to thaw meat from the freezer to make sure I have everything I need when I go to make a dish.
5. Prep Ahead
You can prep ahead for the season by making any freezer recipes you've chosen. This is a great way to set yourself up for success in the months to come. One of my favorite ways to stock my own freezer is simply to double (or triple!) up on recipes as I make them for dinner and stash the extra in the freezer.
I'm also a huge proponent of weekly meal prep. Taking just 1-2 hours a week to complete meal prep tasks like chopping veggies, making sauces and salad dressings, etc., makes a huge difference in stress levels throughout the week. Check out my article on How to Start Meal Prepping for tips!
The Best Spring Recipes
Here are some of the BEST spring recipes in my book! Make sure to sign up for our Prep Dish free newsletter to get delicious, seasonal recipes delivered to your inbox on the regular.
Firecracker Chicken & Broccoli
Firecracker chicken is such a delicious way to enjoy springtime broccoli! Feel free to add in other spring produce like carrots, peas or cabbage.
Pork & Pineapple Taco Bowls
If you think you don't like cabbage, I urge you to give these taco bowls a try. The slaw is so tasty!
Slow Cooker Spring Lamb Roast
I'm a big fan of lamb and feel like it's a highly underrated protein. This slow cooker lamb roast is SO incredibly easy, it's the perfect way to enjoy lamb this spring.
Stir Fry
Stir fry is one of the best dishes to include in a seasonal meal plan because it's so easy to incorporate different seasonal produce items.
Minted Fruit Salad
This fruit salad is such a lovely way to enjoy the season's first strawberries.
Slow Cooker Sriracha Chicken Wraps
When the weather starts to warm up, I love including cooler, lighter meals on my family's meal plan. These crisp, slightly sweet, slightly spicy lettuce wraps are perfect!
Classic Chicken Vegetable Soup
Chicken Vegetable Soup is perfect for early spring, when the weather is often still quite chilly, depending on where you live.
Easy Salmon Wraps w/ Homemade Caesar
These salmon wraps are another lovely way to enjoy a cooler meal for springtime. The homemade caesar takes them to the next level!
Mediterranean Lamb Burgers
What's better than the first time you break out the grill for the warmer seasons? These Mediterranean lamb burgers are an excellent way to kick off the season.
Shrimp Cobb Salad
I love salads for dinner, but they have to be filling. That essentially means they need to include plenty of protein and fat, which these shrimp cobb salads do.
Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
These teriyaki salmon bowls include so much good spring produce! Carrots, green onions, radishes, snow peas – the best of the season.
Mustard Dill Salmon w/ Roasted Asparagus & Purple Potatoes
In-season asparagus is infinitely better than asparagus the rest of the year. This is a simple, delicious way to enjoy it.
Spring Frittata w/ Asparagus, Bacon & Feta
We love frittatas here in the Schaaf household and I'm a big fan of incorporating seasonal produce, like the asparagus in this one.
Strawberry Lemon Vinaigrette w/ Poppyseeds
While I often use a simple dressing of olive oil and balsamic, I do enjoy fun seasonal salad dressings like this one!
FAQ – Everything You Need to Know About Spring Meal Planning Tips
More than any specific recipes, the right meal planning tips can help set you up for success with healthy, homemade, delicious meals this spring. Here are answers to some of the most common meal planning questions.
What are 5 tips for meal planning?
5 Meal Planning Tips:
1. Consult your calendar.
2. Include seasonal produce.
3. Shop your freezer / pantry to keep costs down.
4. Keep it manageable with a mix of new recipes and old favorites.
5. My biggest meal planning tip – prep ahead to make homemade dinners on busy nights possible.
How to meal plan for beginners?
My biggest tip for meal planning for beginners is to start small. Like so many things in life, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. If you're not used to meal planning, start by planning just 3 or 4 dinners for the upcoming week and keep the recipes simple. You can build up from there.
And to make it truly easy, give our done-for-you Prep Dish meal plans a try for free! Our Super Fast meal plans in particular are great for beginners as they help you prep 5 dinners in just 1 hour of meal prep.
What to include in a spring meal plan?
Include a variety of spring produce in your spring meal plan to make the most of the season! Think items like carrots, radishes, peas, strawberries, asparagus and broccoli.
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