Jenn Lueke Says ‘Don’t Think About Dinner’—Her Stress-Free Meal Prep Is a Total Game-Changer (Exclusive)
The JennEatsGoood star reveals how meal planning can save money, time and stress
When scrolling social media or researching easy meal-planning ideas, you’ve likely stumbled on Jenn Lueke. Known on Instagram by her 1.6 million followers as @JennEatsGoood, the Boston-based chef shares meal-planning ideas and delicious, good-for-you recipes that won’t break the bank. Jenn first launched her account in 2018, but it wasn’t an overnight success. “After more than 5 years of trying, it was ultimately one of my budget grocery-list videos that unlocked everything,” she tells Woman’s World.
“It was shocking to me! It also showed how much we all just want healthy, simple meal plans.” Jenn says part of the magic was that she was perfecting how to meal prep along with her followers. “Growing up, I had two working parents and two siblings—and my parents weren’t meal planners,” she says. “So I wanted to learn how to eat nourishing, affordable food—and meal planning takes the guesswork out of the question, ‘what’s for dinner tonight?’ It’s a big favor for yourself.”
Now, Jenn’s pouring her ideas into her debut cookbook, Don’t Think About Dinner. Here, the social media sensation, who appears on the cover of this week’s Woman’s World magazine (get your copy here!), shares tips for grocery shopping, boosting everyday joy and more!
Woman’s World: ‘Don’t Think About Dinner’ is an unusual title for a cookbook. How did you come up with it?
Jenn Lueke: Decision fatigue is something that I talk about a lot, and almost everyone is struggling with it in some way. Figuring out what to have for dinner every single night can be stressful. The title is meant to communicate that I’ve done that thinking for you in creating this book. I don’t want you to have to think about it. I want you to grab what you need from the book and then actually enjoy being in the kitchen, cooking and eating food that makes you feel good, and hopefully building confidence to not only create these meals on your own but to use them in ways that work for you.
WW: What can your followers expect to find in your cookbook?
JL: I wanted it to be a book that you could use in many different ways. If you want to use it directly for your meal plans, you can do that, but you can also open it up to any page and cook a recipe like you would from any other cookbook. I felt that a lot of cookbooks were missing the steps before you get to actually making the recipe, and that’s what really motivated me to do this book.
The book is broken into two parts, and the first part has resources for people who are just getting started or don’t know where to start. I talk about shopping and prepping ahead, stocking your freezer, fridge and pantry with everything that you need to be successful and what kitchen tools you need—and spoiler alert, it’s not a lot. Part two has the recipes. I wanted to touch on every step of the process, so I wouldn’t just be handing you a book with recipes and saying, “Hey, you should make this.”
WW: What advice do you have for people who want to try meal planning but find it intimidating?
JL: You don’t need to go from zero to 100. You can meal prep in whatever way works for you—even spending a few minutes chopping fruit and veggies or making a grab-and-go fridge meal can make a big difference, and it can end up relieving stress in the long run.
I consider meal planning and meal prep to be a very worthwhile version of self-care, because you’re doing yourself a favor by planning ahead and knowing what you’re going to do for the week, so that when you get there, it’s not so overwhelming. When I plan ahead, it feels great. I tell myself it’s like current me is helping future me.
WW: What are your best tips for saving money on groceries?
JL: I always recommend bulk shopping. It feels expensive upfront, but it often cuts your grocery bill and prep time. My go-to strategy is stocking up on items that stretch across multiple meals—like nuts and frozen vegetables. Stores like Costco and Sam’s Club are great for this. I’ll even buy larger packs of meat there and portion them into freezer bags so I have ready-to-go proteins for weeks. I don’t feel like there’s any ingredient that’s worth splurging on. I love going to my local farmers markets—surprisingly, certain items can be more budget friendly than they’d be at the grocery store.
WW: People often turn to meal planning when they’re trying to eat healthier and lose weight. What advice do you have for women who struggle with body confidence?
JL: I always struggled with my health and weight growing up. I tried diets and restrictive things, but nothing worked. Finally, I simplified and quickly saw how much better I felt when I ate healthier meals featuring plants, proteins and whole grains. That’s it. It’s not about looking a certain way or meeting some societal standard. It’s about being the healthiest version of you for you.
WW: A lot of people have made meal planning a New Year’s resolution. What are your own resolutions?
JL: The biggest resolution that I have is to be more present in my everyday life. There’s a lot trying to grab our attention at any given moment, whether it’s social media, the news cycle or personal issues. I think my biggest goal is to reduce my screen time, spend more time with my friends and family in real life, and step away a bit from being so attached digitally. It’s hard when you do this kind of job, but I know that it’s very important. It’s the same kind of thing as when I do all these routines with my planning and prepping and eating well—even when it feels hard to get started, once I do it, I feel really great.
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