Have you wanted to start eating healthier but honestly don’t know where to start? How about you’d love to be able to plan healthy meals for the week, but honestly don’t even know where to begin? Or the one that use to be me is I want to eat healthy, but I don’t have hours a day to prep, clean and cook. Well, I am here to tell you that you can work a bazillion hours a week,(but I sure hope you don’t) play supermom, clean, and still look good come Saturday night :). It just takes, yup you guessed it, planning and a little bit of prep work ahead of time.
Not to worry….. Healthy Meal Planning 101 is here.The hard part is figuring out what healthy foods you and your family will eat. Start by breaking foods down into categories. I’ve attached a list of foods in each of the food groups that you can download.
For simplicity sake we will go with Proteins, Carbs, Veggies, Fruits, Dairy, and fats.
The first thing you want to do is forget anything that is lowfat or fatfree. YES you heard me NO more Fat Free anything! Think chemicals every time you see those words.
Next you are about to let go of anything that has a shelf life of 5 years or more. Sorry but the twinkies really do have to go!
Finally it’s time to pay our last respects to Mr and Mrs. White Bread and pasta. Now before you break down in hysterics over the loss of these special creatures, know that there are a couple of new comers that while they are not Mr. and Mrs. White Bread, they are a close second. With the right seasonings, your family will not even notice. YOu probably wouldn’t either except for the fact that you are the one doing the cooking.
OK, you’ve gone through the cupboards, pantry, refrigerator and where ever else food may be lurking in your home and gotten rid of things that will outlive you.
Now the fun begins.
Sit down with a pen and paper(hey this could be a good thing taking a few minutes to sit and relax) and begin going through the food list.
DON’T GO CRAZY.
Pick a few from each category to begin with and you can always add as you go.
Once you have your foods from each category, go through them again only now assign them a letter. At this point you might be thinking, Jill this is crazy. Why would I waste time giving each one a letter? Like I said the first time going through the list is the hardest. Each food is going to then be divided into
B FOR BREAKFAST
L FOR LUNCH
D FOR DINNER
S SNACK
Now you won’t have to think so much going forward about what to make for when. Want an example? Eggs are a good one and easy to do. They would get a B for breakfast, L for lunch, and even an S for snack. See how it is starting to make sense now?
Now we can begin our meal plan for the week.
I am a creature of habit and could easily eat the same thing every day, but for variety’s sake, I try and come up with at least 3 different options for each meal and then use leftovers to creat the rest.
Breakfast:
Breakfast is usually one of the hardest for so many people because they are usually short on time and too tired to think so I like grab and go kinds of things.
Option 1
Smoothie made with either almond milk, coconut milk, regular milk, fresh or frozen fruit
(I actually recommend frozen as it is usually easier to buy in larger quantities, you can get more of a variety and you don’t have to worry about it going bad), protein powder (I use Shakeology) if you choose just PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure it is made of all real ingredients.
Option 2
Eggs with whole grain bread and a vegetable aka egg sandwich
Option 3
Oatmeal -there are lots of great recipes for overnight oatmeal either in a crockpot or my favorite is made in mason jars and placed in frig overnight. Grab and go in the morning. Kids love these.
Option 4
Whole grain bread, organinc peanutbutter or almond butter, and a banana.
Lunch
(Veggies, protein, carbs, fat)
This can be in the form of a salad, with all the fixings on top or a piece of chicken or lean beef with a side of veggies (think leftovers from the night before)
Sandwiches… are NOT tabu…. Just remember that we have laid Mr & Mrs. White bread to rest. There are some great pitas or wraps out there. Get creative! Add veggies here as well. Peppers add a nice crunch to any sandwich.
Dinner
Go back to your list and see what you have chosen. Think fun easy meals.
Cook a bunch of chicken breasts up on a Sunday. One night they can be served with a baked potato, sweet potato or brown rice with a dark green leafy vegetable on the side.
They can be diced up another and used in a quick stir fry with all different colored vegetables.
You can even use them for your salads for lunch.
Are you starting to get the idea? I love my crockpot because I can either throw everything together in the morning for a fast and easy dinner at night, or make overnight breakfast and have it ready when everyone wakes up in the morning. Truly the options are endless.
Once you have gone through your food list and have then gotten an idea of what you will be serving for the week, it is time for the dreaded grocery store. Again the first couple of times may take a little more planning and work to get the staples you will need to put in the frig. And cupboards, but then it gets easier once you have the basics on hand. Garlic, ginger, herbs and spices always enhance any meal including eggs for breakfast and they are great for their healing properties as well.
Remember it doesn’t have to be fancy to be healthy, but it does need to be made at home not in a box.
Healthy is a lifestyle. You can do it! Just take it one step at a time and enjoy the process. Your journey to health begins now.
Jill Ciment | LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE 