One of the biggest issues my clients run into when it comes to eating healthy is not that they don’t know what they’re supposed to do (ie. eat more fruits and vegetables; eat out less often), but they just don’t seem to have the time to make it happen. I completely understand. It’s not easy to work all day and then expect to arrive home and prepare a balanced dinner complete with protein, starch, and vegetables before someone begins chewing on the furniture. But it can be done, as long as you have planned for it.
Personally, I don’t remotely enjoy cooking. There are countless other things I’d rather be doing, so I do it because I have to, and because I feel that eating a healthy diet is absolutely fundamental to staying healthy. You’ve heard the expression “you are what you eat,” right? In my opinion, that’s been said so many times it seems to have lost all meaning. So, I’ve coined a new expression: “You can’t make a Porsche out of K-car parts.” If you are serious about wanting to live a long, healthy life, free of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and so many others, you really should “walk the talk” as it were. If it’s important enough to you, you can make it happen.
In that case, where to begin? There are so many ways to simplify the whole meal prep and planning process that I’m going to break this down into a few posts. The very first task is to list out all the meals you know how to make. I’ll bet you know more than you think you do. I’ll get you started:
Egg dishes: omelettes, quiche, fritatta, french toast, fried eggs on toast…
Chicken dishes: baked (plain, seasoned with lemon pepper, tandoori, garlic & herbs, teriyaki etc.), stir-fry, oven-roasted, BBQ…
Pasta dishes: macaroni & cheese, spaghetti, manicotti, lasagna, casseroles…
Beef dishes: steaks, stir-fry, stews, meatloaf, tacos, burgers…
Fish dishes: salmon, tuna, cod, halibut, mackerel, shrimp…
Beans & legumes: chili, red beans & rice, bean soup, Indian-style lentils (daal), fajitas…
Then there’s pork, turkey, tofu and so on; put it all down. Do the same for the veggies you can make (even if it’s just “frozen California mix” that you heat and serve…it still counts as a valid dinnertime option.). And then the starches (it could be as simple as “rice” or “quinoa” or “baked potato”.)
Now that you’ve got this great big list of potential items, you’re ready to plan your meals for next week. Think about what you’ve got going on…kids have soccer practice on Thursday evening? Get out of work early on Friday? Long day on Tuesday? Look at your list and choose meals that can be made with the time constraints you have to work with. If you’ve got a short time to cook, plan a quick meal. If you have a little longer, you can get a little more elaborate. If you’re going to be home late, consider a meal you can make in a crockpot that will be ready when you arrive.
Knowing what you’re going to make in advance means you don’t waste time trying to come up with ideas last minute; it saves you the last-minute scramble to the store for missing ingredients (because you would have planned for the necessary ingredients when you went shopping); and most importantly, lets you start prepping ingredients in advance , so you’re not spending time chopping onions and peppers while the sounds of grumbling tummies (and family members!) get louder and louder. In my case, during my downtime after the kids are asleep, I’ll chop vegetables for the next day or two’s worth of meals while I watch TV or chat on the phone. Otherwise, if you have family members who arrive home before you do, then you can also have them begin some of the pre-prep for you, like chopping the vegetables or salad, making rice, setting the table, or whatever their skill level can handle. They can’t help you if you don’t even know what help you need. (And quite frankly, in my opinion, if they’re going to eat, they should help with the prep!)
So there’s your homework: write out your recipe list and plan your menu. For my next post, we’ll talk about simplifying grocery shopping to reduce the number of trips to the store and the amount of wasted food.
Winner of "Best Alternative Medicine/Healing" in 2020
All Rights Reserved | Heal From Your Past
Built With Love By The Awesome People at Flowerpot Marketing