If you are used to grabbing food on the go, or just figuring your meal once you are hungry, then meal planning can feel a little overwhelming. Today, I'd love to share with you some of my tips I practice to help meal planning feel empowering instead of overwhelming.
The purpose of meal planning is to simplify your life, not to make it more difficult, so here’s some simple meal planning tips, even if you are busy.
6 Simple Meal Planning Tips for Busy Women
Stop trying to plan everything
If you've never been much into meal planning, give yourself some grace and try to ease into it. If you start by trying to plan every single meal, it can send you into overwhelm. Instead, work on planning just a few meals a week and convert the leftovers to lunches. Once you get the hang of meal planning dinners, you can then move on to lunch and/or breakfast from there. Small steps will lead to lasting habits.
Stock kitchen staples
To get into meal planning, you need to keep kitchen staples on hand. Rolled oats can function for oatmeal, smoothies, and even baked treats. Rotisserie chicken can be used for dinner and then leftover can be turned into quesadillas, wraps, soups, chicken chili, and so much more. While these are just a few examples, you can see that buying things that have versatility will go a long way in your kitchen and always give you something tasty and nutritious to eat.
Keep healthy snack options handy
Prepping healthy snacks is a smart idea. If you have pre-chopped veggies on hand, or lots of yummy fruit and berries, it can prevent mindless snacking on chips and packaged foods.
Use your slow cooker
Your slow cooker is a true kitchen hero. You can cook one large meal and use it in different recipes over the next few nights. Or you could freeze portions to pull out next week for an easy, pre-made dinner. It can save you so much time to cook once and eat multiple times off of one meal.
Side dish options
On busy nights, don't overthink things. Make a habit of keeping frozen veggies and pre-washed fresh greens around, and you'll always have something to serve on the side. When you're planning ahead, you can batch cook roasted veggies and portion them as side-items throughout the week.
Pack lunches ahead
If tonight's meal is going into tomorrow's lunches, portion it all out while you're in the kitchen. Get everyone's lunches ready all at once, and you can set yourself up for a more peaceful morning. Having lunch out of the way will free you from worrying about what to eat or worrying about hurrying to pack lunches after breakfast. Need lunch ideas? Keep reading….
If planning a healthy lunch is tricky for you, or you work at an office and tend to eat lunch out, then I want to share some healthy and delicious lunch options that you can create in advance and pack to take with you wherever you are.
Mason Jar Salads Mason jar salads are a great way to prep and have a healthy lunch ready when needed. All you need is a mason jar and some fresh ingredients. Start by packing your salad in layers—dressing at the bottom, followed by hardier vegetables such as carrots or broccoli florets, then add protein such as chicken or beans, followed by greens. When you're ready to eat it, turn the jar over into a bowl and enjoy.
Protein Boxes Making your own protein boxes for lunch on the go is an easy and delicious way to ensure you get plenty of nutrition while out of the home. With a few simple ingredients, you can create a balanced meal full of protein that will fuel you through the day. The sky's the limit when it comes to what type of food you want in your box - get creative and add an array of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, hummus, or any other nutritious items. Not only will these boxes taste great, but they can be prepared in advance, so all that's left to do is grab and go.
Wraps Start by choosing your favorite type of wrap. Then fill them with whatever ingredients you like—lean proteins such as turkey or grilled chicken breast slices; lots of veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers; and tasty cheeses like feta or goat cheese. You can also add hummus for extra flavor and texture.
Eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated. With these quick and easy options, you can have a delicious meals ready in no time.
Once you get more into meal planning, it will come easier, and you'll find what works best for you. By easing into it, you'll reduce much of the stress that it can cause initially and finally be able to use it as a stress-reducing tool for feeding yourself and the family, too!
Enjoy!
For more support and motivation to get cooking and eating healthier at home, join me inside Nourish For Life where I give you meal plans, recipes and motivation to get started. Click here to join us inside: Nourish For Life
