MEAL PLANNING - HEALTHY IDEAS THAT SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY

Question:  Dhana, today Americans are so busy.  We are constantly multitasking and as a result feel that we little time for much anything else, particularly our self-care.  When we don’t have time, our diets are usually affected.  What can we do to ensure that we are meeting our dietary needs?

Dhana:  This is definitely a common issue.  Many clients that I have worked with expressed having challenges balancing life stressors and healthy eating.  As a result they fell into a habit of choosing fast foods, processed microwaveable meals or simply skipped meals altogether.  Neither of these options are healthy choices…so what can we do? 

This is where meal planning can help.  Meal planning is essentially planning out meals for days at a time. It is very simple and doing so provides several benefits including saving time and money, insurance that meals are nutrient balanced, and reducing the temptation to eat impulsively.  The bottom line though is, in order to save time in the long run we have to make time initially to plan, grocery shop and food prep.  Then we can dine knowing that we are putting healthy foods into our body.  

Now let’s get started.

Step #1: Create a list of foods that you typically eat.

• You can categorize foods based on the food groups if that is easy for you.

Grains	Proteins	Fruits	Vegetables	Dairy	Misc
Quinoa WG English muffins Brown rice pilaf Old fashioned oats	Eggs Turkey Chicken Almond butter Salmon	Berries Various fruit Raisins	Salad greens Kale Bokchoy Sweet potatoes	Almond milk Cheese String cheese	Dark chocolate

Step #2: Create the meal planner template.

• Most people like to plan for one week at a time.  In the example below, I created a meal plan for one day.

Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Snack
boiled egg oatmeal blueberries	almonds & raisins	grilled chicken salad tossed salad baked sweet potato	almond butter on apple	baked salmon quinoa kale salad	fruit salad

Step #3 Grocery Shopping

• Prepare your grocery list. Use the list that you created (step #1). It is already categorized and this will allow you to easily navigate the supermarket. 

Step #4 Food Prep

• Choose a day when you can prep/cook foods items such as meats, starches, or vegetables in large volume.
• Store prepped food items in pyrex dishes so they are readily available at meal time.
•  Appliances such as food processors, blenders, crock pots and steamers can be helpful.

Step #5 Dining

• Enjoy your meal without worry of time constraints.
• Meal prepping/cooking allows you to simply warm up your food and serve.

Try meal planning for one week and see how it works for you and

your family. 

Here are a few more tips to consider:

• Pack leftovers the night before to take to work.
• Share recipes with your friends.
• Try new foods so that meals don’t become stagnant.
• Include your family especially the children in this activity, it will teach them about the importance of healthy eating.

Bonappetit!

            Dhana

Dhana Blissett has over 20 years experience in the medical and wellness industry.  She is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist and Certified Holistic Health Coach.

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