Meal planning can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a few simple ways to make it easier so you can get the health goals you want without the added stress. Trying to make time for it all is hard and eating healthy meals should not give you stress. If it does, then you are for sure going to stop trying because it won’t feel worth it and I totally can relate to that. In this post I am going to share with you 3 ways to make meal planning easier so you can be successful!
#01 Quick Action To Take Right Now
The first thing I did when I started meal planning was to come up with three quick and easy recipes I can make stress free and with limited time. They are my absolute go to recipes that I know my family will always eat without giving me a hard time and I can make them with little effort. For me it is tacos, chicken salads, and chicken bowls.
I know that these meals take me less than 30 minutes to prepare, cook and serve and so you can bet they show up on our weekly meal plan often! This isn’t because I can’t find anything else out there or I just don’t want to. I have these meals because when our time is really limited I know I can rely on these meals to give us a healthy option instead of ordering in and they will not stress me out to prepare.
Before you move on, think about three of your go to recipes and write them down. Let them show up frequently in your rotation!
#02 Batch Cook
When we batch cook we are cooking meals in a larger quantity to use for another day. If you haven’t done this yet well then buckle up because this is going to be a game changer for you! My favorite day of the week to batch cook is Sunday because I tend to have more time.
I may double the recipe I’m making Sunday night or I may cook a big batch of taco meat or chicken breast to use in different ways during the week. Imagine coming home from a stressful Monday at work, then trying to get your kids to practice, and all you have to do for dinner is heat up the taco meat. Game changer!
#03 Stop Overcomplicating Things
Listen, I totally get not wanting to eat the same meals all the time. In fact it is a running joke in my house that everytime I make a meal my family loves we won’t ever eat it again. I love creating recipes, so I am always trying out new things but it doesn’t have to be that way.
At the end of the day a meal should have a protein, carb, fat, and a veggie. If you add all of those, it’s a success. You don’t need these elaborate meals to eat healthy. There is nothing wrong with grilled chicken with avocado, roasted sweet potatoes, and asparagus for a meal. In fact that sounds fantastic and I may just add it to my weekly meal plan!
Make a list of each category and fill it with foods your family eats and then mix and match! Quck and easy dinners!
Meal planning really doesn’t have to be difficult. By using some of these tips you can really make it easier and definitely a whole lot less stressful!
Want more meal planning tips? I totally get that! Check out Episode 4 of The Coffee Donuts Fitness Podcast for more!
