Healthy eating is often aligned with mindful planning, but meal prep doesn’t have to be your second job. In fact, healthy meals can be prepared faster and more easily than so-called convenience foods. Learn 10 easy ways to make healthy eating a habit you can stick to.
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1. Assemble Your Meals
There’s no reason to overcomplicate your meals, especially if you’re targeting specific macro nutrients. Look at your plate as an equation where you need representation from your target macros.
Pre-washed greens, rotisserie chicken, and canned beans can make for a nutrition-dense salad. Save time with healthy meal kits, which are ready to assemble without grocery shopping. These kits save time, reduce potential food waste, and maximize your food budget.
2. Maintain Pantry Staples
Pantry staples are essential for preparing healthy meals. Canned beans, rice, and canned tomatoes can quickly be assembled into multiple meal types.
Keep stock of canned fish like tuna and salmon, which are packed with healthy oils and protein. Pantry items can enhance refrigerator food, and upgrade convenience options when time is tight.
3. Stock One-and-Done Sides
A handful of pennies is worth the convenience of prewashed bags of microwavable vegetables. Available in mixed blend varieties and single vegetables, a few minutes in the microwave, and you’re done.
These sides cut out multiple steps of food prep, which reduces the friction between you and healthy eating. Use these bags at home or toss one in your bag for lunch.
4. Plan for Leftovers
You don’t need to prepare for the whole week, but make it easier on yourself and double the basics. If you’re making rice, make a double batch to prepare lunch or another dinner. Leftover rice is great for fried rice or can be made into a healthy rice pudding.
If you’re already doing a lot of chopping, it makes sense to make the kitchen mess once. Peppers used for stir fry can also be pre-cut for future lunches. Consider the total time spent on daily prep and cleanup when you plot your meals.
5. Try No-Cook, Quick Meals
Cooking is optional when you enhance your plate with ready-to-eat options. A Mediterranean plate with hummus, olives, cucumbers, cheese, and pita makes for a great lunch.
Protein salads are popular and can be packed with protein from meat, cottage cheese, and eggs. Eat yours with a fork or with thick cucumber slices for a filling and nutritious meal. Salad-type options can be made days in advance and with enough servings to last a week.
6. Strategize Snacks
When time is tight, it’s tempting to reach for something easy. However, that’s when your nutrition can get off track. Snack smart with prepackaged, healthy options that you make yourself or purchase on sale.
Small bags of nuts and proportioned crackers to keep serving sizes in check. Cheese sticks, fruit, and rice cakes are easy to grab while managing serving sizes.
7. Keep Food in View
Resist the urge to overbuy, even when things are on sale. Keep food and view in your refrigerator so the healthiest foods are up front. Follow the same practice in your pantry and rotate new purchases to manage expiration dates.
Keep fruit on the counter as a visual reminder to choose healthy snacks. When healthy food is in sight, you’re more likely to reach for it, which helps you stick to your goals.
8. Embrace Simplicity
Cooking shows and social media chefs are fun to watch, but healthy food is often simple. Save the complicated meals for the weekend and you’ll save time and stress. Plan meals thinking about a base and topper or all friendly meals.
Your base can be yogurt, grains, or greens while your topper should represent protein, nutrition-dense carbs, and healthy fat. Breakfast might be Greek yogurt, berries, and nuts, while dinner is quinoa, shredded chicken, cucumbers, and feta. This approach follows a simple formula that’s easy to manage and shop for.
9. Enhance Basics the Whole Family Will Love
When you’re cooking for a family, meal prep can be more challenging. Kids’ tastes differ and making multiple meals per meal time is unsustainable. Make a note of what your kids like through observation and involve them in the process.
Have them review the pantry and refrigerator and make suggestions on things they might like. This can give you inspiration for potential meals and get their buy-in for trying new things. If they love macaroni and cheese, think about how you can make it family-friendly.
Choose healthier ingredients, but serve additional protein and vegetables on the side. Chicken tenders are often favorites and can be served in a veggie-packed wrap for adults. Using this approach, you get the best of convenience and gain happier eaters all around.
10. Use Tech to Simplify Meal Planning
Meal planning apps, grocery apps, and even your grocery delivery service use data to suggest options. Stores often promote seasonal ingredients and recipe ideas to support sales. Review them as part of your planning process for fresh inspiration and ready-made lists.
You can also create a two-week rotation of meals that use the same ingredients. Use your ingredient list to create your shopping list and automate your re-order.
Make Nutritious Meal Planning Stress-Free
De-influence your meal prep process and be smart with your time. The goal isn’t to take over your weekend with meal prep tasks.
Buy smart convenience options, core whole foods, and versatile staples to make meal prep the easiest part of your routine. When you keep meal prep simple, you’re more likely to stick with your nutrition goals and optimize your health.
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