4 Tips to Planning Healthy Meals

It’s National Nutrition Month, so it’s a great time to think about ways you can add more nutrition into your everyday routine.. We would all love to add healthier meals to our lives using a more proactive approach to our nutritional intake. 

However, life has a tendency to  get in the way and leaves us without time or energy to prepare healthy and nutritious meals. Finding time in our hectic schedule is one of the most challenging aspects of sticking to a healthy eating plan, but there are techniques to make meal planning more efficient.

We want to help you plan your healthy meals with excellent tips and tricks to get you going. You can follow these simple steps to keep up with your busy days and get you to the goal you seek.
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Step 1: Set an Achievable Nutritional Goal

Before we start thinking about how we are going to plan meals, we need to know exactly what we want to achieve according to our preferences and limitations. Some questions you might ask yourself in the goal-setting step include:

- Am I thinking of trying a weekly plan or something a bit more long-term? 
- Do I enjoy preparing my meals way ahead of time, or do I like to be spontaneous while prepping? 
- Do I enjoy cooking every day, or do I rather prepare everything once a week on an off day?
-Do I or any of my family members have any allergies or special dietary requirements?  

This review will help you pinpoint what you might need and what you are able to do given your time and limitations. Once you set your goals, you will have the planning strategy to come up with a healthy game plan for the time span of your choosing. 
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Step 2: Build a Healthy Menu 

For an easy start, you can sit down for around 20 minutes each weekend and set a weekly healthy meal plan for the following week. You can use a calendar to organize and visualize your meals. To prepare your healthy menu, keep these points in mind: 

1. Consider making recipes that include healthy meal components. An excellent place to start is with the Five Food Groups: vegetables, fruits, dairy products, grains, and proteins.

1. Vegetables: Vegetables are rich in key nutrients such as dietary fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C as well as folate. Be sure to include veggies like Spinach, Carrots, Broccoli and Garlic in your salads, stews and sauces. Popeye was strong for a reason!-
2.  Fruits: Fruits always serve as a healthy snack during your day and are an important source of fiber, minerals and vitamins. You can go to your local shop to check out a wide range of fruits, from fresh to dried fruits. They can give you that push we oh so need in the mornings as well as help you keep your tummy full.
3. Milk and Dairy Products: Milk and cheese are great options to have on standby for your meal planning seeing that they can provide you with calcium, vitamin D and protein. Milk can be used in drinks and a variety of healthy food recipes. Cheese is also a delicious addition to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 
4. Grains: For your lazy days, keep a stash of oatmeal and other whole-grain cereals in your kitchen. You can always spice up your breakfast with fresh nuts and berries. Keep a variety of rice on hand, including long-grain, short grain, basmati, and brown rice. Spaghetti, ziti, penne, and other kinds of pasta are excellent choices for a simple, satisfying family meal. Purchase whole-grain pasta or try spaghetti produced from legumes for an added nutritional boost. Aside from being high in nutrients and fiber, whole grains are remarkable in that they lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes type 2, strokes and reduce chronic inflammation.
5. Proteins: Proteins are a must since they help you build mass, strengthen your immune system and can increase your energy throughout the day. You can get protein from animal products like meat and cheese, or by combining grains and beans. Canned lentils and kidney beans are excellent choices for your source of protein. You can put them in stews, soups, salads, and many more healthy meals. Check out this middle-eastern meal called “Moudardara”. You’ll thank me later! You can also have canned tuna for a quick and healthy dinner, as they give you the protein you need. 
6. You can also stock up on great additions like oil and vinegar, herbs and spices, and seeds that give your recipe the perfectly balanced and rich taste. 

2. Dig into fun recipes you’ve always wanted to try. You can find recipes that match your cooking skills and preferences online. Even if you are starting as a beginner, there are many easy healthy recipes you can start working with. 

3. Keep dietary restrictions in mind. Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or suffer from specific allergies, you can always create a perfect meal plan that matches the family’s nutritional needs while keeping in mind your limitations. 

4. Think about the weather and themes. Maybe it’s rainy next week, or perhaps it’s your sibling’s birthday. You can plan according to how the week looks, whether it is a special soup that makes you feel cozy or innovative snacks for a special occasion. 

5. Open the fridge and check out what ingredients you already have on hand. This will give you an idea of what you really need. Plus, it’ll save you a bit of money and grocery shopping energy for later.
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6. Try to build a colorful menu, but don’t feel pressured to have something different every single day. Some days, work gets you down, and you are just too tired to cook or prepare anything, and that’s okay. While planning your menu, make space for the simple snacks and recipes that will energize you, like some oatmeal and yogurt and easy but hearty sandwiches for lunch and dinner.

Step 3: Prepare your Grocery List

Take some time to stock up on the essentials to help you get started on the menu you have set in the step prior. Keep a notebook and pen in a convenient location and add them to the list as you go through the prep. You won't have to stress about forgetting anything at the supermarket this way.

So, after setting your menu and checking your stock, add all the groceries you might need to the list. Then, check the cabinets, pantry, refrigerator, and freezer so you can check off anything that you might already have. This will help you reduce any food waste or extra costs for the week.

You can either use a cute notebook to get you going or use an application to track your grocery shopping. Some apps like “Our Groceries” and “AnyList” help you put together a great grocery list and allow multiple people to edit at the same time. Other apps  like “Target’s Cartwheel” can even show you the best deals around for certain vegetables, fruits, and other items you might need for this week's meals!

Sometimes, grocery shopping can be a great hassle. So another good tip is to think about your availability for grocery shopping during the week and planning accordingly.

Step 4: Meal Prep for Busy Days 

​As a fellow busy person, you certainly understand the importance of prepping ahead of time to save time.. Here are some easy tips to help you on those hectic days. 

• Keep it simple. Make enough during dinner time so you have  leftovers for lunches throughout the week.. From there, you can keep a nice stock of snacks and easy breakfast ideas until you find meals you like.

 

• Prepare ingredients ahead of time. If you know you want to have chicken later on in the week, you can prepare it over the weekend. You can pre-clean and cut your vegetables and fruits and keep them in the refrigerator to use on weekdays. This will save you so much time and effort. 

 

• Use the same ingredients more frequently. It’s okay to use the carrots and tomatoes for your salads and your dinner on different days of the week. Using the same ingredients more than once saves you prep time on busy days and money on your grocery bill. You can event swap ingredients in other recipes when it is easier and faster for you. 

 

• Keep a well-stocked fridge and freezer. Whenever you are free, you can buy meat,  vegetables, and frozen options to stock up so you aren’t scrambling to figure out something to make. You can also get ingredients that comprise an easy go-to meal to save time, like a rotisserie chicken 

 

• Take it easy on yourself. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and that’s okay. Your meal plan is meant to help you keep organized and see your week at a glance, not to bind you to a strict schedule — there will be days when you just don't feel like cooking, and that's fine. Being prepared allows you to get back on track the next day.

So now that you have the essential tips and tricks, you can finally plan healthy meals. This routine will turn your health planning into a beneficial habit, significantly boosting your energy and health without increasing your expenses. 
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