Planning Meals Made Easy!

           If you are going to make one change to eat more healthy this year, it should be to prepare more meals at home. I know this may seem impossible for some of you who are thinking... "Who has the time"? But, I promise it's possible! With some simple planning you'd be amazed just how easy it can be to prepare and cook most of your meals at home!
       When you eat at home you are more likely to make healthier food choices, and since you are in charge you know what is going into your food, unlike at a restaurant. Also, by eating at home you are going to save money, and who doesn't like that!

Here are some easy planning and shopping tips that my roommates and I use every week to plan our meals......

When to plan + shop

      Find a day or night each week that you are the least busy and plan out 3 to 4 meals that you are going to make during the week and then go shopping for it all at once.

Choosing what to make

      - To get ideas take a look in your refrigerator and cabinet for ingredients you already have, then look up recipes online or in cookbooks. One great thing about most recipes these days is that they include nutrition information, so you can get an idea how healthy (or not healthy) a recipe is. Look for recipes that contain >500 calories, >30% calories from fat, and > 600mg sodium per serving.

      - Choose a variety of recipes that include different sources of protein, and ingredients to mix it up. For example choose a recipe that uses chicken, another fish, and another a vegetable protein like beans.

      -Choose a couple recipes that make enough for left overs! Left overs are great because you can have them the next day for lunch or for dinner another night that week.

      - Look for recipes that don't take too long to prepare or cook.  There are many nutritious recipes out there that take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Save the more complicated recipes for weekends when you have more time!
   

For some quick, easy and of course healthy recipes check out two of my favorite cookbooks:

Make a Shopping List

Once you find the recipes you want to cook, make a shopping list with all the ingredients you will need and then add on other foods that you need for the week. By having a list when you go grocery shopping you are more likely to choose healthier foods, avoid buying those unhealthy high priced foods and be more efficient!

Hopefully these tips and ideas will help inspire you to eat at home more often. If you have any other tips to add, please share!