Springtime abounds with extra things to do, places to go, and plans to make which in addition to making life fun and exciting can increase stressful feelings about time (or lack of it) and exhaustion from the necessity of packing too much in day after day. Compounding this scenario is an unraveling of organized routines because we are simply too busy to keep up with maintaining the details that routine requires. I see it all over my life: piles of mail and laundry stacking up, response emails growing into a lengthy queue, to-do list items being transferred from one list to the next instead of being completed. Uggh!
The backlash of springtime hustle and bustle can also negatively impact how we are feeding ourselves and our family. Trying to figure out what to cook for dinner at 5pm or 6am often puts people in line for the drive-thru or ordering carry out pizza or pasta. These calorie rich low nutrient density meals, which appear to be convenient, are really undermining our success at keeping up with the spring schedule and enjoying the events we are participating in. High carbohydrate foods are abundant in sugar, salt and fat which can sabotage our mood, cause fatigue and cravings for more low nutrient density (fattening!) food, and are disruptive to getting proper sleep. Collectively these symptoms diminish our sense of happiness, gratitude and enjoyment for the people and opportunities we participate in.
A simple strategic way to help stay on track with the demands of your schedule is to meal plan. Designing a 5 day meal plan will alleviate stress and it can give you an advantage to promote healthy choices and behavior. Choosing to meal plan and cook at home is one of the most powerful ways you can care for, love and enjoy yourself and your family.
5 Tips to Meal Plan
- Coordinate recipes that allow you to repurpose them into several meals.
- Choose 2 dinner meals and double the recipes for lunch leftovers for 2-3 days during the week.
- Take 15 or 30 minutes on Sunday morning or evening and look through a cookbook or on-line for recipes.
- Example: Roast 2 whole organic chickens using spices (Szechuan, curry, all-purpose) and fresh citrus, roast a large tray of herb and coconut oil rubbed vegetables (onion, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli…) Meals: roasted chicken and veggies, seasoned chicken with sautéed rice noodles and veggies, roasted chicken salad with veggies, shred the chicken for tacos, cold chicken sandwiches
- Make your shopping list out while you make your meal plan so you can write down all the ingredients you need and only have to grocery shop once.
- Sign-up for a weekly Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) farm box. Having vegetables delivered every week encourages cooking S.O.U.L. food (seasonal, organic, unprocessed local) that nourish, protect and regenerate health. A rainbow assortment of vegetables lined up in your refrigerator makes eating vegetables easy which is a true convenience.
Schedule a Free Consultation today to discuss your motivation for improving health, dietary choices and meal planning for your yourself and/or your family, and to determine whether or not my programs and consulting services are right for you.
