I get it, putting together healthy meals seems daunting and too time consuming. Especially when you have a ton of other commitments.
I am a stay at home mom to 2 busy and wild boys, so I understand busy!
I had to create a quick way to put together my own healthy meals while saving myself time in the kitchen along with time planning out meals doing so.
Because let’s face it, if you don’t have an idea of the meals you will be making for the week, more likely then not, you will be choosing quick, unhealthy, and processed meals.
That’s not a fun place to be, so here is how to put together healthy meals and save time doing so.
1. Have a few different breakfast options handy
My 3 usual breakfast options are oatmeal mixed with fruit and honey, smoothies, and eggs with toast. If you need breakfast on the go you could prep overnight oats, freezer smoothie bags, and these egg muffins.
The trick here is to have a couple go to options and keep it simple
2. For lunches leftovers or sandwiches/wraps are your best friend
Leftovers are my favorite because all you need to do is heat up and go.
A few sandwich options include, tuna, egg salad, chicken salad, lunchmeat and cheese. I always pair my sandwich or wrap with veggies and dip and some sort of fruit to round out my healthy meal.
3. Know what protein you plan on eating for dinners first
Knowing your protein source makes planning dinner so much easier. Make sure to switch it up though and not just eat chicken 5 days in a row.
Here’s a sample:
Monday – Chicken
Tuesday – Ground Turkey
Wednesday – Chicken
Thursday – Ground Beef
Friday – Chicken
Saturday – Fish
Sunday – Steak
Once you know what protein you plan on eating for dinner you can then search pinterest for a recipe or keep it simple and just cook the protein and a veggie that pairs well with it separate. For example, chicken breast with broccoli.
The last step is adding in unrefined carbs and a healthy fat. My favorite unrefined carbs to add to my dinners are potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat pasta.
Some good healthy fat options could be the coconut or olive oil you use to cook your meat or vegetables with or adding nuts and seeds to your recipe.
4. Add veggies to meals
Make sure your meals always contain veggies for a well rounded healthy meal. Find new ways to cook them, eat them as sides, add them to dishes, or eat them raw with hummus.
Switch it up and don’t be afraid to experiment so you don’t get tired of your veggies.
5. Round out meals with a unrefined carb and healthy fat
Unrefined carbs help you stay full and help increase your fiber and micronutrient intakes. Both of which are important parts to a healthy meal.
Some examples are fruit, lentils, squash, barley, rolled oats, and whole grain bread.
Healthy fats helps manufacture and balance hormones, gives your body energy and provides two essential fatty acids that your body can’t make.
My favorite ways to add these to meals is eating an apple with natural peanut butter, toast with mashed avocado, adding chia seeds to oatmeal or smoothies, and eating nuts as snacks or topping them on salads
6. How much should you be eating
The main things to add to your healthy meals are protein, veggies, unrefined carbs, and healthy fats. So it’s helpful to know how much of each you should be eating.
A handy tool to use is your hand. Protein can be measured using the palm of your hand. Aim for 4-6 palm sized servings of protein per day.
Veggies can be measured using your fist. Aim for 4-6 fist sized servings per day.
Unrefined carbs can be measured with using a cupped hand. Aim for 4-6 cupped handfuls per day.
Healthy fats can be measured using your thumb. Aim for 4-6 thumb sized servings per day.
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