How did week 6’s omega-3 challenge go? We ran out of chia seeds around here, a crime against nature, I know. Anyone else waiting for the Amex Costco rewards check? I can’t wait to use it to restock on the essentials like chia seeds and chocolate chips? #balance Other than the running out of chia seeds I regularly use flax and eat a ton of seafood so I focused on remembering to take my fish oil. I think I only missed one night, so I’m calling that a win! This week is all about meal planning! Check it out!
As you know a couple of weeks ago I felt like my meal planning & prep came to a real stall. So last weekend I decided to turn things around by planning out my meals with a little more thought. I find that if I sit down to plan out the meals for the week everything else just sort of follows. Therefore I thought for week 7 it would be good practice to meal plan! I know I definitely feel better and we eat better when I do. Don’t worry about the meal prep aspect just yet if you don’t have the time, just write down what you plan to make this week. If you are already a great meal planner, look at the types of meals you are making and make sure they hit all the major buckets protein, healthy fat, veggies and optional complex carb.
SUPER EASY Meal Planning Template
You can download the template below by signing up for the HH Newsletter at the bottom of this post! Or click here.
MEAL PLANNING TIPS!
1) Start With What You Have
I almost always make a list of what I already have in the fridge first (especially protein because it’s expensive so I don’t want to double purchase and veggies that might spoil), the first thing I do is make meals from what needs to be eaten first that way nothing goes bad. So, if I still have salmon in the freezer, I find a recipe with salmon. I add the remainder of the ingredients I don’t have to the grocery list.
2) Grocery Shop One Time A Week
If I wasn’t a food blogger, I would only go to the store one time per week. Before HH, I would usually get enough fresh food for the first part of the week and rely on the freezer to help me out with the second part of the week. This minimizes the time required and the amount of food that can go bad.
3) Make Leftovers
Planning to and making enough leftovers for multiple meals is really one of the best things I do. I know some people out there have a thing with leftovers or reheating food, so that’s where I would make as many cold item leftovers, like salads, as possible.
4) Plan Easy Back Ups
I think deviations from your meal plan are fine as long as it doesn’t involve the drive through (unless planned.) Meal planning should always be flexible so that you can have healthy meals regardless of what life throws your way. I always have a few backup meals on hand for things like peanut butter and jelly, egg sandwiches, and smoothies just in case we aren’t feeling the meal I had planned or I know it’s going to be a weird night we need something easy for.
5) Think About Your Schedule
Really think about your week, when do you have time for what? Plan accordingly. If you download the meal planning template, an easy weekly meal planner comes with it. Think about your week when filling it out! For example, I would thnk about the following:
- Sundays, Mondays & Tuesdays – I have the most time so I usually cook the most complex meals those nights.
- Tuesdays – I teach a class from 5 to 8, I need a big healthy filling meal at 4:15 pm and a bar on the way home. Mr. Hungry eats a sun butter and jelly, gluten free quesadilla before basketball and something small after. So, I usually eat things he can’t eat or doesn’t like. Usually, eggs since he is sensitive to those.
- Wednesdays – up in the air depending on if I run in the morning or go to a PM track workout
- Thursdays – I’m tired, sick of cooking and out of fresh food. I make meals that mostly come from the freezer.
- Fridays – pizza night – we make homemade pizza every week
Next week is all about meal prep, so make sure you get the hang of meal planning this week! As always feel free to ask questions below or leave your tips in the comments!
52 HEALTHY HABITS IN 52 WEEKS SERIES:
The 52 Healthy Habits Series is about ditching the diet mindset and making small changes to improve health overall naturally leading to a healthy body composition, increased energy and improved health. Please follow along and check out the past weeks!
- Week 52: Healthy Habits Wrap Up
- Week 51: Nightly Reflection
- Week 50: Limit Harmful Chemicals
- Week 49: Find Your Tribe
- Week 48: Cultivating Positivity
- Week 47: Healthy Thanksgiving Tips
- Week 46: Check In
- Week 45: Mobility – Foam Rolling
- Week 44: HIIT Training
- Week 43: LISS or Steady State Cardio
- Week 42: Limit Alcohol
- Week 41: Eat White, Wait What?
- Week 40: Eat Blue & Purple
- Week 39: Eat Green
- Week 38: Eat Yellow/Orange
- Week 37: Eat Red
- Week 36: Learn Which Foods to Purchase Organic
- Week 35: Read the Ingredient List!
- Week 34: Focus.
- Week 33: Chew Your Food!
- Week 32: Meditation
- Week 31: Gratitude Journaling
- Week 30: Plan & Revamp Dessert- 20 Healthy Ideas
- Week 29: Two fistfuls of veggies per meal
- Week 28: Get In Veggies At Breakfast
- Week 27: Healthy Veggie Snacks
- Week 26: Nourishing Fats for the Gut (Healthy Digestion Part 4)
- Week 25: Keeping Regular – The Other Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 3)
- Week 24: Feed The Probiotics With Prebiotic Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 2)
- Week 23: Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics (Healthy Digestion Part 1)
- Week 22: Check In
- Week 21: What You Will Learn From Recording Your Meals (Intuitive Eating Series Part 4)
- Week 20: Eat Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu) (Intuitive Eating Series Part 3)
- Week 19: Limit Distractions While Eating (Intuitive Eating Series Part 2)
- Week 18: Gaging Your Hunger Cues (Intuitive Eating Series Part 1)
- Week 17: 10,000 Steps Per Day
- Week 16: Assess Your Caffeine Intake
- Week 15: Decrease Sugar Intake
- Week 14: Healthy Coffee Creamers (upgrade yours)
- Week 13: 3 Month Check In
- Week 12: Sleep Enough & Sleep Better
- Week 11: Schedule Your Workouts
- Week 10: Pack A Healthy Lunch (5 Ways to Create Endless Combinations)
- Week 9: Prioritizing Protein
- Week 8: How and What to Meal Prep
- Week 7: Create & Stick To Your Healthy Meal Plan
- Week 6: Get Enough Omega-3’s (Fight Inflammation)
- Week 5: What Is A Healthy Fat & How To Get Enough (Include Healthy Fats)
- Week 4: How to Spot A Healthy Carbohydrate (Upgrade Your Carbs)
- Week 3: Tips to Increase Veggie Intake (Eat Veggies)
- Week 2: 15 Healthy On the Go Breakfast Ideas (Eat BF Challenge)
- Week 1: Tips to Drink More Water
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
Our problem: a) our schedules change constantly b) Alex eats the “leftovers” the first time around c) I don’t like food to sit longer than 3 days once prepared d) I don’t like to be told what to do (even by myself) e) I get all emotional and impulsive and won’t want what I planned on.
I’m a mess. Fix me.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
That is absolutely 100% totally normal, those things happen to me and I hear that all the time! The best part of a good meal plan is that it makes life easier by being super flexible! a) have super easy back up plans b) that’s fine, see a c) freeze half of it, pull it out three days later d) give yourself options like baked chicken with veggies or stir fry chicken with similar ingredients (since the stir fry sauce would most likely come from kitchen staples) e) happens all the time, freeze what you had planned and eat what you want, or see #2 make a different option with same ingredients f) challenge yourself to stick to it, because I know you love a good challenge 🙂