Plan Ahead For Success

food-prep

One of the top three excuses people have for not eating properly is that they do not have enough time. Last I checked, we all had the same 24 hours every day. I’ve wondered, on occasion, how they figure they have less time in their day than the rest of us. When it comes down to it, we all make time for the things we feel are important. If eating properly is not one of your priorities, then you won’t find the time to do it.

If eating healthy is a priority of yours and yet you still find you are crunched for time, I have some suggestions that will help you get control of your nutrition instead of letting it control you. In my own experience, I have found that preparing food for the week ahead helps me stay on track the best.

Each weekend, my kids and I gather in the kitchen to prepare food that we can grab when we are on the go. We cook up a big pot of oatmeal, cream of wheat and brown rice, each is then divided into individual serving sizes and kept in the fridge for a fast,easy and healthy breakfast. It’s as easy as  grabbing a baggie of oatmeal and warming it up. I stir in a scoop of chocolate protein powder and a tablespoon of peanut butter and  I’m good to go! You can’t get through  any drive thru that fast or inexpensive, let alone with something to eat that is actually good for you!

Another thing we do each weekend is cut up veggies for snacking  through the week. I also pre-dice any green peppers and onions I’ll need for recipes throughout the week  ahead of time. It saves so much time on the weeknights when there is homework, laundry, bills, running kids all over town, big school projects to complete and all the other things that keep us so busy all the time. Taking a block of three hours on the weekend to prepare a lot of food at one time easily saves me three times that much time throughout the week when I don’t feel like I have a second to spare.

You can even pre make things like casseroles, soups, stews and chili’s, muffins, waffles and pancakes. After you’ve made them, divide into single servings and freeze. They all freeze really well and reheat easily in the toaster, microwave or in a pan on the stove top (depending on what you’re reheating of course. Please don’t try and warm up your chili in the toaster!!!)

The sky is the limit on the  foods you can  prepare ahead of time to keep your nutrition on track through the week when time is in short supply  and you find yourself  constantly running from one thing to the next. With the time you’ll save preparing your food in advance, you could clean the house…Nah! Instead, use all that extra time to read a book or play with your kids!

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