Meal planning is a great tool for eating healthy. By planning your week (or even month) menu, you will be less apt to run through the drive through or grab a food choice that is quick and convenient. Those quick choices are usually higher in fat, calories, carbs, and sodium, thus making them a not so ideal option for you. Meal planning is one of my goals for this year as I was falling into a bad habit of getting home from work, not having anything ready or prepared and then scrambling to make something quick. Since the new year, I have made an effort to sit down for a few minutes every weekend to look at my schedule and see what the week ahead will bring. I then take a look at some of my cookbooks and decide a few options for the week. Batch cooking is another tool that works well with meal planning. An example of this is baking a couple chicken breasts or browning a pound or two of hamburger and using that in a few different dishes throughout the week. Meal planning will not only result in healthier eating, it will result in less stress as you won’t be scrambling to figure out what to make! Give it a try!
-Kelsey