It’s the end of the day and you’re tired and ready to relax on the couch, but you must first cook yourself supper….a daunting task at times. You’re not sure what to make and you really don’t feel like putting a whole lot of effort or time into it, so you settle for a frozen meal, boxed dinner, or calling in pizza. Sound familiar? I too have felt this way and it’s a terrible feeling! You know you need to make healthy choices, but you lack the energy to do carry them out so you resort to an unhealthy, quick and convenient type of food. On the days I am in the clinic, I typically get home around 7:15-7:30pm as I work till 7. The last thing I feel like doing is spending hours in the kitchen working on a meal. To help me make better choices and save on time, I have turned to meal planning and batch cooking. On a weekend day that I have a little bit of time, I look at my schedule for the next week and figure out a basic plan of what I’m going to make or have prepared based on the schedule. On the days I have a little more time for making supper, I choose a meal that may involve a little more prep time. On the days I am short on time, I choose a quicker meal. I then make sure I have everything needed to make those meals and that always includes the basics meal planning step of ensuring I have a fruit, vegetable, whole grain, and lean protein. I like to use frozen veggies as they are something I can always have on hand and the steamer bags are easy to pop in the microwave and cook up in a few minutes. You will want to take your meat out of the freezer to un-thaw (in the fridge!) and you may even consider doing some prep work if you can.
To help you understand how this is put into action, I will give you some examples. This weekend, I decided I was going to have spaghetti and salad one night, chicken noodle soup and grilled paninis one night, and another night chicken tacos. I took the lean hamburger out to thaw for the spaghetti and made sure I had salad on hand. I made a batch of chicken noodle soup so that it’s all ready to eat when we are ready and I slow cooked a few chicken breasts in the crockpot so they were ready for the tacos. When it comes to supper time this week, I am ready! I have everything prepped and on hand now to make meal time enjoyable and healthy. Some other options for batch cooking are to brown up 2lbs of lean hamburger and use them in several recipes over the course of the week: tacos, chili, spaghetti, etc. You can also do this with chicken. Another favorite of mine is pork loin or roast. Slow cook it on the weekend and then it’s ready to go to make into soups, have with some potatoes and green beans, make into sandwiches and add a salad or soup to it, etc. Make sure you incorporate your fruit and veggies with your meals!
It may take some getting used to, but if you haven’t already, I encourage you to batch cook and meal plan. You will be amazed by how much easier and enjoyable supper time is!
-Kelsey
