You’re super busy. You want to prepare healthy meals for you and your family, but eating well seems to be a luxury that you just can’t afford, right?
Nope! Actually, eating healthy is a choice, not something that only people with infinite time are able to do.
Because guess what? No one has infinite time! Everyone gets 24 hours in a day.
I compiled 7 speedy tips that will help you make the most out of your 24 hours and get you on the path to eating healthier, feeling better, and having more energy.
1) Pair meal prep with something you’re already doing.
Chop veggies while you watch your favorite show. Pack your week’s lunches while you listen to a podcast or chat with a loved one on the phone. Make your time do double duty!
2) Schedule it.
If it’s not on your schedule, it doesn’t get done, right? Well then pencil in meal prep as if it’s an appointment on your calendar. And then stick to it!
3) Hire someone.
There’s a ton of meal prep services, errand services, and assistant services popping up all over the country. Have someone prep or cook your meal for you.
Do you have a nanny? Ask her if she’d be willing to prep a few items for you before you get home.
Or check out one of those meal delivery services such as Hello Fresh. I’ve not tried them yet, but I have a friend who orders 2-3 meals a week and loves it.
4) Involve the kiddos.
It’s certainly cheaper than hiring someone (see #3 above)! If the weekend is normally reserved for family time, take an hour with the kids to prep meals for the upcoming week. Like in #1 above, make your time do double duty!
Give them choices and ask them to create the dinner schedule for the week.
Then ask them to wash, chop, stir, measure, set the timer, put the food into the oven, etc.
This is great for building healthy habits and they’ll be more invested in those healthy meals if they helped prepare them.
Studies show that kids eat more of the meal when they’ve had a hand in preparing it – even if it includes broccoli!
5) Give up something else.
I’m not talking about playing with your kids or going to work – that’d be silly! I’m talking about those things that you don’t necessarily need to do to survive.
How much time do you REALLY spend on Instagram or Facebook? How much time do you spend playing video games or watching reruns of tv shows you’ve already seen?
Try switching that time out for meal prep instead.
6) Track your time.
Take the next 3 days, or even a week, and track where every minute of each day goes. Carry around a little pad of paper and jot down what you do and how long it takes.
What do you do all day? What do you spend your time on?
Review your notes and find those pockets of time where you can fit in 30 minutes of meal prep here and there.
7) Make it as enjoyable as possible.
What if you just don’t want to meal prep? Put your favorite essential oils into a diffuser or light a candle, turn on your favorite music, wear your most comfy sweatpants, and chop away!
Adding your favorite smells, sounds, and comfy clothes can really go a long way to help you enjoy meal prepping. I’ve been jamming out to Queen lately…
And that’s it! Told you it would be quick. Hope these help you!
Which one or ones are you going to try? Let me know in the comments below!
If you want to eat better but don’t know where to start, and would love some one-on-one nutritional coaching from yours truly, click here.