The Ugly Truth About Healthy Eating

Okay, so I don’t always have Sunday afternoons to meal prep for the week ahead and it kinda throws my health game a curveball.  This weekend we took the kiddos to Atlanta for a Mets game (that got rained out, btw) and didn’t get back until Sunday night.  This is it, the situation I dread… I am not as prepared going into the week as I’d like and feel like I may struggle to stay on track.  Meal prepping is amazing when I have time to do it, but it takes a little effort and time.  Sometimes we go out of town, like this weekend, or sometimes something spontaneous happens on a Sunday and I want to enjoy it with my family.

Here are some tips that I have for staying on track, even when you can’t take time to plan the week ahead on Sunday:

•  Have stuff in the freezer at all times to back you up
  • Frozen chicken breast in bags of 3-4 can be popped into the crock pot with a cup of water or broth on low in the morning and by the evening, it’s easily shredded.  I put a little BBQ seasoning in and make a Pulled Chicken, giving the kiddos bread or mac and cheese with it and using a bag salad mix
  • Trader Joes makes a frozen Roasted Vegetable Lasagna that is pretty good!  I paired with a bag salad the day my son got his tubes in and boom, dinner.
  • I ALWAYS have chicken nuggets at the ready for the kids
  • Frozen Talapia can be cooked in minutes in the frying pan.  I pop some coconut oil in the bottom of a medium-high fry pan, sprinkle blackening seasoning on each side of the frozen fish and cover, cooking on one side for 3 minutes, then flipping and covering until it’s flaky… maybe another 2-3 minutes.  I put this on top of my Marinated Feta Coleslaw if I have time to make it ahead
  • I buy ground turkey/chicken in bulk when it’s on sale and freeze it in 1 LB. bags.  You can make tacos/nachos super easy by thawing the meat in the microwave just a little before cooking in the fry pan.  Check out my recipe for Taco Seasonings without all the added sugar as the store bought stuff!

• Make your meal plan with what you have on hand in mind
  • I have a list of tried and true recipes my family likes that are EASY!  I don’t have much down time with my job, two kids, a hubby who travels for work and any extra-curricular activities.  I need dinner to be done quickly and my list of go-to recipes helps me every week
  • Because I have a ton in the freezer, I can make a quick plan for dinners so at least I have an idea of what is going to happen day to day.  Even if I switch things around or change things up, it makes me feel more in control when I have an outline
  • If you are missing one ingredient, it’s easier to stop and grab that one thing than it is to do a whole grocery shopping trip!  For example: I stopped for bag salad and the frozen Vegetable Lasagna from Trader Joes.  I got an extra bag salad for my Wednesday Night dinner of pulled chicken.

• Have healthy lunch box items that are grab and go
  • For the Kids:
    • I try to always have Cliff Bars, yogurt squeezers, string cheese with wheat thins, boxes of raisins, and granola bars on hand for those mornings I forget to make lunches and have to throw things together
    • Hormel makes lunchbox grab and go packs that are made with decent ingredients.  The kids love them and they are super easy to pop into the lunchbox for some protein!
  • For the Adults:
    • Cans of tuna on top of bagged lettuce with some garlic hummus thinned out with a little water to make it the consistency of salad dressing is super easy!  Top with any veggies you have on hand.
    • I keep Boca Chkn Patties on hand in the freezer in case I need protein lunches.  Pair with sprouted grain wraps for quick crispy “chicken” wrap.  Throw a pickle on that and I am in heaven!
    • I always have a carton of egg whites and a bottle of salsa in the pantry.  mix those two together to make salsa scrambled eggs for a quick, protein-filled lunch.  If you have feta or goat cheese on hand, mix that with the salsa eggs after you take them off the heat to melt the cheese a little.

The moral of my tale is try to have your freezer/pantry stocked with items you can make your easiest meals with… that way you are prepared in the cases of a crazy, spontaneous weekend!  Don’t miss out on life just because you have goals, you can totally do both by stockpiling your go-to ingredients.

What are your favorite tips for staying on track on busy weeks when there is no time to meal prep?