Quick HEALTHY meal tips!
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Life is busy! Between work, family, friends, and the occasional melt-down, cooking is usually at the bottom of the totem pole! It becomes so easy to fall into the snares that convenience provides: fast food, savory comfort foods, or sugary snacks. It all looks so enticing after a long day and you are tired and the family is on the verge of a hunger uprising! But stop, take a deep breath, and take comfort in knowing that things are about to get easier!
Preparation is crucial to any plan of action. You need a game plan that will equip you with strategic ways to cook smarter, make the most of your time, and ensure that the meals that you prepare are not only healthy, but a delicious time of fellowship that the entire family will enjoy!
Here are a few key guidelines to help!
- Each week, choose one day to come up with your meals for that week. Have fun with it! Choose a theme or a region of the world to gather inspiration. Get input from your family. Don’t be afraid to try something new!
- Take a shopping list with you to the grocery store! Shopping for groceries can be frustrating, not to mention overwhelming and tiresome! Have a plan of attack and stick to it! A shopping list with all of the ingredients you’ll need for your culinary adventure will help you stay on track.
- Shop for fresh ingredients! Try to avoid boxed, canned, or pre-packaged ingredients! Bottom line: if it can sit on a shelf for several weeks, it is doing the same thing in your body!
- Buy in bulk! Most of the time, it’s cheaper to buy in bigger quantities! Perishable foods such as vegetables can be chopped and stored in freezer bags! It makes life so much easier when the chopping is already done!
- Remember that practice makes perfect! Preparation and organization does NOT come naturally for everyone, but don’t get frustrated! Keep trying, and eventually it’ll be a walk in the park! The most important thing to remember is the reasons why you have decided to make this life-style change: You can only be the best you for your family and friends if you are AROUND and healthy!
Now that you have a game plan, it’s time to put it into action! Find recipes that are healthy, filling, and easy to add to your repertoire, and make magic happen! There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal shared among family! Here are a few tasty recipes from Cooking Light: fresh food fast weeknight meals to get you started! Happy, healthy feasting!