THE POWER OF FOOD: MEAL PLANNING PT. 1
Last weeks’ POWER OF FOOD post gave an overview on the importance of
eating a rainbow of colors everyday. From the luscious reds of sweet summer
cherries, sunshine specked summer squash, and the midnight hue of plump
eggplants and plums; coloring up your plate makes food more enticing and
nutritious. Now that you have an idea as to what foods to incorporate, knowing
how to put those ingredients together, purchase, and then prepare (all while
sticking to a budget + tight schedule) can seem tedious and overwhelming. Fret not my friends, as this week I will
cover some key tips and tricks to keep you sane and satiated through the power
of the MEAL PLAN!
MEANDERING THE MEAL PLAN:
The
meal plan/food “prep” craze is rampant on social media and app’s such as
Pinterest and Instagram, where people post pictures of their neatly organized
and packaged meals for the week. From chicken and broccoli steamers to Chinese
vegetable stir-fries, the pictures look enticing but the workload can seem a
bit much. The concept of meal planning is basically taking an inventory of what
ingredients, tools/equipment you have at home, factoring in time and budget
constraints, and incorporating personal wants/needs to generate daily “menu’s”
that can run the gamut of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, or just one
of the above, for the entire week.
When
done in a strategic manner, meal planning can take a lot of stress and
last-minute trips to the store off your plate (no pun intended,) giving you
more time to focus on the important things, like being home with your family or
taking care of other responsibilities. Meal planning can also decrease the likelihood
for convenience meal pit stops, which are quite common when you are driving
home from a long day at work and know there is nothing in the kitchen to eat.
CREATING A STRATEGY:
One
can spend hours online searching for the “best” meal planning website/service
or program, but if you simply put a little extra time and effort aside one to two
days per week in your downtime, then meal planning can truly benefit both your
health and budget! Breaking down the process into steps will allow most people
to attack the task at hand, prepared and ready for positive changes, without
having to sacrifice a ton of time and energy. Follow the steps below for some
of the best ways to incorporate meal planning into your week.
STEP #1: ASSESS YOUR NEEDS & RESOURCES
Whether or not you love to cook, we all have
to eat to survive and thus food purchasing/ preparing is an inevitable part of
our daily lives. While it is easy to want to cook recipes that require 50
ingredients and 10 kitchen tools because they sound/look delicious, being
realistic when it comes to planning your meals is key. FIRST, survey your
kitchen and do a full inventory “sweep” of your cabinets, refrigerator, and
freezer. What ingredients do you have on hand, what staples are a constant in
your kitchen, what perishables need to be used up?
Doing a full inventory sweep week in and
week out may not be necessary for dry-goods and pantry items, however, for
perishables it is essential so that you are not throwing money away with each
rotten bag of lettuce, or expired bottle of almond milk. Make a list of these
items, whether it is physical or mental, so that you know what you have to work
with from the start. Then, look at the time you can give to the
shopping/prep-work of the ingredients each week, and lastly look at the budget
you would like to stick to.
◼ TAKE
INVENTORY: Dig deep into
your pantry, cabinets, refrigerator and freezer to see what ingredients you’ve
already got on hand so that you don’t needlessly spend money, nor waste
soon-to-expire perishables.
◼ KNOW
THY KITCHEN: Gorgeous food
photos and delectable descriptions can make recipes you want to try seem too
good to be true, but if you don’t have the equipment, nor space, then skip onto
another recipe.
◼ STICK
TO TIME & BUDGET: One
of the benefits of meal plan/prep is that you can save money and time, so be
sure you are cognizant of how much money you want to spend each week and how
much time you have to give to the process.
STEP
#2: SURVEYING SALES & REVIEWING RECIPES
We’ve all got our go-to grocery store or
market that is where we find ourselves doing the bulk of our grocery shopping
each week. Be sure to sign up for any rewards card programs the store offers,
as well as opt for weekly sale-flyer emails or snail-mail so that you are in
the loop with up-coming sales and promotions. Perusing the sales flyer can also
give you some ideas on eating local and seasonal food, as many of these items
are promoted during their peak seasons- a win for your wallet and wellness! Try
to avoid sales that require you to buy in bulk (common with processed foods) as
these often are filled with iffy-ingredients and excess can lead to food-waste.
Once you review sales ad’s, you can
take into account any recipes you’ve been eyeing up, or dishes you or your
family have been requesting. Most of us also have common meal themes or
ingredients that make their marks each and every week. Whether it is roasted
chicken, pasta, or baked fish, knowing your homes’ “staple” meals/ingredients
can also help you come up with a shopping list that incorporates all of your
needs, while including new-to-you items that are on sale.
◼ SIGN
UP FOR REWARDS & SALES:
Most grocery stores have rewards programs and offer an array of options for
receiving weekly sales ads. Sign up so you can become an informed consumer, and
are better prepared when you make your trip to the store.
◼ SURVEY
THE STANDARDS: Chicken
dinners can be winners, and many households have 5-7 rotating dishes that are commonplace
at the dinner table every week. Knowing the family’s favorite staple
ingredients can make the recipe development/search a bit more interesting so
that you don’t grow tired of the same old same dish every single week.
◼ ADDRESS
YOUR WANTS/NEEDS: Have a recipe you’ve been eyeing up, or a
diet-plan you are following? Know your wants/needs prior to writing down a list
so that you can ensure you are sticking to your goals. To make the prep-work
process easier, try sticking to daily themes, such as having a pasta night,
chicken night, meatless meal, salad night, etc.
STEP #3: MAKE THE LIST & SHOP
Once you’ve assessed your kitchen resources
and time and budget constraints, plus factored in the wants/needs of you and
your family, you are ready to make that grocery list and go shopping. There are
tons of grocery list templates available for purchase online, but at True
Wellness our Culinary Nutritionist has come up with her very own. Want to get
your your hands on copy? Simply email her at Genevieve@biologicalhealth.com
STEP #4: GET PREPPED & READY
Once you’ve done your grocery shopping, it’s
easy to want to come home and put it all away without thinking about the
ingredients again until you come home from work the next night. This is where
food waste runs rampant, as many of us tend to tuck away ingredients each week
that we often forget about, Taking ingredients like fruits and veggies out of
their packaging and cutting them up will make the process of cooking that much
easier (most of the prep-work will be done) AND you are less apt to waste food
or depend on convenience foods.
◼ SLICE
& STORE: Avoid dumping
whole vegetables into your crisper drawer. Instead, take a few minutes to slice
or dice those ingredients and store them in clear glass containers so that you
are more apt to see and use them throughout the week.
◼ JOT
IT DOWN: Write down the
weekly menu somewhere everyone in the house can see. This way, everyone is on
the same page and things that need to be thawed, such as proteins or frozen
grains/veggies, can be appropriately handled.
STEP #5: MOVING ALONG
WITH MEAL TEMPLATES:
While
you’ve got the core pieces to making meal planning successful, the job of
actually cooking and or creating recipes can still act as a major road-block
for many. That is why I am breaking this concept into TWO separate posts, where
next week I will offer some ideas as to how you can create excitement with your
foods through the power of theme-nights and meal templates. Next weeks post,
paired with the steps above, will round out your shopping tool-belts so you can
begin implementing these concepts into your weekly shopping trips!
Want to learn
more about the benefits of basil? The powers of cauliflower? The astounding
impact of avocado’s? Join me in one (or all) of my culinary nutrition
workshops, every Wednesday from 6-7:15! See August’s line-up below, and be sure
to snag your spot, as space is limited!
UPCOMING TRUE KITCHEN COOKING CLASSES
FOOD AS MEDICINE: Feeding the Soil
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30th
6:00-7:15PM
$20.00
What
you put into the body has a direct effect on what you get out. Feed yourself
poison, and poisoned you will become. While a complete dietary overhaul may be
necessary for some, a few simple additions and smart-swaps can put one’s feet
back on the right path towards healing. In this class, Genevieve will highlight
the importance of eating REAL food, emphasizing all things COLORFUL, vibrant,
and health promoting while whipping up several easy recipes utilizing the
seasons finest!
·
Cost of classes includes colorful informative
handout, all of the recipes prepared in the class, and of course a tasty plate
of the food she whips up!
TO REGISTER:
EMAIL: info@biologicalhealth.com
PHONE: 267-308-0777
*Stay tuned for
Septembers classes focusing on stress and adrenal health!
Genevieve – “G”
Certified Plant Based Nutritionist | CHHC|
Culinary Nutritionist
True Wellness Biological Health
No comments:
Post a Comment