Think about your typical week. Most likely, you can predict what days you will be working late, driving the kids to activities, or simply too exhausted to cook. In fact, your typical day may include waking up at 5 am, getting the kids ready for school, a full day of work, picking up the kids to take them to practice, then getting home after dark. After a day like this, the last thing you want to do is prepare a meal for dinner. If you look at the days that you tend to eat out or order in the most, you can start to sense a pattern in your own eating habits. Your busiest days are the days where you are most likely to forget about your healthy eating plan because you didn't have stuff prepared ahead of time. This is where planning ahead becomes essential. Planning your meals ahead will help you stay on track even on your busiest days.
We recommend prepping at least three staples to use for the week. Many people find success meal prepping their whole week on the prior weekend. This ensures that there are no excuses for those challenging days. Then, you can also look at exceptions. Maybe you have a day where you will be on the road from 6 am to 6 pm. You can pack snacks and foods that are easy to eat while on the road.Look for your common setbacks, and plan for those.
When planning ahead, ask yourself:
- When do you usually go out to eat?
- Why do you go out to eat?
- Is it because you don't have food?
- Do you want to socialize?
Whatever the reason for your setbacks, plan for that.
In order to get you started, here are two of our most popular recipes for planing ahead:
Don't let a busy day throw you off track.