What are we eating tonight Mom? No time to grocery shop or cook… Is take-out your only choice?
Ughh! Your boss handed you a rush project this morning so the only way to get out at a reasonable time is to work through lunch. Then your son calls to remind you that basketball is at 7 o’clock. Days like these are becoming much too frequent, leaving time and energy to cook dinners from scratch a thing on your “wish list”.
In a 2-career household or a single parent home, taking the time to shop and plan for healthy meals can seem like an impossible task. But if eating healthy and feeding your family nourishing food is a priority, learning how and when to plan is essential. The first step is involving family members.
- Ask them to help you pick out new healthy recipes that you will all enjoy and have them assist by writing down the ingredients for grocery shopping.
- Pick a time to shop when they can either go with you or help you unload and put away the groceries.
- Pick one day off to cook most of the meals for the week, encouraging family members to assist
- Make a master menu plan for the week for the fridge for all to see. Be flexible when family schedules change, but have a plan prepared.
On those nights when things just happen unexpectedly, have your go-to-meal ingredients always on hand. This is the healthy meal you can whip together in a few minutes with ingredients that are easy to keep stocked in fridge/freezer and/or cabinet. This will prevent high-fat, high-calorie take out food jaunts.
One of my go-to-meals is whole-wheat bean and cheese burritos. I use Ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla wraps (always in my freezer), organic low-fat refried beans, salsa, low-fat shredded cheese and a dollop of low-fat sour cream. Not only are they delicious, but very nutritious. I posted my other favorite meal on my Inspired Health blog dated May 9th. Eating healthy just takes planning. You are worth it!