5 Steps to a Great Week with Food

Ahhh!  What should I eat this week?  Actually, what can I eat this week?  Hmmm, nothing???

I’m sure some of you feel this way sometimes.  Oh, this food causes cancer and this ingredient is going to cause belly fat.  What the heck!  Is there anything we can eat??!  The answer is YES.  Just remember, it is all about BALANCE and don’t get too bogged down with all of the information.  There are so many different opinions, diets and information out there to keep us going mad!

How can we simplify things to stay on track and be successful in this crazy world?!?!

The good news — meal planning is going to change your life. Period. It is going to save you time, money, lower stress and keep you on track to eating healthy and living the fit life!

Here are my Top 5 Steps to a Great Week with Food:

1. Create A Plan

Let’s start this on Friday nights.  I love getting the plan ready on Friday, picking up groceries on Saturday or early Sunday and prepping on Sundays.

1. How Many meals do I need? If it is your first week of planning, start with dinners for the week and work up to all meals.  Double check your calendar for the week and subtract any nights you are out with friends or have some sort of social event.
2. Do I need certain type of meals? When you are looking at your weekly plan check out what you have going on.  Are you hopping from work to kids soccer? Or do you have the gym after work that night?  If so, maybe plan for a crockpot meal that night or make sure this night is all prepped in advance for a grab and go.
3. What do you want to eat? Sometimes this is my favourite part.  Browsing recipes and trying new things. 🙂  This isn’t for everyone so determine if you want to be creative or if you want to be simple and go with the basics.
4. Get writing and create the plan! This may be scary the first time.  But it gets easier and easier each time.  AND – there is nothing wrong with using the same plan for multiple weeks. Do what you gotta do!

Write down your plan for: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch & Dinner

2. Get Prepared

Once you have a plan – we now need to get the groceries!

1. Write your grocery list.  Dive deep into your meal plan and determine everything you need to purchase.  Want to make your shopping easier?  Buy online and pick up/deliver or make sure your list is grouped by departments:
   • • Produce
     • Bread & Baked Goods
     • Other
     • Milk & Dairy
     • Meat
     • Frozen
2. Now do some Prep! It’s Sunday and it is time to get ready for a great week! 🙂 Set aside 1 to 3 hours to get yourself ready.  If you have one hour available, make use of this time by chopping and getting everything ready to be cooked.  If you have three hours available, chop and cook/package as many meals as you can.  The more you have prepared and ready to go, the more successful you will be.  Start with breakfast and lunch and build up to all meals from there.  Reminder – this will change your life and worth the crazy idea and struggle at first. You will get more efficient and learn to love the process. 😉

3. Daily Intention

Don’t forget to remind yourself why you want to eat healthy.  What is driving you to do this? Is it for yourself, your family or maybe both?  What are the positive benefits?

1. Define your intention and goals and stick it on your mirror in your washroom.  Remind yourself each morning and set yourself up for a great day!
2. Mediation is also a great idea for support.  There are some great guides to help connect you to your body and how you wish to fuel it.

4. Be Consistent

The more habits we can create the more successful we will be short term and definitely in the long term.  If you can, try to eat at the same time each day.  This will help you to either EAT or to not OVEREAT. Set an alarm on that smartphone of yours if need be. Set a schedule and stick with it

5. Reward Yourself

And finally, my favourite step!  I mentioned BALANCE up above and this will be crucial for your success. You need to enjoy life and also remember that life happens.  There will be events, there will be treats and that is OK.  If you have a great week, reward yourself with something you enjoy.  If you like chips, eat chips.  If you like ice cream, eat ice cream.  And don’t worry because you will be prepared and ready to take on another healthy week!

You now have a 5 Step Plan to get you rocking your weeks!  Enjoy the process and remember that all good things and habits take time.  This habit is no different. 🙂