Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping: Keep it simple and plan ahead
We’re all looking for someone to tell us what to eat, when, and how much. But we all have the tools we need to do it on our own. It just takes a small amount of effort! If you’ve been health conscious for any amount of time, you probably have a pretty good idea of what is not good to eat. 
You probably know that bringing a lunch from home is healthier than eating out/driving through about 100% of the time. And you probably know that cooking dinner for you and your family is typically going to be healthier than eating out or ordering take out. (not to mention CHEAPER!) What you probably struggle with is the prep, the planning, and the grocery shopping. Hopefully this short article will help!
Step 1: Keep it simple (especially to start)
Don’t try any new crazy recipes that you’ve never made. Stick to things you know you like and that you know how to make. After a couple weeks of developing a good habit of shopping and prepping, you can branch out.
Step 2: MAKE A GROCERY LIST. For goodness sake, make a list.
What are your favorite things to eat for each meal? Keep it simple to 1-2 options for each meal. Do you want any snacks between meals? Nuts, bars, string cheese? Write it all down, then make your list. Don’t leave room for the excuse of “not having anything to eat” so you go out. Not only will this make decision making easier, it will get you in and out of the grocery store faster than you ever have before! Also, less wasted food at the end of the week.
**Say no to impulse purchases. Will power is easier to control in the grocery store than it is when you have the foods in your pantry or fridge!
Step 3: Prep
Yes, you have to do a little bit of pre-week prep on the weekend. If you have time during the week, that’s great! Be sure plan that time into your schedule just like any other meeting or workout that you schedule. If you’ve written out your week plan, then most of the work is done. Cook your proteins, boil a few eggs, make your salads, and any other things you won’t have time for each day. This can take anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on how SIMPLE you kept it steps 1 and 2.
Don’t overcomplicate it. Find things you like to eat, and eat them! We’ve got some healthy recipes that are all pretty simple to make. Check em out, and always ask me if you have any questions!
Sharon Cole – CPT | Yoga Instructor
