Meal Planning Tips & Tricks

Beautiful fall is here! This also means that we may become busier with weekday routines such as school, work, and sports. But don’t let your healthy habits fall out of place just because our planner lines run out of space! Cooking at home each day can be challenging in our busy day-to-day lives, so this is why setting aside a couple of hours, 1 or 2 times a week to prepare meals & snacks at home can set you up for success to have nutritious food ready to eat. There is no right or wrong way to meal prep, find a routine that works well for you. MOST importantly… Have FUN! Enjoy your time in the kitchen, turn on some background music, cook with family or friends, and pour yourself a refreshing beverage! Trust me, you’ll be thanking yourself when you have a day of healthy food available that is going to save you time, money, and stress (not to mention you won’t be turning to fast food).

Before you begin, have enough storage containers such as BPA-free Tupperware (even better glass/stainless steal), mason jars, and glass bottles. Keep your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards tidy and free of unhealthy processed, packaged foods! PLAN out what meals and recipes you want to make- that way when you go to the grocery store you know exactly what ingredients to need to shop for.

Plan & Prep day – Sunday’s and Wednesday’s are usually preferred days for most. You can also get your weekly grocery store trip done on one of these days!

Choose how you would like to assemble. Some like to meal plan and portion out each dish and snacks into separate containers for the week from the get go. For myself, I like to make 5 big containers filled with different food options. I have my one favourite stainless steal lunch container, and before I head out the door for the day, I scoop out of each dish to create a delicious medley for lunch. I grab a piece of fruit, a bag of trail mix, and leave my house knowing I will be content and fuelled for the day from homemade healthy wholefoods.

Eat a Rainbow. Wash, chop & prepare raw colourful veggies and fruit! Look for what’s in season & local. If vegetables such as carrots, celery, cucumber, radishes, bell peppers, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower are ready-to-eat, you will be more inclined to snack on them! Have some hummus (or other bean dips), guacamole, pesto’s, salsas, etc. to dip them in. Keep your crisper or fruit bowl stocked with washed and ready to eat fruits such as apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, nectarines, plums, apricots, bananas, etc. Other fruits, such as pineapple or melons, can be cut into bit size pieces all at once and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Snacking: clean eating style! These can be simple one-ingredient snacks such as a handful of raw nuts or seeds, dried fruit, hardboiled eggs, avocado, or fresh veggies and fruit. Some of my favourite snacks are apple slices with almond butter or dates with pumpkin seed butter, carrots and hummus, superfood trail mix, roasted seaweed, kale chips, nutritional yeast & turmeric popcorn, homemade granola bars, green smoothies, and plain yogurt parfaits with cinnamon, berries, and seeds.

Salad Greens & Dressings. Wash & tear the entire head of lettuce or other leafy greens all at once and store in crisper. Make a large amount of homemade salad dressing and keep it in a glass bottle in the refrigerator (this is where my 500ml Juicery Co bottle with lid comes in handy!).

Make a whole grain salad & roasted yams, squashes, potatoes, or root vegetables for a yummy side. My healthy oil of choice for high heat cooking is coconut oil, I also like to season with spices, dried herbs, sea salt, and pepper. Whole grain salads should keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (just keep the leafy greens and dressing separate to avoid it going soggy).

Plan your Protein. Choose Wild/Organic/Free Range/Grass-Fed Animal Proteins. If you are an omnivore: use fish/seafood in the beginning of the week. Buy the whole bird to have the meat, and then use the bones to make bone broth for a soup base. Boil a couple of eggs or make meatballs. If you are a vegetarian/vegan or eating a plant-based diet: soak a large batch of beans the night prior to your meal prep day (For example, soak on Saturday night if Sunday is your meal prep day). Separate the cooked beans into even amounts, and freeze in individual packages (about 3 cups in each). It is super convenient to quickly unthaw a bag of prepared-at-home beans (not canned), which you can then toss into a stew make lentil or black bean patties, or a bean/legume salad.

Don’t skip breakfast! How do you expect your body to run smoothly on an empty fuel tank?! Nourish your body with a healthy, balanced meal first thing. Include quality protein and fat such as nut butters, seeds, avocados, and eggs, which are going to keep you feeling full. Have complex carbohydrates that will keep your blood sugar balanced and avoid energy lulls. Try whole grains such as oats, quinoa, or starchy vegetables. For example, make a savory breakfast with quinoa, poached eggs, garlicy sautéed greens, and half an avocado. Or a hot bowl of cinnamon oatmeal topped with berries and sunflower seed butter. Tight for time in the AM? Try some of these make-ahead ideas so you can grab it and go: blend smoothies the night prior (reuse your Juicery Co. glass bottle for this!), bake mini vegetable frittata’s, homemade muffins with hidden ingredients such as zucchini, or chia seed pudding and overnight oats.

Pack the perfect salad in a jar for lunch. Salads in a big mason jar are a great way to pack a salad for lunch because everything stays separated until your ready to shake it up. All you need to remember is keep the dressing at the bottom and leafy greens on top to avoid them from wilting. Let your taste bud imagination fly to fill the “in between” with healthy wholefood ingredients. These will keep in the fridge for several days so make a batch.

Utilize your dinner leftovers! When you make soups, stews, or curries double the recipe and freeze half for a later date. Pack leftovers for the next day’s lunch, or save it for tomorrow nights dinner.

Happy Meal Prepping!
Lauren Paton, Budding Nutritionist