It can be hard to stick with your health goals when you are hungry or busy. That’s often when we’re tempted to grab a frozen meal or pull into a drive through. However, with a little planning, healthier options can be easier to choose during busy times. Here are some benefits and tips to make meal planning easier.
Benefits of Meal Planning
- Save Money
- Base meals on what you have at home
- Check for weekly sales; use coupons
- Eat at home more often than you eat out
- Decrease impulse buying
- Less food waste
- Save Time and Reduce Stress
- Reduce trips to the store
- No more last-minute meal planning after a long day
- Higher Meal Scores
- Enter the meals you plan to make into the DayTwo app to be sure they score well
- Easier to reach your health goals when you always know the plan
Meal Planning Tips
- Plan half of the plate to be non-starchy vegetables
- Vegetables are full of nutrients that are important for our bodies. Don’t limit yourself to just salads. You could try:
- Zucchini or edamame noodles
- Mashed or riced cauliflower
- Spaghetti squash
- Roasted tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, or onions
- You may also find it easier to get your DayTwo score above an 8 when using non-starchy vegetables in meals and side dishes.
- Vegetables are full of nutrients that are important for our bodies. Don’t limit yourself to just salads. You could try:
- Cook proteins in big batches
- Cooking meat or chicken can be time-consuming. Already preparing chicken? Cook extra, then plan your other meals around it. For example:
- Chicken fajitas
- Chicken salad
- Stir-fry
- Chicken noodle soup
- Cooking meat or chicken can be time-consuming. Already preparing chicken? Cook extra, then plan your other meals around it. For example:
- Have a prep day
- Put aside 15 minutes one day a week to wash/cut fruits and veggies to make them more convenient for snacks or meals later in the week. You may want to store them with a dry paper towel to reduce the moisture and keep them fresh longer.
- Choose fruits and vegetables that need little preparation and score well.
- Some examples may include:
- Baby carrots
- Mini bell peppers
- Bagged broccoli or cauliflower
- Grapes
- Coleslaw mix
- Frozen fruit or vegetables
- Keep high-scoring meals on hand
- For those extra busy days, be sure to keep ingredients on hand that you can easily throw together to create high scoring meals, which might include:
- Tuna salad
- Omelet
- Turkey wrap
- Ham and cheese sandwich
- For those extra busy days, be sure to keep ingredients on hand that you can easily throw together to create high scoring meals, which might include: