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Sara

How to Make Healthy Eating Easier!

I hear it all the time, "I am too busy to eat healthy" "the kids have dance and soccer after school tonight, we won't get home until late". You know what - I believe that is just an excuse! Healthy eating needs to be made a priority if you want to accomplish it. There are so many convenience foods in the grocery store that are extremely unhealthy and should never be put into a human - those foods should not even be considered foods! In reality, some are not even labeled as foods, think about those gross plastic cheese slices. The package doesn't even call them foods, they are a "cheese product". If you have ever taken the time to read a label on a box of processed food, there is a good chance many of the ingredients cannot even be pronounced - do you want this in your body or even more importantly in the bodies of kids? We are not meant to eat those "foods", our bodies cannot handle these man-made ingredients. Below are some tips on how to eat healthy, conveniently. There is no excuse!





Prep your vegetables right after you get them from the grocery store (or as soon as you can). Chop carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, cucumbers, peppers, etc and put them into containers in the fridge. They will be ready for lunches, snacks, and even dinners. No chopping required which will make dinner prep go so much quicker!


Use your slow cooker! I know how it is when your evenings are busy and you are running from one thing to the next. First, decide as a family if maybe you are involved in too much, your sanity is much more important than joining one more group or sport! There are so many great slow cooker recipes that are tasty and satisfying. All it is takes is a few minutes in the morning to add the ingredients to the slow cooker and it cooks all day. A warm and healthy meal is waiting for you at home. Check out my slow cooker fajita recipe, I will be adding more slow cooker recipes so check back often.


Eat less meat. Preparing recipes with meat take much longer than those with beans and vegetables. A great recipe is just beans and rice topped with lettuce, cheese, 🥑 and whatever else sounds good to you. Another quick recipe is throw about 2-3 cups of whatever vegetables you have on hand into a skillet and sauté for 10 minutes. Add cooked whole grain pasta and serve with shredded parmesan cheese. You can add canned beans for extra protein. Easy!


If you do like to eat mean, prepare the meat on the weekend or whenever it is convenient for you. Store it in the fridge or freezer and take out when needed to add to recipes. This will save you time when you are busy because the meat is already cooked! If you use a lot of ground meat, prepare it in big batches ahead of time and pull it out when needed to throw into a recipe.


Some people swear by freezer meals. They prepare as many meals as they can on a free day and store them in the freezer to be pulled out on a busy night. If this appeals to you, you can use your favorite recipes and store them in the fridge tightly covered. Just remember to add extra baking time if it is frozen.


A quick an easy salad can be a meal! Buy pre-washed lettuce such as baby greens, spinach, romaine and kale, serve it with some of your precooked meat (if desired), add nuts, some of your already cut veggies from the fridge and make a homemade salad dressing. Check out my Balsamic Vinaigrette, it is tasty and only takes about 2 minutes to whip up! Serve the salad with some crusty sourdough bread and you will be set in no time.


Breakfast can be a very busy time when thinking about healthy eating is usually on the back burner! So many kids go to school without having eaten breakfast or plan to eat the school provided breakfast (I'm hear to tell you school provided meals are not high on the list for healthfulness, they buy the cheapest product to get by and it is usually full of preservatives and GMO ingredients - stay away!). A great way to get a quick and healthy meal in the morning is breakfast sandwiches. You can make these ahead of time and freeze. Use whole grain English muffins or bagels, top with eggs, cheese, spinach and no-nitrate bacon. To make in the morning, pop them in the oven until heated through and you are ready to go. This will stick with you until lunch and you won't be grabbing for the mid-morning candy bar. Oatmeal is always an easy and delicious breakfast idea. Top with nuts, granola, fruit, and a touch of honey or maple syrup. A quick smoothie is easy too. We like to add spinach with the fruit and also Dr. Axe's Ancient Nutrition bone broth protein powder. If you add protein powders, make sure they are made from whole foods and are not full of preservatives.


I know eating healthy can be a challenge especially for busy people. We try to make it a priority, if we are going to be busy in the evening, the slow cooker is put to good use. Eating healthy is easy if a little planning is done ahead of time. It is worth it! Happy cooking!

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