My top 3 tips to make it easier for you to eat healthy
“I really just need a stove with burners, not an oven, because I don’t cook.”
Believe it or not, that’s what I said to the salesperson when we were buying appliances for our new home not too many years ago (don’t worry, she still convinced me to get an oven)!
That may sound funny given that I’ve been sharing healthy recipes, meal prep tips, and pictures of the dishes I make on social media for about the last decade, but it’s 100% true!
For a fun flashback, click here to watch a YouTube video I did with my daughter Ivy when she was 3 years old making Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (watch out, you could go down the same rabbit hole I did watching the other videos I did with her - so stinking cute!).
When I started cooking for myself as an adult, I would just go to the grocery store and randomly buy food that looked good. Each day I would try to make something out of the random bits and pieces I had. I ate a lot more packaged food, food went to waste, and I definitely didn’t eat very healthy.
Once I had kids, I realized that we needed some sort of plan. As time went on, I learned to cook better and became more creative with what we made. To my surprise, I also found that I really enjoy cooking! It’s now my love language and it makes me feel good physically and mentally to know that I am fuelling me and my family with healthy food.
I now 100% believe that cooking is something everyone can do well!
Here are my top 3 tips to make it easier to cook healthy food at home:
1.Create a plan and grocery list for the week. At the start of every week I ,sit down and select recipes from the FASTer Way app (or you could use cookbooks or e-recipes) that will work with our week ahead. I also take into consideration what we have left in the fridge to make sure it gets used up. I start by picking 5 or 6 dinners.
If we are going to be short on time, I may plan for simple meals like Turkey and Spinach Wraps or Bacon, Eggs and Avocado for dinner. If we have a bit more time, then family favourites include options like Tacos, Burger in a Bowl, Healthy Chicken Fried Rice and, Crispy Tofu with some type of vegetable.
I also pick one low carb-breakfast (often some type of chia pudding) and one regular macro breakfast (often an overnight oats variation) that’s easy to make for a few days at a time so it’s ready for me to grab in the morning.
2. Duplicate meals to make life easier. I usually have dinner leftovers for lunch the next day or two after. These days that’s becoming more challenging as the kids are eating so much that sometimes there aren’t any leftovers. As mentioned above, I also make breakfast ahead for several days.
3. Everyone eats the same dinner. I don’t make separate meals for different family members. I try to pick meals that can easily be personalized to individual preferences though - things like tacos or burger in a bowl (choose your own toppings) or chickpea pasta (bolognese sauce or pesto or butter… guess who likes that one?). If someone really doesn’t like the vegetable(s) that’s been cooked, then there are always cut up raw veggies on hand to choose from (these work great to have ready for lunches too)
I don’t usually spend time on the weekends making meals ahead (although that’s a great idea if you find it works for you!), but I do wash and cut up fruit and veggies so they will be easy to grab. If time is short, buying them pre-cut can be a great alternative.
We also try to involve our 4 kids as much as we can (I don’t want to make you think this is something they do excitedly though!). They take turns setting the table for meals and helping to clear it, make their own lunches, and sometimes help with cutting up veggies or preparing a meal. Ivy enjoys baking on her own now, and it’s been helpful that I don’t always have to make something for the week.
I hope these suggestions give you some “food for thought” to make eating healthy easier. I read that teaching our kids to cook is more important than teaching them to play a sport…and I agree! It is a lifelong skill that has a huge impact on helping you feel your best so that you can live the life that you want to. I am the perfect example that even if that skill didn’t get developed as a child, it’s never too late to start learning!
If you are interested in:
Easy access to quick, healthy and simple recipes and meal plans
Receiving customized macronutrient goals to know how much food your body needs for a healthy metabolism and to function optimally
Learning how to safely and effectively implement intermittent fasting
Daily 30 minute workouts that provide options whether you are a beginner or more advanced
Check-ins with me as your personal coach (daily via text and 2 check in calls)
…. then my 6 week FASTer Way group is perfect for you!!
The nutritional component is the most important piece (you will see benefits even if you want to exclusively focus on that right now) and the approach to exercise is the icing on the cake (you can still eat that too!) to help you create a healthy sustainable lifestyle that allows you to love life and feel amazing.
Reply back if you have questions or click the link below for more info. Let’s do this!! It’s never too late to change your story.