Healthy eating doesn’t have to be wildly inconvenient. It doesn’t have to involve cooking a gourmet meal every night, spending hours chopping vegetables, or a full day Sunday meal prep. With a little planning and strategic choices, hitting your nutrition goals can be simpler than you think. Keep reading for six great tools for reaching your nutrition goals while still living your busy life.
Buy Pre-Chopped & Pre-Cooked Options
There is no rule that says you need to chop your vegetables and cook your meat. Look for convenient options at the grocery store. Buying minced garlic, chopped onion, and pre-cooked chicken can be a big time saver. Look for options with minimal added ingredients, or keep any added oils or sauces in mind as you prepare your meal. Keep in mind that chopped vegetables may not stay fresh for quite as long. Frozen vegetables are another great, convenient option. Using these convenience items is a great way to save time in the kitchen.
Cook Enough to Have Leftovers
You don’t need to have a “meal prep day” to have meals prepared. Eating the same chicken and broccoli all week might be boring, but having leftovers for lunch the following day is the perfect middle ground for many people. This strategy involves very little extra work, since you’re just increasing the portion size, and makes lunch or dinner the following day super convenient. Consider cooking meals that reheat well, like soups or casseroles. This chili recipe is one of my favorite staples. The recipe makes at least four servings and it tastes even better the next day! It’s also super hearty and high in protein.
Simplify Your Meals
Not every meal needs to be a gourmet creation. Instead of searching for a complicated recipe involving loads of equipment and dishes, try using this simple formula: pick a protein, carbohydrate, and veggie. Fats will usually come along with your protein source or in the form of cooking oil or sauces. Start with a protein source like chicken, eggs, fish, beef, or tofu. Add a carbohydrate source like rice, quinoa, pasta, oats, or potatoes. Finish off with a vegetable like spinach, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, or kale. Top with spices and/or sauces of your choice. Don’t overthink it.
Make a List of Staple Meals
Having a list of staple meals that you rotate through can be a game changer. If you feel inspired and want to try something new, that’s great! But on days when cooking feels like a chore, choosing a meal is often half of the battle. Having a few staple, healthy recipes that you’ve made so many times that you could cook them blindfolded can be so helpful. Take some time to jot down any recipes that you enjoy making and tend to lean on week after week. If you don’t have any staple recipes right now, make note of any recipes that you would like to keep on rotation as you cook this week. The more often you cook these recipes, the easier they will get.
Take Advantage of Meal or Grocery Delivery
If your main problem is that you never seem to have groceries around, grocery delivery can be life changing. Services like Instacart can save so much time. There is usually a small fee, but this can be worth it for the amount of time you will save not going to the grocery store. As you order groceries more often, the process will get even easier since your staple groceries will be in your order history. If you would like to take this a step further, there are many meal delivery companies that will deliver healthy, delicious, fully cooked meals to your door. All you have to do is reheat and serve. These meals are more expensive than cooking for yourself, but often the same price or slightly cheaper than a fast food meal. These are also a great option if you would like to cook most of your own meals while keeping a few backup meals in the freezer.
Supplement as Needed
It is always best to get your nutrients from minimally processed foods, but high quality supplements, like whey protein powder, can be great for getting in the nutrients you need when getting them through food is not possible. When shopping for supplements, always buy from a company that uses third party testing since supplements are not well regulated. My favorite supplement company in terms of both quality and taste is Legion Athletics. I use their protein powder to supplement my protein intake as needed. You can make a protein shake with just water, blend into a smoothie, or stir into your oats.
Make This Your Own
It’s okay if all of these ideas don’t sound appealing to you. Take what sounds helpful and leave what does not. I recommend implementing one of these ideas at a time and assessing whether or not your eating habits have improved. Don’t be afraid to get creative with meal choices, preparation methods, and convenience items.
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