Planning for Success!

Planning and Prepping to be Successful 

I thought I would kick this entry off with sharing one of my deep dark secrets: I am an EXCESSIVE planner. I have my schedule in my phone which updates my email scheduler, also I keep a handwritten planner, and have a list for ALMOST every aspect of my life. Sometimes I even find myself using my planning to procrastinate! Although at at times this character trait can be cumbersome so say the least I have found that it helps to support my nutritional needs and goals. I wanted to share with you how I plan and prep for my meals for the week. I'm a busy girl and part of "managing my busy" is making sure its easy to make healthy choices in the moment. 

Step 1: What's For Dinner?

My main concern while I am preparing my weekly menu is DINNER. As long as my cupboard and fridge is stocked with healthy options I can grab and go during the day for breakfast and lunch as needed. On Sundays, I look over any recipes I want to try and use a sheet like the one above to plan out my dinners (considering the day and how much time I will have to get dinner out at a reasonable time). I like to use sheets like this because it has a shopping list I can snip right off and take with me to the grocery store.

Step 2: Grocery Shopping

I TRY to coupon when I can BUT like many of you have a difficult time finding coupons for healthy items and yesterday I didn't have time to peruse the internet. Yesterday I googled "Best Deals at Publix" on a whim and read some posts and I altered my shopping list accordingly. I also took less than two minutes at the store looking over the flyer to see what produce was on sale and to see if there were any brand swaps that would save some money. 

Step 3:  Organization

OK by now you might start to think that this A LOT of work BUT I promise you its not that bad AND SO worth it. When I return from the grocery store I check out my fridge and remove any weekend splurges and anything else that needs to be discarded. Anything I will use to prep including my recipes gets a spot on my counter and everything else is put away. Also, its a great time to preheat the oven.

Step 4: Time to Prep!

Every week I change what I prep for the week but some of my staples are below. 

Muesli

I kicked off yesterday with a simple recipe that makes a healthy nutritious breakfast a cinch during the week. (2 cups of the Hodgson's Mill Muesli mix, 1 cup of Almond Milk, and a drizzle of agave mixed together and set in the fridge). In the morning I just add 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and a grated apple to the mixture and place it back in the fridge. When I am ready to eat I top with some strawberries (precut) and a handful of walnuts for a powerful protein-carb-healthy fat combo. 

Next up Sweet Potatoes!

After washing, two of these beauts were baked in the oven while the other two were peeled, diced, and boiled. Baked sweet potatoes are a great side for lunch or dinner and if they are already cooked you can just pop them in the microwave. Because sometimes I'm fancy, I decided the boiled sweet potatoes would be best put to use in a bisque. Once they were boiled they joined the other ingredients in the blender and came out as this creamy concoction that is ready to go when I am!

Stove top Multitasking

Sweet potatoes are boiling, quinoa is cooking, toppings for my pita pizzas are sauteing, and squash is ready to go in the oven!

Grab and Go

Fruits and Veggies are pre-cut so I can grab a handful or a sprinkle when I need to. Quinoa and sweet potatoes are ready to be reheated for a quick side.

Pre-made Power Salads: black beans, edamame, and Corn... OH MY!

Heat and Eat

Sweet Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Bisque, Acorn Squash, and Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

And Finally: Dinner- Veggie Pita Pizzas

Whole Grain Pitas topped with baked eggplant, my sauteed veggies, baby bellas, a sprinkle of feta and a drizzle of balsamic! The perfect dinner for a prep day because its easy to make, quick to cook in the oven, and doesn't take up much space. 

With a little planning and time you can be ready to take on the week!